The London Skyline.
I captured this image on 9th Dec 2015 while scouting for locations to shoot the London Fireworks.
© Copyright Stewart Marsden
Three years in the making
I first saw this view over 3 years ago when I was looking for locations to shoot the New Year’s Fireworks display from. This beautiful composition of London's amazing architecture was breath-taking. When I saw this vista I could visualise in my mind’s eye the image I wanted to make. You will often hear about creative people’s pre-visualisation - this was mine. I could see it, smell it, and taste it, and most importantly I imagined it.
There were a great many hurdles between me and this image: bureaucracy, security, terror threats, terror attacks, politics, and the proximity to Buckingham Palace of the building whose roof I wanted to borrow. I started the negotiation process for this in January last year right after I shot the display before in order to pursue this as a solo project. Now it's done and finished, I feel as though a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Many people have been instrumental in helping a tenacious artist’s vision come true.
The London New Year Fireworks Display - 2018 - © Copyright Stewart Marsden - This image is not available to license.
© Copyright Stewart Marsden
Thank you
I would like to thank Hasselblad for believing in my idea and supporting my passion and supplying their flagship medium format camera, the H6D-100c, Vanguard Photo UK for their award-winning tripods that were perfect for the task at hand. Olympus UK for the OM-D E-M1 Mark II that I filmed the display with, and my local friendly camera store, SRS Microsystems, which I have been a patron of since I was a child buying my Dragon 32 games, for helping cement it all together. Lastly, Land Securities for granting me special access to the roof of the 100-metre brutalist monolith Portland House.
