Michael Wilkins
Menu

Photography

Fine-Art Cityscape Photography

Cities after dark — steel, glass and sodium light, from London to New York.

Mostly at night: London, New York, Sydney and Rome, with Budapest, Paris, Venice, Santorini, Singapore and Bangkok in between. Several are long exposures, traffic turned into light trails and water into glass. Tower Bridge, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Sydney Opera House and the Colosseum each appear more than once.

  1. The Sydney Opera House sails lit at sunset with the Harbour Bridge arch rising behind, under an orange and teal sky over smoothed harbour water.

    Sails and Steel

  2. Looking up at the white ribs of the Oculus sweeping toward One World Trade Center against a pale sky, high-key and minimal.

    Ribs and Spire

  3. The Fearless Girl statue stands hands on hips at night, facing the floodlit columns of the New York Stock Exchange.

    Facing the Exchange

  4. Long-exposure night scene at Piccadilly Circus with red, white and blue light trails from buses sweeping past the curved facades of Regent Street.

    Regent Street, Ten Seconds

  5. Sydney's tower skyline lit in festival colour for Vivid, seen across Darling Harbour with waterfront bars and palm trees below.

    Vivid City

  6. A white vintage Cadillac convertible parked on Campbell Parade at Bondi at night, red light trails from passing traffic streaking behind it.

    The White Cadillac

  7. Shaftesbury Avenue at night with lit theatre marquees, pedestrians at the kerb and traffic light trails on the wet road.

    London Theatreland

  8. Luna Park's Ferris wheel spun into concentric rings of golden light by a long exposure, with the Harbour Bridge pylon and steelwork at right under a dusk sky.

    The Golden Wheel

  9. The Bondi Icebergs ocean pool at dawn seen from above, pink light on the lanes and a lone swimmer standing at the pool's edge.

    Icebergs, First Swim

  10. The Sofitel tower at Darling Harbour glowing gold at night, a lit Ferris wheel turning at its base and crowds small along the waterfront.

    Darling Harbour Gold

  11. White light trails from night traffic on George Street, Sydney, with the sandstone Queen Victoria Building lit at left.

    George Street, Southbound

  12. Photograph of the white ribbed wing of the Oculus transit hub sweeping diagonally across the frame, One World Trade Center rising behind it into a pale sky, flags at half-mast and an empty plaza with street-art hoardings on the right.

    The Wing, Half-Mast

  13. Photograph of the upper tiers of the Colosseum shot from below against a pale sky, rows of arches curving across the frame with the low sun bursting as a star through one of the openings.

    Arcade

  14. Photograph looking up at the Pantheon's portico, its massive granite columns rising steeply into the frame beneath the inscribed pediment reading M AGRIPPA L F COS TERTIVM FECIT, against a clear blue sky.

    Portico

  15. Photograph looking down the Via dei Fori Imperiali at dusk toward the floodlit Colosseum, umbrella pines silhouetted on both sides beneath a burning orange sky.

    The Empty Road

  16. Photograph of the Arch of Constantine in Rome reflected in a large rain puddle, the arch upright in the top half of the frame and mirrored below, a single figure walking past in silhouette.

    Constantine, Twice

  17. Night photograph of the Fountain of the Naiads in Piazza della Repubblica, its jets lit and frozen mid-spray, flanked by the curved floodlit colonnades of the piazza against a black sky.

    Naiadi

  18. Blue-hour photograph of Trajan's Column standing lit between umbrella pines, the domed church of Santa Maria di Loreto glowing pink beside it, wet road reflecting the street lights in the foreground.

    Trajan's Column, Blue Hour

  19. Night photograph of the floodlit Vittoriano monument in Rome, its colonnade and bronze statues bright against a black sky, with long white and red car light trails streaking across the road in front.

    Traffic at the Altar

  20. Night photograph of the Colosseum floodlit from within, warm light glowing through two tiers of arches while the surrounding sky and ground fall away into near-black.

    The Colosseum, Lit

  21. Dusk photograph of a large timber and stone alpine chalet on a village corner, its windows and balconies lit warm gold, snow-covered peaks visible above the rooflines behind.

    Vie Montagne

  22. Black and white photograph looking down a narrow Manhattan side street at night, a streetlamp bursting into a hard star above wet cobblestones, tall buildings closing in on both sides.

    Wet Cobbles

  23. Photograph looking up Washington Street in DUMBO, the Manhattan Bridge tower framed exactly between two brick warehouse buildings, cobbled street and parked cars leading toward it.

