Hanover to the Mound

Looking down Hanover Street towards the Mound, this tightly framed shot centres the Royal Scottish Academy with the spiky Gothic skyline of the Old Town and New College towers piled up behind. A telephoto composition compresses the layers to appear almost as one wall of stone. The viewpoint is just minutes from Princes Street on a traffic island, but the road is busy, so a clean frame is exceptionally rare.

This evening shot is taken while the sun sits low and beams along Princes Street catching the north facing façades of the mound and Old Town buildings. The low sun places Hanover Street in complete shadow creating a strong contrast and drawing the viewer’s eye to the stacked façades. Zooming in to around 100mm is the key tool, compressing the RSA against the Old Town. Shoot from well up the street and keep keenly aware of moving traffic. A blank scene is rare, as is the RSA without advertising banners between the pillars, but the view works in any conditions.