Christmas Lights ~ Deansgate, Manchester

I was in Manchester’s Deansgate today for the final big Christmas lights shoot for MK Illuminations leaving just a mopping up operation scheduled for Trinity Walk, Wakefield over the next day or so. People often say leave the best till last and, although it was unintentional, I really think that was the case; the lights on Deansgate looked spectacular. The drama of the lights was heightened by the blue-black storm sky, howling winds and torrential rain as I arrived and the wet roads were creating some spectacular reflections, Fortunately, the weather eased off about 20mins into the shoot and I was able to get the shots without having huge out of focus water droplets on the lens which is the single biggest problem when shooting in adverse conditions. The colours seemed to be really intensified by the conditions and I was pleased with some of the shots given the fact I was playing cat and mouse with traffic along one of Manchester’s busiest roads and without a single traffic island. The saving grace was the fact there were loads of bargain hunters out and about leading to the pelican crossings getting some hammer which worked in my favour by stopping the traffic and allowing me to dash into the road for a few quick shots before it all began moving again.