Taking car park photography to new heights

Phil Burrowes out on a ledge

Phil Burrowes out on a ledge

The photo he took

The photo he took

Photographers will often go to extraordinary lengths to get the perfect shot. This may entail sitting very still for hours, even days, to capture an image of if a rare animal, bird of prey, or, if you’re a paparazzi, some C-list celebrity. 

At the other extreme, war and extreme sports photographers will put their lives on the line to capture the sense of peril and life hanging in the balance. 

When it comes to photographing car parks one such photographer is Phil Burrowes of Avant Commercial. Surely, you might say, architectural photography is simple. After all, a building is big and just sort of sits there. Buildings do not move. 

But some photographers will go that extra yard to capture an unexpected angle. This is why Burrowes found  himself hanging off the side of the Exchange car park in Stockport last month. Burrowes had been commissioned by NCP to photograph some of its newer structures, which it feels mark a break from some of the uninspiring multi-storeys of the past. Burrowes explains: “Investment into communities is important to NCP. A major part of the brief was to show how NCP is investing into improving the image of car parks as huge buildings, often dominating the skyline of town centres.

“The Exchange is anything but shy. It boasts an outer skin of aerated steel. It rusts, it will discolour and change throughout the year, warmer in cold, wet months, cooler in the warm, dry months. Architecturally, it is stunning to look at.  I thought I'd share how this image was taken.”

Burrowes has a track record of photographing subjects such 

as dramatic and dance performances, restaurants and other cultural activities, and seems to have applied this sense of theatre and presentation to the car park. “I needed an exterior shot of the signage and branding,” he says. “There was only one way. It was high, yes. But strapped to the exterior frame with harness was perfectly safe.”

To find out more about the NCP Photo Project visit: www.avantphotographic.com