View to Scott Monument

This view is taken from a traffic island looking down the centre of South St. David Street to the magnificent Scott Monument. This unmistakable Gothic spire has graced Edinburgh’s skyline since 1845 celebrating Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832). Framed here between the ornate masonry of the former Jenner’s department store and the Old Waverley Hotel, this 61-metre spire dominates from any angle. It was the tallest monument to a writer in the world for over a hundred years until the José Martí Memorial was completed in Cuba in 1958.

A standard wide lens ensures a spacious, symmetrical composition. Evening places the flanking buildings in shadow and draws focus to the monument, although it leads the eye in any conditions owing to its grandeur. Hand held shots work, or use a tripod for longer exposures into blue hour for light trails, or to have people move through the frame. Be aware of vehicles either side of the traffic island shot location.