Holyrood Parliament from Radical Road

The Scottish Parliament building seen from Salisbury Crags.

Edinburgh has plenty of photogenic architecture, but the Parliament building is one of my favourites. This photograph was for an event with Edinburgh Napier University – I’d taken some events photos for them a day or two before, but was keen for an excuse to return in better light to get a good exterior architecture shot.

The Scottish Parliament is one of the most iconic buildings in Edinburgh, but you need to see it from above to really appreciate it. I’d recommend taking the time to climb Salisbury Crags for a better view. Going up the top of the Crags isn’t a serious climb, but if in doubt it is easier to follow the surfaced path following the base of the cliffs.

I took this photo from the excellently named Radical Road at sunset. Choosing a relatively low vantage point made the sky look bigger, and helped show the background skyline of Calton Hill to give perspective. Capturing the view in this light was partly luck – I’d attempted the same shot the day before but didn’t have such good luck with the weather.

This photograph hopefully looks natural but actually took over 200 shots – and a lot of editing – to make it look right. I set up my camera on a tripod well before dusk, and shot bracketed sequences from before sunset until after dark to capture the necessary images. Eventually I got enough photos with nice clouds, ample pedestrians, and no buses to make it work. The resulting photos of the building, the surrounding area and the sky were blended in Photoshop.

The interior of the Scottish Parliament looks really cool too – I totally recommend visiting if you get the chance! It’s free for anyone to enter but please be aware that there are thorough security precautions.