A talented photographer has created a stunning timelapse video using more than 100 hours of footage capturing the bustling streets of Manchester and Salford.
Photographer Paul Richardson spoke to MM about his love for the city, advice for beginners and his future projects.
He has also given some simple advice for budding photographers eager to begin their career snapping some of the world’s most remarkable images.
“Shoot, shoot, and shoot some more,” he said.
“Ignore the voice in the head that tells you to study more, that you’re not good enough, or any other negative thoughts, the best way to improve is by shooting as much as possible.”
Paul created the video to capture ‘the spirit of the city’, adding that the shots in opening sequence are of his favourite places in Manchester.
“If I go up there at night I can sit for hours and just look out over the city, watching the world go by,” he said.
“No one really pays attention to things most of the time, they just sort of walk around with their heads down.”
Paul’s project will certainly reveal to many busy Manchester commuters a new beauty in the city that often tends to be ignored.
And he admits that there was much more planning that went into the project than just taking pictures.
He added: “I was able to look up online when the sun was going to set and I knew when the lights were going to come on, I planned everything in advance.”
After much laborious work he achieved ‘a contrast between the sunset and then the city almost coming to life’.
The photographer’s attempt of creating the timelapse video was planned so that he would make an impact as multimedia becomes more prevalent and photography and video ‘fit hand in hand together’.
“People need to stand out and do something that’s a bit different because pretty much anyone these days can pick up a camera,” he said.
Paul also adds the positive side to photography means that anyone with the desire to build a career in stunning visuals are able to do so with the help of social media.
“Most smartphones these days have cameras built in,” he said.
“You can go out and start shooting with one of them and you can upload your photos straight to Facebook.”
“Now you can buy a camera for just over £1000 that will shoot video of a quality that can be played in the cinema.
“I shot that video on a camera that you can go out and get second hand for about £300.
“Having the idea and the vision to create things is more important than what you create them with.”
Despite using his talent commercially, it’s clear that he is still passionate about photography as a hobby.
He has plans to make a video in North Wales to have the opportunity to shoot the stars, which he will do in his spare time.
On asking him whether there was a danger of Manchester losing him to the capital he was quick to reassure that he is happy to remain in the city.
“Oh, no chance; from where I live 20 minutes in one direction and I’m in the city, 20 minutes in the other direction and I’m in the countryside,” he said.
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