Upper West Tower Look Up

This photo was taken on the exterior of the Upper West skyscraper in West Berlin, looking up towards the top of the building. To get here, take the train, U-bahn or bus to Bahnhof Zoologischer Garten railway station. Exit the station towards Kurfürstendamm — you should see the skyscraper as you're leaving the station. From here, it's a short 5 minute walk to Upper West. Walk east on Kantstraße until you see the entrance of the Motel One hotel. Before entering the building, stand on the east curved side of the skyscraper and point your camera up towards the roof.

Upper West is suitable for photography year round.

The skyscraper is suitable for photography anytime during daylight hours. This picture was taken in the early evening, but depending on the time you're shooting, you could also capture some interesting reflections in the window — especially during a beautiful sunset! Sunsets tend to be best during late summer.

I recommend creating a focal point in your photo by using leading lines. Here, the perspective creates an optical illusion in which the building's curved edge makes lines that draw the eye up to the sky at the top of the frame.

Additionally, when shooting architecture, I always like to call attention to the building's unique features. In this case, I wanted to convey the dramatic height of the structure. By playing with perspective, I was able to make the skyscraper seem like it goes on forever, with repeating windows that get smaller and smaller as they reach towards the sky. Experiment with your positioning to see how that changes your image!

Try using the rule of thirds when composing your photo, especially with strong structural images like architecture. By separating my image into a grid, you can clearly see the building sectioned off into foreground, middle ground and background, while the skyscraper's curves create a visually appealing asymmetrical balance.

This area used to be the city center of West Berlin and it offers a variety of cafes, restaurants and upscale shopping along Kurfürstendamm or Tauentzienstraße.

Additionally, the Berlin Zoo is just a short walk away, with one of the most species-rich, biodiverse zoological centers in the world. It hosts over 1000 different species, including panda bears.