Photographing the Govan to Partick Bridge, Glasgow, Scotland
The Govan to Partick Bridge, looking towards Water Row, Govan.
The Govan to Partick bridge in Glasgow, Scotland, is a cable stayed opening swing bridge that provides a pedestrian and cycle link from Water Row in Govan to Pointhouse Quay in Partick, site of the splendid Riverside Museum.
Govan to Partick Bridge, Glasgow.
After photographing the Kielder Observatory in Northumberland, my journey continued up to Glasgow to photograph one of the UK’s newest bridges. I’d read about the bridge in a trade magazine article and was looking forward to visiting when the weather was more accommodating for photography. I’d booked to be in the city for a couple of days, which would allow me to scout the location and take in some of the sights, too. I struck gold with the weather as a mini heatwave covered the country in April. I took full advantage of the weather and light, taking shots at both evening and early morning.
As the light was too harsh after about 11am, I took the opportunity to visit both the Riverside Museum and the nearby Kelvingrove Museum. I also explored the city centre and completely fell in love. I found Glasgow to be not only progressive and vibrant, but it also keeps things lighthearted. There wasn’t enough time to see all that I wanted to, so I guess I’ll have to make a repeat visit in the future.
Now, as you will know if you’ve read this post here, I am in awe of bridges and their construction. As an architectural photographer, the designs, engineering and the sheer mind boggling capabilities of bridges, modern and historical, have a strange fascination for me. The Govan to Partick Bridge in Glasgow is one of the UK’s newest pedestrian and cycle bridges, opened in September 2024 and built over just two years.
Practically, the bridge serves the local, university and tourist populations with a convenient, cost effective and environmentally aware method of accessing important areas of the city. Aesthetically, the bridge has been designed to echo the past activities of this area of the Clyde remembering the battalion of cranes that used to be a constant feature along the river when shipbuilding was abundant here.
The last of the evening sun hits the top of the Govan to Partick Bridge in Glasgow.
Congratulations must go to Glasgow City Council, Farrans Construction and Jacobs for the design. I think this is a triumph of modern engineering, both aesthetically and practically.
Photographically, I used my ever trusty Fujifilm GFX100s and my new 30mm tilt shift lens. Not only is a tilt shift lens the workhorse of most architectural photographers for ensuring correct perspectives and verticals, but it holds a clever trick up its sleeve for when your subject is too large to convey in one frame. By shifting the lens horizontally, it’s possible to create panoramic shots made from two or more frames with no distortion, unlike when you have to rely on a pan with a tripod to capture a whole scene. If you’ve ever tried it, you’ll know what I mean. Trust me when I say that tilt shift lenses are a godsend when it comes to creating panoramas.
