info files

Vision for an Open City

Our vision is for Manchester to lead the way as the UK’s most welcoming and accessible photography destination.

To support this, Manchester Open City seeks to inspire many more people to capture the essence of the city through photography.

We aim to encourage landowners and stakeholders to work together to reduce the frequency of photographers being stopped unnecessarily in Manchester city centre; ultimately encouraging the wider promotion and celebration of our evolving urban landscape – improving perceptions and attracting more visitors.

The Open City Campaign

Overall, the campaign seeks to encourage many more photographers to capture Manchester’s amazing urban landscape. And…

  • Seeks to find a sensible balance between reasonable freedom and expression and right to privacy. CityCo seeks to work with landowners and stakeholders to ensure organisations are working together to support photography of people in public places, unless too obtrusive or harassing.
  • Seeks to encourage landowners and stakeholders to support photography on private land, unless conduct is obtrusive, disruptive or convenes company policy. In these cases, the Open City campaign seeks to encourage landowners to explain their policy to affected members of the public.
  • Seeks to encourage landowners and stakeholders to support photography on all public thoroughfares, unless conduct is disruptive or in breach of the peace.
  • Seeks to encourage landowners and stakeholders to reduce any unnecessary stopping of photography, seizing of equipment or deleting of images, unless an offence has been committed.

photography guidelines

CityCo has produced a set of simple guidelines for photographers out and about in Manchester city centre.

Download CityCo’s Open City Photography Guidelines

reporting being stopped taking photos in manchester city centre

We encourage any feedback from photographers who feel they have been unnecessarily stopped in the city centre. CityCo will then use this feedback to liaise with landowners, authorities and relevant security firms around steps to resolve and improve the situation.

To send any feedback, please contact us at info@cityco.com, with the subject line “OPEN CITY PHOTOGRAPHY”.

Launch workshops and exhibition

CityCo launched the Open City campaign in Spring 2010, working with five renowned Manchester photographers Andrew Brookes, Len Grant, Paul Hermann, Mark Page and Aidan O’Rourke; and supported by the Red Eye photography network.

We ran a series of workshops attended by 100 amateur photographers, with thirty inspiring images then displayed at a free, public exhibition for three weeks at The Triangle Shopping Centre.

View exhibition images

Read related press releases

Summer 2012 Urban Photography Course & Competition with Manchester Photographic

CityCo has teamed up with Northern Quarter based Manchester Photographic, the biggest photography school in Britain, to run a series of waterways-themed photography courses this summer.

The Course

Led by expert tutors, the Urban Canal photography course will take photographers on a canal-side trail from Piccadilly Basin to Castlefield, and will run from May through to July.

The 3-hour sessions will run Tuesday to Sunday (AM & PM) 9am -12pm & 1pm -4pm. Click here to view calendar of dates and times available

The course is designed to encourage people to learn new photographic skills through shooting some of Manchester’s industrial heritage, magnificent architecture, wildlife, bridges, locks and railways. People will be able to capture this ever changing backdrop and be part of documenting Manchester’s rich history along the Rochdale Canal in Manchester city centre.

Working within a group, students will learn about exposure and shutter speeds, distance and focus length, how to identify and use the natural surroundings and everyday objects to enhance the overall shot, add interest and drama.

Open City Campaign – Competition

As part of CityCo’s Open City campaign, a photography competition will run in tandem with the course. This is being run in partnership with CityCo, Manchester Photographic, Fuji and Hahnemuhle.

Open City was launched in 2010 and our vision is for Manchester to lead the way as the UK’s most welcoming and accessible photography destination. Manchester Open City seeks to inspire many more people to capture the essence of the city through photography.

The best images from the course will be judged by leading photographers with a Manchester connection including Andy Fallon, Ian Tilton and Mike Rampton.

The 40 finalists will have the opportunity to have their work exhibited in Manchester Photographic’s new Dale Street gallery from Saturday 18 – Sunday 26 August 2012, and the photographs will be printed on top quality Hahnemuhle fine art paper to be presented to the finalists.

The top ten will have their names attached to the projected images and will also win a 2 hour master class Fuji Experience with Andy Fallon.

The over-all winner will also receive the ultimate travel companion a 16-megapixel, Fuji F600 camera worth £320 as well as seeing their image displayed in the gallery as a 1 × 1.5 meter image print.

The finalists will also have their images projected onto a giant outdoor screen in the Piccadilly Basin on 22 and 23 August, during an evening celebration as part of The Canal Festival 2012. The festival will be celebrated in Manchester city centre for the first time this summer.

Entry is free for attendees of the Urban Canal photography course. Up to four images can be submitted person and there is a £5 administration fee per image for those who have not attended the course.

Photographs must be taken of the waterways between Piccadilly basin and Castlefield.

Why we’re excited

Vaughan Allen, chief executive of CityCo, Manchester’s city centre management company said: “This exciting collaboration marks the start of the second phase of our Open City initiative. We want to inspire lots more people to get out and about to take photographs of our wonderful city from a canal-side perspective and celebrate the waterways which is one of the city’s greatest assets. This is part of a month-long celebration of the waterways this summer, with a range of activities taking place in Piccadilly Basin.”

Andrew Hill, Director of Manchester Photographic said: “The waterways are rich in industrial history. The magnificent architecture, canal infrastructure, reflections and shadows lend themselves beautiful to photography, making the scenes a pleasure to document. A canal walk can throw up a striking image at every turn, and the course will give students necessary skills to create stunning photographs. This is the first time we’ve run a course themed entirely on the urban waterways and we have a feeling it will be very popular.”

Who can attend and how to book

The course is suitable for anyone with an interest in photography and who wants to capture scenes along Manchester’s urban waterways. The course is open to anyone over the age of 16 and any type of digital camera can be used from a camera phone to a DSLR.

Aspects of the course will take place outside so suitable clothing and sensible footwear should be worn.

Manchester Photographic Gallery, School and Studio
6 Tariff Street, Manchester, M1 2FF

To find a suitable course date and to book click here

Payment can be made here (half way down the page)

Full course details

To book at a specially reduced price of £25 per person (usual price £65), ‘CityCo offer’ must be quoted on booking.

For full competition details, prizes and closing click here

CityCo Photography Guidelines

Taking photos in public places - CityCo Guidelines

Download now