    Washington Street

  24. Soft-focus black and white photograph taken through the Brooklyn Bridge's suspension cables, a thick main cable sweeping through the foreground with the stone tower and a blur of walkers beyond.

    Suspension

  25. Photograph of the lower Manhattan skyline seen through the diagonal suspension cables of the Brooklyn Bridge at sunset, buildings in dark silhouette against a deep orange sky.

    Through the Web

  26. Dawn photograph looking straight down the empty Brooklyn Bridge pedestrian walkway, its centre line running to the lit stone tower ahead, lamps still on against a blue morning sky.

    Empty Promenade

  27. Night photograph of the Radio City Music Hall facade, its vertical red neon signs and illuminated marquee glowing against the dark building, a yellow cab passing below.

    Radio City

  28. Photograph of the bronze Charging Bull sculpture in lower Manhattan seen from the front and side, its head lowered and horns forward, polished bronze catching the light with bare winter trees and flags behind.

    Charging Bull

  29. Night photograph of One World Trade Center rising lit into a dark blue sky, with Fritz Koenig's damaged bronze Sphere sculpture standing in the foreground below it.

    The Sphere

  30. Photograph looking down a Manhattan cross street at golden hour, the low sun bursting as a star between the buildings and throwing long shadows down the road toward parked cars and distant walkers.

    Cross Street

  31. Night photograph of the Sydney Harbour Bridge lit in teal and gold, its full arch mirrored in still water in the foreground with the city skyline glowing behind.

    Coathanger

  32. Night photograph of the Sydney Opera House and the lit CBD skyline seen through a narrow gap between two dark foreground buildings, framed by silhouetted walls and a palm.

    Between the Buildings

  33. Dusk photograph of the village of Oia on Santorini, white cubic houses stacked down the caldera cliff and lit gold from within, the deep blue sea and sky behind.

    Oia, Blue Hour

  34. Night photograph of the Acropolis of Athens floodlit on its rock, the Parthenon and Erechtheion glowing pale gold, with everything around and below fallen to pure black.

    Lit Rock

  35. Sunrise photograph of Santa Maria della Salute across the Grand Canal in Venice, its domes silhouetted against a burning orange sky with moored gondolas and still water in the foreground.

    Salute

  36. Photograph looking straight up inside the domed vestibule of Diocletian's Palace, the circular open oculus at the top showing blue sky, ancient brickwork curving away below it.

    Oculus

  37. Night photograph of Regent Street in London under its Christmas light installation, illuminated angel-wing decorations strung overhead and red bus light trails streaking along the wet road below.

    Regent Street, December

  38. Night photograph of a red London telephone box in the foreground with the floodlit Gothic facade of Westminster Abbey rising behind it, a streetlamp bursting into a star above.

    Two Landmarks

  39. Night photograph of Tower Bridge lit in green and gold, seen from the north bank with long red and white vehicle light trails sweeping around the road curve in the foreground.

    Tower Bridge, Moving

  40. Night photograph of the Albert Bridge in London outlined in thousands of small bulbs, its ornate towers and cables glowing gold, with blue and white vehicle light trails crossing beneath.

    Albert Bridge

  41. Night photograph of the Hungarian Parliament Building floodlit gold along the Danube, its spires and central dome reflected in a long gold column on the dark water.

    Parliament

  42. Night photograph of the floodlit Eiffel Tower rising into low cloud, a bright moon glowing through the mist directly above its tip, red vehicle light trails crossing the road below.

    Moon Over the Tower

  43. Night photograph of a narrow cobbled alley in the Los Angeles Arts District, both walls covered floor to roof in dense graffiti, a single lamp glowing at the far end.

    Alley, Downtown

  44. St Paul's Cathedral seen straight down the empty Millennium Bridge in soft light, its dome and west towers against a pale peach sky, the bridge's steel balustrades converging towards it, a tall residential tower and scaffolded buildings to the right.

    St Paul's, Down the Bridge

  45. Tower Bridge under an orange sky, its towers and walkways lit gold against an orange sky, the bridge's lights on and the whole structure mirrored in a glassy, long-exposed Thames, a moored pontoon at left and a lamp-lined embankment wall at right.

    Tower Bridge, Held Still

  46. Piccadilly Circus with nobody in it: the Underground sign and two ornate lamps over the subway entrance, the curved screens lit with car and phone adverts, the statue of Eros on its fountain, tower cranes against a sky of pink and violet cloud and empty pavements.

