Ideas for high places with access/good views – Leeds and NE

I’ve got some potential photography work taking pics around Leeds and the NE. They want ideas for locations for doing tilt-shift style images. These look best taken from high up looking down.

Just wondering if anyone has any ideas for good places to take these from – in Leeds or around the NE. I also need to just take some general ‘dynamic light’ pictures of iconic places, with a mainly urban focus.

I think Gateshead might be good for both as I seem to remember a good view of the Sage etc from up on top of a multi-story car park.

Any ideas gratefully received – thanks!

Go up Beacon Hill in Halifax, you get a great view down onto Halifax.

Up Otley Chevin (on the ridge)?

I think Gateshead might be good for both as I seem to remember a good view of the Sage etc from up on top of a multi-story car park.

That car park is long gone.

The Baltic has an outdoor viewing platform but IIRC the glass surrounding it is about 6ft high. Penshaw monument has pretty good views over Sunderland/Washington.

St Nicks is great in Newcastle, as is the top floor of the eldon centre car park. The tower blocks in the west end are supposed to be good too and probably have less going on in the foreground. Top of 55 deg north looking back toward the station must be good.

Durham cathedral must have some pretty incredible views, no idea if they let people up on top.

Parkinson Building in Leeds would be the obvious choice but Bridgewater Plae would probably work.

edit: crappy shot from St Nicks:

Thanks lemonysam – very helpful. Looks like Durham Cathedral might be a goer.

http://www.durhamcathedral.co.uk/visit/what-to-visit/the-tower

Cheers woody. I’ve got some pics from up Wainhouse Tower already that I might be able to use – not sure if Halifax counts as iconic though! 🙂

Otley Chevin looks nice- can you see Leeds from there?

That car park is long gone.

Bugger.

The Baltic has an outdoor viewing platform but IIRC the glass surrounding it is about 6ft high. Penshaw monument has pretty good views over Sunderland/Washington.

Ta.

For views over Leeds the bigger hills looking down are around Morley, Gildersome and Drighlington. If you come down the M621 from the west you see the views which cover most the city. The access to the higher grounds would from Rooms Lane via Gelderd Road or Victoria Road in Morley.

Buy/borrow a drone ?

Completely forgot the most obvious ones in Newcastle/Gateshead which are the High Level Bridge/Tyne Bridge of the Quayside, Grey’s monument down Grey Street and the Sage looking back at Newcastle.

edit:
View from grey’s monument (not my pic)

not sure if Halifax counts as iconic though

Possibly not, though the Piece Hall is a very impressive building and very visible from the Beacon 🙂

Thanks craigxxl and lemonysam (again). 🙂

That view from grey’s monument looks good.

Would love a drone but I think you’re limited to GoPro type cameras unless you spend quite a lot (and I’d be scared to send my DSLR up in one anyway). I would like to be able to do stuff that wasn’t just super-wide angle I think.

I might go have a look up on Beacon Hill anyway – never been up there and it’s only down the road.

I thought tilt shift stuff had been passé for years now 😉

Anyway, assuming this is urban stuff, the amazing Luder designed carpark at Trinity Square was demolished a while back, so forget that. The new development could be interesting to get up, and shouldn’t be difficult. Otherwise, Boro transporter bridge, several of the bridges over the Tyne between Newcastle & Gateshead for Newcastle and Gateshead quayside areas, Penshaw hill for Sunderland maybe(?) northern edge of the NY moors for Teesside, obviously the monument for views of Newcastle’s Grainger Town (arranging access might be tricky), Westgate road tower blocks, top of the Byker Wall, top of the Leazes stand in St James’ Park, though that’s so high you don’t really need tilt shift to make everything appear in miniature. Lots of Durham city around the Wear would suit tilt shift even from low level, just because of the topography, as well as Cathedral and Castle.

Can’t help with Leeds, but, just in case there is any confusion, it isn’t anywhere close to the NE 😉

Durham cathedral must have some pretty incredible views, no idea if they let people up on top.

It does, and you can. The drawback with the view from the top of the cathedral is similar to the drawback with the view from the Eiffel Tower – you can’t see the cathedral. Would the train station give you enough height to include the cathedral in a tilt-shift picture?

I thought tilt shift stuff had been passé for years now

Probably true – I still quite enjoy doing it though. 🙂

http://www.grahamwynnephoto.com/blog/2014/5/13/halifax-in-miniature-from-wainhouse-tower

I’m aware that Leeds isn’t in the NE – had to inform the agency that Newcastle isn’t in the NW too! Thanks for those tips – very handy.

It does, and you can. The drawback with the view from the top of the cathedral is similar to the drawback with the view from the Eiffel Tower – you can’t see the cathedral. Would the train station give you enough height to include the cathedral in a tilt-shift picture?

Cheers – anyone know?

I don’t think so and if memory serves you’d have too much in the foreground to get a good shot.

edit: possibly from the top of the park though, i’ve never been up there:

Studley Pike ,https://plus.google.com/115096973438473214112/about?gl=uk&hl=en

If you go to the park behind the train station in Durham you get good views of the Cathedral. Depends how long your lens is.

There’s also the lip of the hill just below the station. Again you’d need a short lens (35mm perhaps?) to get rid of the clutter, but could look good.

IMO the best view is when you come in via train from the South over the viaduct. Useless for taking proper photos but its one of my favourite views.

By the way I should remind you that they don’t just want tilt-shift stuff so any other ideas are welcome. It’s jut those are the ones I’m least sure about being able to get.

Thanks again.

What other sorts of location would you be after, just iconic views from the region?

Not helping your initial query but I liked those shots from Wainhouse tower. I can just about see it from where I am sat at home now but you just missed my house on your panoramas.
The collection of red brick houses around pye nest gardens looked very miniature’esque (made up word) and the effect is effective IMO.
Nice work.
I reckon peice hall could be a cracker with the same effect. Problems being the central piazza will currently be a building site.

Yup lemonysam

Cheers rockhopper

In which case, I’ll go for Long Sands from Tynemouth*, St Mary’s Lighthouse, Dunstanburgh from Greymare, Bamburgh with a cricket match in the foreground, Lindisfarne castle, Craster Harbour, the landscape dropping down to The Till from Bowden Doors, Bowden Doors itself, the Breamish Valley, Warkworth from the north, Alnick castle and round it all off with a pint a picture in the free trade and a view up the river.

*this would probably work for tilt shifting too.

You might get a good view of hebden bridge from above, either valley side would be steep and gain height quickly without to much distance away. Imagine those little terrace houses clinging perilously to the hillsides etc etc etc. looking down from heptonstall?

If this was 25 years ago, you could climb out of the window of my student room onto the roof of the great hall of Durham castle.

If……..