Ben Moore
Urban, architecture and
landscape photographer
Known for his urban, architecture and
landscape work, Ben has worked with
Adidas, Samsung and Universal
Music, and is a Nikon Z Creator.
http://www.bemorephotos.com
o what skills do
you need to be
a successful
urban cityscape
photographer?
Having spent most
of a day on a portfolio shoot in
London with Ben Moore, I would
say that stamina, determination
and a sense of direction are near
the top of the list – before we
even start thinking about
photographic ability.
But I’d like to add something
else to the skillset: diplomacy.
This is very useful when you’re
dealing with the unwanted
interest this type of photography
attracts – especially when you’re
out to capture the architectural
wonders of a capital city. Estate
management and security staff
tend to be wary of anyone
wearing a backpack and toting
a camera, and are not shy in
making their wariness known.
Ben has had to deal with this
for many years, and this is
his advice: it’s good to talk.
We get a taste of this outside
30 St Mary Axe, better known
as the Gherkin. As Ben starts
shooting some frames of a
puddle that’s reflecting thebuilding’s distinctive latticework,
a security guard taking the air
outside the front door starts to
wave his arms like an aircraft
marshaller. The people staffing
the reception desk don’t want to
be photographed, he shouts at
us – not that Ben is even doing
this. Ben politely points out that
he’s standing on the pavement,
and not within the building’s
footprint. Following a brief
exchange, the guard gets
distracted and walks off.
Ben is most certainly a
diplomat, and he’s also a Nikon
Ambasssador. One of the brand’s
Z Creators, who promote the
benefits of the Z mirrorless
system, he shoots on a Z 7. It’s
super-light, he enthuses, and
it makes his job super-easy.
We started the day’s shooting
with a wander through the
Barbican Estate, the Brutalist
postwar housing development
that rose from an area flattened
during the Blitz. The Barbican’s
architecture tends to divide
opinion, but it’s a fertile territory
for cityscape photographers,
with appealing geometry and
numerous frames within frames
thanks to the manyS
Ben Moore