    Piccadilly Circus, Empty

  47. A dark Soho street at night with a red SOHO neon sign glowing over the road, the vertical Carnaby sign on a blue-lit brick wall, a street lamp bursting into a star at top right, ghosted pedestrians blurred by the long exposure and the lit tower of Centre Point in the distance.

    Soho, in Neon

  48. Trajan's Column lit at night among the standing columns of Trajan's Forum, two domed baroque churches behind it, umbrella pines at left, floodlights throwing small stars across the ruins and a couple of tiny figures on the walkway at the back.

    Trajan's Column, After Dark

  49. A red London bus dissolved into streaks of red, white and blue light as it passes a grand stone façade at night, a lamp post cutting through the foreground, the Dilly hotel sign and car headlights further down the street.

    The Bus, Passing

  50. The Brooklyn Bridge spanning the East River towards the Lower Manhattan skyline on a bright winter day, One World Trade Center at the centre, a carousel pavilion on the Brooklyn shore at left, snow on the ground and russet shrubs in the foreground under a blue sky with big white clouds.

    Bridge, Skyline, Snow

  51. The Brooklyn Bridge's stone tower and cables seen from a snowy Manhattan street, bare winter branches framing the top of the frame, an elevated roadway sweeping across the right, parked cars and a few pedestrians on the pavement in bright winter sun.

    The Bridge, From Street Level

  52. A cobbled street in the South Street Seaport after snowfall, ploughed snow heaped along the kerb, red-brick warehouses and fire escapes, strings of lights overhead, the Fulton Market sign at right, the Brooklyn Bridge crossing the gap between the buildings, and a lone figure in a long black coat walking away from the camera.

    The Seaport, After Snow

  53. The stepped Art Deco Paramount Building in Times Square lit red and gold at night, its clock tower against a black sky, the NYPD sign at street level, wet pavement reflecting the neon and a few pedestrians and a police officer in a hi-vis vest crossing the plaza.

    The Paramount, in Red

  54. A wide night-time street in Lower Manhattan shot from road level: a red traffic light hanging over a striped pedestrian crossing, security bollards along the kerb, bare winter trees, office towers lit window by window and a car's headlights approaching from the far end.

    Red Light, Empty Street

  55. The Lower Manhattan skyline in pure silhouette against a clear blue evening sky, the setting sun bursting in a star between two towers, a construction crane on an unfinished building and the dark railing of a bridge walkway along the bottom of the frame.

    Manhattan, Cut Out

  56. The Empire State Building lit gold at night, framed beneath a traffic-light gantry and beside a corner of billboards and shopfronts, a blurred yellow cab streaking across the crossing and pedestrians gathered on the far kerb.

    The Empire State, From 34th

  57. Times Square at night from kerb level: a black Chevrolet Suburban filling the foreground, a yellow cab behind it, towering billboards for muscles, vitamins and clothing lit in white, cyan and yellow, the NYPD station sign and pedestrians on a crossing.

    Times Square, From the Kerb

  58. A narrow cobbled alley at night between ochre and cream facades, a blue-white street lamp on the left wall, Christmas garlands strung with warm lights on both sides, a lit shopfront and a parked grey Smart car further down, and two people walking away from the camera, a man in a dark quilted jacket carrying a bag and a woman a few steps ahead.

    The Alley, in December

  59. The Colosseum's curved arcades and the edge of the Arch of Constantine seen in soft light across wet cobbles, two umbrella pines and an ornate lamp post standing over an empty street, the whole scene doubled in a broad rain puddle in the foreground.

    The Colosseum, in a Puddle

  60. The white marble Vittoriano monument in Rome with the sun bursting in a star directly behind the bronze chariot on its roof, umbrella pines and the broken columns of an ancient forum in the foreground, the sky washed pale by the glare.

    The Sun Behind the Chariot

  61. Sydney Harbour at blue hour: the Opera House and the lit city towers across still water on the left, the Harbour Bridge's steel arch sweeping in from the right, a palm tree and an iron fence in the foreground and a single lamp glowing on the foreshore.

    Both of Them, Blue Hour

  62. A wide city boulevard at sunset seen through a car windscreen, tall palm trees silhouetted against a sky fading from orange to deep blue, office blocks lining both sides, tail lights ahead and the sky reflected in the bonnet at the bottom of the frame.

    Last Light Down the Boulevard

  63. The Sydney Opera House lit violet at night seen across the harbour, with dark ornamental finials silhouetted in the foreground and city lights behind.

