Manchester’s new Oxford Road

February 6, 2022February 6, 2022 / mikeosbornphoto / Leave a comment

Oxford Road in Manchester is a long thoroughfare synonymous with the city’s thriving student life.

It has grand old architecture but a crop of sleek new buildings have recently sprung up.

There are student accommodation blocks, modern apartments and smart buildings housing academic and research facilities.

The National Graphene Institute, the Circle Square residential development and even a multi-storey car park are among the striking new buildings featured here.

New architecture is one of my favourite photographic subjects. How about you? Or do you prefer something more traditional?

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Manchester towers

January 3, 2021January 3, 2021 / mikeosbornphoto / 2 Comments

I live in the shadow of Deansgate Square in Manchester, and it’s hard to ignore this quartet of skyscrapers. READ MORE BELOW

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I’ve watched these buildings slowly rise in the last few years, and now the South Tower is Manchester’s tallest, surpassing 1990s skyscraper Beetham Tower.

Deansgate Square can be seen across the city and beyond, spawning the terms Manctopia and Manchattan – the rapid development of a glitzy, high rise future for Manchester.

I see these buildings every day and have photographed them more and more while staying at home during the pandemic.

They catch different lights, reflect the sky and mirror the seasons. They’re not to everyone’s taste but I find them a source of constant interest and a firm fixture of the neighbourhood.

Hong Kong stopover

October 9, 2019October 26, 2020 / mikeosbornphoto / 6 Comments

If you’re faced with a long journey from New Zealand back to the UK, Hong Kong is a great place to stop for a few days, as I did earlier this year.

It’s an incredibly concentrated city, packed with eye-watering high rise blocks and people streaming everywhere. But it also has the odd pocket of calm, including Stanley Bay and Kowloon’s Walled City Park.

Views are everything in Hong Kong, and you can see them by taking The Peak tram. My hotel – the Harbour Grand – had a great rooftop platform to take photographs from and drink in the sights. The city is also the ideal place to visit former Portuguese colony Macau across the water.

I stayed in Hong Kong when the weather was grey and wet. The territory is now facing stormy times, but I hope its special sheen as the Pearl of the Orient remains for many decades to come.

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New Manchester

May 28, 2017May 28, 2017 / mikeosbornphoto / 6 Comments

I’ve had my first true taste of summer since moving to Manchester last September. Crowds of sun-hungry people have flocked to the waterways, green spaces and al fresco bars of Castlefield.

With a city draped in piercing blue skies, I turned my camera to the city’s growing crop of contemporary tall buildings – hulks of steel and glass that glint in this light.

This left out the slender Beetham Tower, Manchester’s tallest building which has enthralled me for months. The colour palette for these shots is overwhelmingly blue, which turns dramatic and even menacing in monochrome.

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Abu Dhabi heights

February 7, 2016January 11, 2020 / mikeosbornphoto / 18 Comments

The capital city of the United Arab Emirates is dripping with skyscrapers. Abu Dhabi feels less showy than nearby Dubai, which boasts the tallest building on the planet. Nonetheless, it’s easy to do two things here. Firstly, crane your neck upwards into the blazing sun and deep blue sky to marvel at those lofty hunks of metal and glass. Maybe it’s by design that the predominant colour palette is blue.

Secondly, you can head up to look down, and the chief spot for this is the Observation Deck at 300, some 74 storeys high. Abu Dhabi is laid out before you, including its shimmering Arabian Gulf seaboard, flecked with desert islands. It’s a high platform for people-watching, while they serve a sumptuous afternoon tea. But like all enclosed tall buildings, the photographer has the headache of reflection to deal with when he comes back down to Earth…