I am always looking for new angles to photograph the city of Pittsburgh. If you look at my catalog, you’d think that there weren’t any angles left to cover, but I’m constantly finding new and exciting places to view the skyline. One that has evaded me for a long, long time is a rooftop. Many, many property owners want nothing to do with people being on their rooftops. I can understand. It is a HUGE liability to let someone wander around, even supervised, some 400’+ above the busy street below. I get it. Not unlike trying to get a job without experience, there are few ways to prove your abilities to handle the situation. Well, someone finally let me experience my first Pittsburgh rooftop, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to show you what I captured.
The roof of Fifth Avenue Place (also known as the Highmark Building) is situated closer to the Point than many other buildings, so you can get a good view of downtown.
Seeing things from this height puts a lot into perspective (no pun intended). The rooftop is 450′ above the street below and there aren’t any tall buildings within a few blocks. It gives a GREAT view of the rest of the city.
The block of time I was given started at 7am and ran until noon, but I only used up 2 hours. The sun at that time of day, especially in the summer, gets harsh fairly quickly and the images loose their “pop” when lit directly above.
My friend Dave, a fellow photographer, and a member of security bounced back and forth from one viewing angle to another, attempting to catch as much of the “good light” as possible.
The view straight down the building was amazing and terrifying at the same time.
Seeing the courtyard of PPG Place and Market Square from above was very interesting. Bravo to the designers for creating such beautiful spaces that can be appreciated from such different angles.
The one drawback to shooting from the roof of a building is that you can’t easily showcase it. Fifth Avenue Place is such a beautiful and unique building. I attempted to capture it as best I could with my ultrawide lens.
As the sun rose higher, the atmospheric conditions began to set in and add a haze to anything in the distance. Also, the heavy rains from days prior muddied the usually clear(er) Allegheny river.
All in all, I am very happy with what I was able to capture. I am extremely grateful to the people that permitted me the humbling opportunity to see the city I love from a new perspective. This 51 image panorama is one of my favorite shots of Pittsburgh.