    Purple, Across the Water

  64. The steel lattice arch of a harbour bridge lit deep blue at night, its girders and rivets receding up and out of frame against the dark sky.

    The Arch, in Blue

  65. A tropical beachfront at night: hotel towers and palm trees strung with warm light, their reflections stretched down the wet sand towards the camera.

    Beachfront, After Dark

  66. Tall illuminated fountain jets in a dark lake, throwing gold-lit water up in front of a large floodlit hotel facade at night.

    The Fountains

  67. A casino strip at night with a replica Eiffel tower and illuminated balloon, streaked magenta and white light trails from passing traffic filling the foreground.

    The Strip, Moving

  68. A pier and its ferris wheel silhouetted black against a burning orange sunset, the wet sand in the foreground mirroring the whole sky.

    Pier Against the Sun

  69. A seaside amusement pier with a ferris wheel and rollercoaster seen through a row of tall palm trees, pale sand and people scattered across the beach.

    Pier, Behind the Palms

  70. The underside of a pier at low sun: rows of barnacled timber pilings receding into gold light, their reflections running down the wet sand.

    Under It

  71. The Sydney Opera House at night with its shells lit in magenta, pink and green projections, reflected in the dark water of the harbour.

    Sails, Lit

  72. The lit Sydney Opera House seen small and yellow-green through a large rusted iron ring on the foreshore, the ring's corroded surface dark against the night.

    Through the Ring

  73. Lit office towers at night, every window burning gold, beneath heavy cloud edged and underlit in the same warm colour.

    The Sky Did the Rest

  74. A steel arch bridge lit in blue and magenta at night, seen through a rough sandstone archway that frames it in darkness.

    Framed in Sandstone

  75. A riverside embankment lined with bare plane trees and lamp posts receding into haze, two figures walking beneath them, with construction cranes and office towers rising beyond the water.

    The Embankment, Nearly Monochrome

  76. Dozens of red paper lanterns strung in rows beneath an ornate Chinese gateway at night, gold characters on vertical signs either side and warm light spilling down.

    Under the Lanterns

  77. The Eiffel Tower lit gold at night under heavy cloud with the moon breaking through above it, and long white and red light trails from traffic crossing the foreground.

    Tower, Moon, Traffic

  78. A tall decorated Christmas tree hung with gold ornaments standing in front of a floodlit neo-gothic city hall, its spire rising into a dark blue sky between bare branches.

    The Tree and the Tower

  79. A stone-towered chain suspension bridge spanning a still river at sunrise, the sky banded pink and orange and the whole scene mirrored in the flat water below.

    Chain Bridge, First Light

  80. A wide empty stone square at blue hour with a tall central column topped by a winged figure, flanked by two curved colonnades lit warm against a deep blue sky.

    Heroes' Square, Empty

  81. A red London double-decker bus on route 25 waiting on a wet night street beneath strings of blue and white Christmas lights, shopfronts glowing and the road reflecting the whole thing back.

    The 25, Under the Lights

  82. A Cycladic clifftop village after dark, white cube houses stacked down the slope lit warm from inside and below, with a blue dome and a pale strip of sea and sky along the horizon.

    After the Crowd Leaves

  83. Clifftop Cycladic village at dusk, warm interior lights glowing in white buildings that step down the rock, a windmill silhouetted on the skyline under a pink and blue sky.

    The Cliff at Dusk

  84. White Cycladic buildings stacked down a hillside in bright daylight, with blue domes, terracotta and ochre walls, and a windmill on the ridge above.

    Oia in Daylight

  85. Luna Park's illuminated towers, ferris wheel and rides at night with the Sydney Harbour Bridge's steel arch lit in colour above, boats moored on the water in the foreground reflecting the lights and the Opera House's sails just visible under the bridge.

    Luna Park, Lit

  86. Soi Cowboy in Bangkok at night: neon bar signs stacked down both sides of the narrow street, a cluster of red and pink balloons, bar-goers at tables under the awnings, a man in a striped shirt leaning on a rail at left, a woman in shorts walking away down the middle with a shopping bag, and a dark tower block above.

    Soi Cowboy

  87. The Singapore financial district at night across the bay, a large orange full moon in a teal sky above the towers, the Fullerton Hotel lit gold at the waterline and the long-exposed water reflecting the lights.

    The Skyline, Under a Full Moon

Cityscapes available as fine art prints

Giclée on Hahnemühle Photo Rag, made to order, worldwide shipping included. All prints

Prices in pounds sterling.