New College Building

New College, the University of Edinburgh’s divinity school and home to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, presents one of the city’s most striking Gothic Revival frontages. Designed by William Henry Playfair in the 1840s, the building sits proudly on the Mound above the National Gallery overlooking Princes Street and the New Town. The Mound is a man-made causeway, dating back nearly 200 years, that links the city’s Old and New Towns.

The main image here was taken from the pavement during blue hour. Taking the shot at this time means there is still some colour and definition in the sky to balance against the warm colours of the artificial light illuminating the building and foreground. It also means the outline of the building is clear and defined and not lost in a black night sky. The Mound is a busy road so a long exposure of around 20 seconds will blur the moving cars and pedestrians, and a narrow aperture will help turn the lamps into star bursts.