The City of Liverpool

So called for it's red sandstone producing a livery colour at the port, Liverpool was once the 2nd city of Empire and is still one of the world's biggest ports. Although these days it doesn't employ the thousands of dock workers as shipping is mainly automated it handles North American and Scandinavian Timber as well as cereals, cars and a million other commodities.

The Beatles

Liverpool is well known for it's Iconic sons The Beatles who went to the same school as I did, Quarry Bank. It is also known for it's phenomenal examples of Georgian, Victorian and in particular Neo-Classical architecture.

Epic Grand Scale

Two Cathedrals stand at opposite ends of the Aptly named Hope Street where I attended Art College (so did John Lennon & my mum) where my Dad also taught and it has a pedestrianised City centre unlike any other. The whole centre is for people only and this is what makes it different. Liverpool has a reputation as a tough place but the story of my Liverpool is not often told. That of fiercely intellectual artists, writers, poets, comedians and playwrights, some of whom I've been lucky to know.

Lucky Me

I was indeed lucky enough to know some of Liverpool's great artists through my family and school connections. It was a different place than was usually portrayed in the media as somewhere economically depressed and apparently without any culture. Trying telling that to a 7 year old me, wandering through the fantastic Pre-Raphaelite collection at the Walker Art Gallery feeling every bit like Little Lord Fauntleroy. Or watching the Royal Ballet perform at the Grandest 2,000 seat Empire Theatre on Lime Street. I was lucky growing up on the right side of town in what was essentially a medieval village of Wavertree, the world then seemed so Grand, opulent and ornate.

Victorian Splendour

The parks were magnificent and the museums and galleries stuffed to the gunnels with collection upon collection of incredible works of art and culture. It was only later that I learned that all this wealth had been accumulated on the back of Slavery by merchants such as William Tate of Tate & Lyle Sugar, who formed the collection which would become Tate Gallery & Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and St Ives. One of the the most successful attractions in Western Europe.

Liverpool by Night

Liverpool has always had a dynamic nightlife with over 2,000 bars and clubs in the city. It was central to the development of the the global super club scene with 10,000 capacity CREAM starting out of a Thursday night student event at the old Academy Club. Here's a snapshot of a more Grand and older side of Liverpool by night with a few of my favourite views.

Lime Street Railway Station - Victorian Splendour & the end of the line recently restored to it's former glory by removing a 1960's concrete parade and a 20 storey tower office block which sat where the elegant steps are 1/6th @ f3.5 ISO 400

One of Europe's Finest Neo-Classical buildings and central to the identity of the City, St Georges Hall did house County Courts & is used as a venue for very grand events. It has a Roman style mosaic floor of exquisite quality which is usually hidden for conservation purposes 1/3rd @f4.2 ISO 400

The Railway Clock inside Lime Street Station, a deep icon lodged in my mind since early childhood by Joyce Clocks of Whitchurch one of the country's best big clock makers 1/6th @f5.6 ISO 400

Shoppers in Puffer Jackets Church Street - the pedestrianised centre of the city makes shopping and socialising a laid back affair 1/8th @f3.5 ISO 400

The Playhouse Theatre and The former Tower Restaurant, a 300ft revolving ventilation tower for the St John's shopping precint, whici is now home to a new eatery Panoramic 34 1/80th @f3.5 ISO 100

Bold Street Bohemian shopping at the top of the town centre with the ever beautiful 'bombed out' (St Lukes) church which was burned in the Blitz during WW2 but managed to survive as a shell and now as a venue with charming gardens 1/60th @f3.5 ISO 160

Technicals.

These evening / night time images can be tricky to catch without a tripod. They tend to become shaky and camera movement is exacerbated but you can create real mood with black skies and overexposed bright, flared lights.

Shutter

Extended shutter speeds down to 1/3rd of a second are compensated for by extension of ISO sensitivity. Apertures are generally as wide as you can go. In this case a standard kit lens which is not that fast @f3.5 max.. I took these photos on a visit home.

Fast Lens

If I were to take these photos again I would use a fast wide angle (14mm) lens at f2 which I didn't have at the time but which I bought for Astro-photography. It's also very nice for landscapes.

Astro photos coming soon

I will post some Astro-photography shots soon.. It's one of my favourite and most challenging phot0graphic subjects.. The Sky At Night, coming soon :)

all images copy right Christos Hatjoullis (Outerground)