Museum of Liverpool


The Building


The Museum of Liverpool, located at the Pier Head on Liverpool's waterfront, opened its doors to the public in 2011. It was established to celebrate and showcase the rich history and cultural significance of Liverpool and its people. The museum is part of the National Museums Liverpool group and replaced the former Museum of Liverpool Life. It aims to reflect the city's global influence, from its industrial past to its vibrant cultural contributions, including its pivotal role in the music scene with bands like The Beatles.

The construction of the Museum of Liverpool was a significant architectural and engineering feat. Designed by the Danish architectural firm 3XN and engineered by Buro Happold, the building was constructed by Galliford Try at a cost of £72 million. The museum provides 8,000 square meters of exhibition space, housing over 6,000 objects. Its design and construction were carefully planned to ensure that the museum could host a variety of exhibitions and events, making it a dynamic and flexible space for both permanent and temporary displays.

Architecturally, the Museum of Liverpool is a striking example of modern design that harmonizes with its historic surroundings. The building's design is reminiscent of the trading ships that once dominated Liverpool's docks, with its dynamic, low-rise structure engaging in a respectful dialogue with the taller historical buildings nearby. The façade features a relief pattern that offers a contemporary interpretation of the architectural details found in the adjacent 'Three Graces' buildings. Large gabled windows open up towards the city and the harbor, symbolically drawing history into the museum while inviting the public to look in.

Inside, the museum continues to impress with its central atrium and sweeping staircase, which encourage social interaction and exploration. The museum's layout is designed to be fully accessible, contributing to the public promenade flow along the docks. Outdoor areas around the museum offer seating with views of the water, creating a dynamic urban environment that serves as a meeting point for both locals and visitors. The Museum of Liverpool not only tells the story of the city's past but also serves as a vibrant cultural hub for the present and future.

The Photograph

I last visited Liverpool back in 2023 for a couple of days to check out the University. I got the opportunity to revisit for a single Saturday evening taking folks to attend a concert at Anfield and waiting to take them home afterwards. It was a pleasant evening and by the time I reached the waterfront most of the visitors had dispersed. This meant I could take a leisurely walk all around the museum to find the best angles for my photographs.

Last time I visited I was shooting Fuji X and my day to day lens was the Laowa 9mm f/2.8. This time, I had a Sony A7RII and my old faithful Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Shift lens. On paper, the 9mm (on APS-C) offers a wider view (effective 13.5mm) than the 15mm gives on full-frame. In practice, having shift capability allows me to get a lot closer to my subjects whilst maintaining verticals (with the 9mm I would often have to step back and shoot in portrait orientation).

This time around, I carefully used the pen tool to create my selection of the main building, I then used this to let me create sky and foreground selections which I then added my initial take on gradients to separating the building so I could then work on it with some idea of the overall look I was going to get.

For me, I always think about the glass elements of modern buildings when shooting them. In this instance there are large windows at each end of the museum both nicely reflecting the scene opposite them. Carefully selecting each pane I adjusted the white level to brighten the glass before then adding a gradient layer to create a more interesting pattern.

The rest of the building required careful treatment to avoid the stone cladding looking like “mush” in the final picture. This requires using levels and gradient layers to emphasise and separate the different faces to add depth to the photograph.

Finally, I tidied up any selection joins before using the history dodge/burn brush to make some finishing touches to.

I always relish any chance I get to go back to a previous subject, I have a few more pictures of the museum to process that I will post as I get to them.

See more of my work at my main website.


 

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