Photographing Henrietta Barnett School, Central Square, London NW11

The school building forms part of an area planned by Sir Edward Lutyens in the early part of the 20th Century. Lutyens himself had a hand in designing the school buildings although other architects were also involved. In recent years two “modern” wings have been added which are generally in keeping with the original building. It is situated on the east side of a hilltop square which also contains two large churches and surrounding houses – all in the Arts and Crafts style. Because it is built on a hilltop the group of buildings, school and churches, is visible for many miles around.

The shot of the school from the opposite side of the square, with the paved path acting as a leading line to the entrance, only works in the winter when the trees are bare. My first version was shot on black and white film on a wintry day in February 2016 , using Ilford HP5 in a vintage SLR. HP5 is a grainy film that produces a wide range of shades of grey. It suited the subject rather well, giving a brooding wintry look.

The next version was a digital shot on a similar day in February 2017. Using the Nik Collection’s SilverEfex Pro to simulate film (actually using the HP5 simulation but reducing the grain effect somewhat). This created a sharper image but I’m not sure it handled the shades of grey so well.

I was keen to revisit the location this year, but to shoot in colour at sunset. Spring 2019 in London has been characterised by days with heavy overcast punctuated by days with clear blue skies with little or no cloud. I visited the location on February 15th, a blue-sky day. Although disappointed by the lack of cloud to provide interest in the sky, the setting sun lit up the building just before sunset. To darken the sky, I used stacked 3-stop and 2-stop medium grad filters.

Central Square is on a hilltop and the ground falls away quite steeply behind the school building. It’s possible that there may be opportunities for dramatic low-angle shots. The problem is that all of the potential viewpoints that are accessible to the public are blocked by other buildings and it is currently not possible to gain public access to the school grounds.