Leith Walk view

This compressed cityscape looks down Elm Row and Leith Walk from the rooftop cafe in the John Lewis building at St James Quarter. Although not technically in Leith, it’s placed in this section as it takes in the top section of one of the longest streets in the city - the one that joins the once separated Port of Leith with today’s city centre. The telephoto framing stacks this long stretch and illustrates that it’s not actually as straight as you think. To reach the viewpoint you have to work your way up the John Lewis department store to their main café area.

This works in any season and throughout the day, though timing it so there is light on the buildings is a relatively small window in the early afternoons. A long lens is needed to compress the scene and stack the layers of rooftops, although it’s an interesting viewpoint with lots to look at from any direction with any lens you have. Trams and buses illustrate that this is a vibrant bustling area. It’s also worth taking a walk to see the eclectic array of businesses that stretch all the way to Leith.