Battersea Power Station in HDR
The first time in my life I have seen Battersea Power Station it haven't been in London. It happened in Italy, I was 11 years old and the picture was on the cover of Pink Floyd's album Animals.
Since then, that massive brickwork building with his four tall white chimneys has been in my memory as an imaginary place, until one of my first trips to London in 2007, when I discovered that it was one of the main coal-fired power station of the city, built in the 1930s (designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott), doubled in the 1950s and then decommissioned and definitely closed in 1983. (more info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battersea_Power_Station)
It has been a long time since I proposed myself to go and shoot it in detail. Unfortunately I have arrived late, because nowadays the site, open to visits until few months ago, has been fenced by Real Estate Opportunity the new developer, who is planning a "sustainable regeneration will offer a mix of uses including residential, offices, arts and culture, all of which will be served by retail, leisure and performance space, along with a fantastic new 6 acre park fronting the River Thames". (more info here: http://www.battersea-powerstation.com/)
Moved by an instinct of preservation and not discouraged by the inaccessible site, on a mild day of Spring I went on expedition with my field gear, determined to come back with a decent witnessing of what the Battersea Power Station is today, before it will change face forever.
After a careful reconnaissance by foot all around the perimeter I realised the only point that was giving me a full view, not obstructed by fences, railways and buildings, was the opposite bank of the Thames on Grosvenor Road.
I know already, what I will confess here below will be blamed by landscape photography purists: I didn't go back to the place on any possible sunset to catch the perfect light. I was more interested to experiment and demonstrate myself that is possible to get an interesting picture even when shooting on a dull day on mid-morning hours.
Once placed my camera on tripod and set a 0.9 ND filter on my 50 mm glass to slow the shutter to the minimum, I took shots bracketing the exposure on five stops. This way I had five different correct exposures for the dark areas (see the pillars under the river dock) as well for the highlights (the white chimneys high in the sky).
Back to my studio, the images have been combined in High-Dynamic-Range process, with an optimal result for the building.
Due weather conditions, the sky was still monotone and lacked of expressivity, not in tune with the powerful character of the construction. Therefore I took the decision to superimpose a more appealing "red sky rich of clouds" from my photo library.
Yes, I admit it, the sky that you can see in the final image, included its reflection on the river, wasn't there that day... but hopefully the reader will find the result appropriate to dignify the real beauty of this great London landmark.
mjf
