McFade in LIVERPOOL

Liverpool is a fantastic city – one of the only ones with 2 cathedrals, huge river, architecture to die for and some band which disbanded in 1970 which seems to crop up everywhere.

Oh – and up the coast a bit there’s a load of metal men made by Antony Gormley and placed on a beach. Here’s the beach… the men come later

Liverpool’s City Centre Architecture

SO we started in the centre taking photos of the buildings – Liverpool was a thriving port in the old days and the standard of architecture is amazing. Each corner had a gem to shoot, and with the light we got on the day, they looked their best.

One thing to look out for are reflections on the road – you can see the sunlight bounces down from windows on bright days – these blobs add interest to an otherwise bland foreground.

On a wet day, you can look for puddles and reflections instead – every day has its different opportunities

The city hall is not huge, but they certainly went to town with the columns and decoration. The bench provided a cheeky lead line into the scene

Along with the classic buildings, there are a few modern ones around too – this is a restaurant tower thing. I used the Canon 90mm tilt-shift lens to create a quirky miniature effect.

Liverpool’s Lime Street Area

Back to the more classic scene, Liverpool has an area near Lime Street with some of the finest classical architecture in the UK – the galleries, museums and Walker Gallery are on one side – as seen here – but the gem is the George’s Hall. This is the grandest of the northern Victorian people’s palaces. A colossal building in the classical style

This is a little gargoyle on the bottom of a column outside the Walker Gallery

Girls waiting on the steps of Lime Street station. There are photos whenever ever you look – you just have to look

On the walk up to the Anglican Cathedral, you get a whole bohemian vibe – this shop of old junk was one, looked amazing outside

Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral

And then into the cathedral itself. This is the newest gothic cathedral in the UK, build in the classic style, only bigger – a LOT bigger. It’s the 4th biggest on earth.

Towards the back right of the building, there is a small chapel which is worth a look. Peaceful and beautifully decorated. This is a 15 shot panoramic HDR… maybe overkill but I wanted to try it!

View from the choir looking back down the cathedral

Detail of a bannister and window

The last stop on the day was Crosby – the metal men. Thre are 100 of them on the beach, some near the shore, others quite a long way out. They are about a mile wide too.

It’s the perfect place to end a Liverpool experience as it’s peaceful, yet busy – people walk their dogs here – it’s funny, people do daft things to the statues, usually one or 2 with Liverpool football shirts on them!