Andy Hawthorne

UK Street photographer

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Westbourne Park Road bridge, London

Shooting Structures

It’s a good thing I’m tall.

I crossed a bridge in West London. Steel everywhere. Huge bolts. Sharp angles. All of it engineered and precise.

The city framed itself through the beams. I liked that. But there was a problem. The hum of engines never stopped. Traffic queued across the bridge. The taller vehicles ruined my shot.

I waited. Watched the flow. Cars came and went, but the tall ones kept showing up. I stretched onto my toes. That didn’t work. I was in the wrong spot.

I moved further along. The air was sharp and cold, biting at my fingers. I found a better angle. But the traffic stayed tight, like it was huddling for warmth.

I stretched again. Up on my toes. My balance wobbled, and I cursed my choice of socks. I could have done with an extra pair on. But then I saw it. A gap in the flow.

I raised the camera. Click.

Before I took the shot, I’d adjusted the settings. Exposed for the steel, not the sky. I wanted contrast. Bright white against deep black. Stark, like a scene from a Sci-Fi film.

The result? Abstract and strong. The tones came out just as I’d hoped.

I started walking again, shoving my hands into my pockets to warm them. The cold had done its job. But so had I.