You’ve seen them. Those four white chimneys, stabbing the London skyline like an upturned table. It’s arguably the most iconic brick building on the planet. But honestly, most battersea power station pictures you see on Instagram are kinda boring. They’re all taken from the same spot on the riverwalk, usually with a stray tourist’s elbow in the frame. If you want to capture the soul of this Art Deco beast, you have to look past the obvious.
It’s huge. Massive. Over 100 meters tall. When Giles Gilbert Scott designed the second half in the 1950s, he wasn't just building a utility plant; he was creating a cathedral of power. Today, after a multi-billion pound face-lift, the "Everest of Brick" is a shopping mall, a residential complex, and a literal work of art. But for photographers, it's a giant puzzle of light and shadow.
The Angle Everyone Misses
Most people walk out of the Northern Line station and immediately point their phones up. Big mistake. The scale of the building is so immense that a standard lens from the base just distorts the chimneys into weird, leaning toothpicks.
If you want the "hero shot," you need to cross the river. Go to Chelsea Embankment. From there, you get the context. You see the reflection in the Thames. You see how the building sits against the glass towers of Vauxhall. Late afternoon is the sweet spot. The sun hits the west face, and those six million bricks start to glow with a deep, burnt orange that looks almost fake. It’s not. It’s just 1930s craftsmanship meeting 21st-century sunlight.
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Have you tried the Lift 109 experience? It’s basically a glass elevator that shoots up the north-northwest chimney. You get a 360-degree view of London, but the real prize for battersea power station pictures is looking straight down the side of the chimney itself. The texture of the concrete against the London mist is incredible. It’s industrial, it’s gritty, and it’s completely different from the polished retail floors below.
Inside the Turbine Halls
There are two of them. Turbine Hall A and Turbine Hall B. They couldn't be more different if they tried.
Hall A is pure Art Deco glamour. Think The Great Gatsby but with more steel. It’s got fluted pilasters and gold-leaf details. If you're shooting here, focus on the symmetry. Stand dead center. The lines lead the eye perfectly toward the far end. Hall B, finished in the 50s, is much more "brutalist-lite." It’s austere. It’s stainless steel and functionalism.
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- Look for the Control Room B. It’s now a bar. You can take photos of the original mahogany switchgear and the giant brass dials that used to control the power for half of London.
- The lighting inside is tricky. It’s a mix of warm LEDs and natural light from the skylights. Your white balance will go crazy. Set it manually to around 4000K to keep the skin tones natural while preserving the "industrial" vibe.
- Don't forget the floors. The parquet and tiling are original patterns, meticulously restored. They provide great leading lines for wide-angle shots.
The Pink Floyd Factor
We have to talk about the pig. In 1976, Pink Floyd flew an inflatable pig between the chimneys for the Animals album cover. It broke loose and ended up in a flight path at Heathrow. It’s the single most famous image associated with the building.
While you won't see a flying hog these days, the "Animals" angle is still the most sought-after shot. To get it, you need to be on the west side, near the railway tracks. Use a long focal length, maybe 70mm or 100mm, to compress the chimneys. It makes them look closer together and more imposing, mimicking that legendary 70s grain.
Capturing the New vs. Old
The real story of Battersea right now is the tension between the old brick and the new glass. Frank Gehry and Norman Foster both designed buildings right next to the station. Gehry’s "Prospect Place" looks like rippling white sails.
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This is where your battersea power station pictures can actually say something. Position yourself so the jagged, futuristic edges of the Gehry building frame the 1930s brickwork. It’s a literal collision of centuries. It shows that London isn't a museum; it’s a living, breathing, changing mess.
Technical Tips for the "Everest of Brick"
Don't use a flash. Just don't. The space is too big, and you'll just end up with a bright foreground and a pitch-black background. Use a wide aperture—maybe $f/2.8$ or $f/4$—to let in as much natural light as possible.
If you're using a phone, turn on Night Mode, even if it’s just slightly cloudy. The sensors need that extra exposure time to pull the detail out of the dark red bricks. Also, look for puddles. After a classic London rain shower, the plaza in front of the Power Station becomes a giant mirror. Get your camera as close to the ground as possible. The reflection of the chimneys in a rain puddle is a cliché for a reason: it looks stunning.
The Reality of Photography Rights
Keep in mind that while the outside is fair game, the inside is technically private property. Security is usually chill with phones and small mirrorless cameras. But if you show up with a giant tripod, a gimbal, and a lighting rig, they’re going to ask for a permit. Be low-key. The best shots are the ones you snap while looking like a regular shopper.
Practical Steps for Your Visit
- Check the Golden Hour: Use an app like PhotoPills or even just Google Weather to find out exactly when the sun sets. Arrive 45 minutes before that.
- Start at Chelsea Bridge: Walk across the bridge from the north side. It gives you an elevated view of the entire site that you can't get from the ground.
- Go to the Roof Gardens: If you can get access to the Joe & The Juice or any of the upper-tier terraces, do it. The perspective shift is massive.
- Look for the "Power of Place" Exhibition: They often have archival photos on display near the heritage entrance. Compare your shots to the 1930s versions to see how much the skyline has shifted.
- Edit for Contrast: When processing your battersea power station pictures, boost the "Structure" or "Clarity" slightly. This brings out the grit in the bricks and the sharp lines of the chimneys.
The building is a beast. It’s survived the Blitz, decades of abandonment, and various failed plans to turn it into a theme park. Your photos should reflect that resilience. Don't just take a picture of a mall; take a picture of a monument that refused to die.