Photos: Granary Square Fountains, King’s Cross

Standing outside the beautifully renovated brick granary buildings now home to art institution Central St Martins college of UAL, the colourful fountains in Granary Square have intrigued me ever since I first saw them a few months ago. The water jets regularly change colour and pattern, which makes them an interesting subject to photograph. One evening I decided to capture some arty photos of this impressive installation. Armed with my digital SLR, tripod and hat/gloves, I braved the cold to see what I could create…

I quickly discovered that it’s a challenge to do justice to the dynamic visual impact of the fountains in a still photograph. Short exposures freeze the vivid colours but lack movement/flow. Long exposures capture a sense of movement but, when the colours are changing they merge into a muddy glow, and when the colours are static there is little drama. I realised that including the buildings and the people moving around them adds interest and context to photographs. Feeling inspired, to add an extra dimension I experimented with changing the zoom while the shutter was open and managed to create some interesting “exploding light ray” effects.

I’ve included a handful of my favourites in this post. If you’re interested, you can see the full set here.IMG_1221.JPG

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