I am a London photographer who has been capturing the city’s skyline for many years. So, I was delighted to have been commissioned to shoot the new Sky News studio backplate.
Project specs
- Client: Sky News
- Location: Garden Museum Tower, Westminster
- Medium: High-resolution panorama for LED backdrop
- Use case: Studio set backplate seasonal & time-of-day variations
- Notable details: Captured during Saharan dust event; two foxes spotted on Westminster rooftops
The Sky Newsroom Brief
Sky News are now based in Westminster. They wanted a background for the LED volume behind the newsreaders. It was vital this reflected their location – right in the UK’s political centre. The background was to be dynamic – with small animations visible to viewers. Importantly, the scene would also change with the seasons and the time of day.
Sky’s first requirement was for a winter image. This would show the view exactly how it appears in winter, with the trees bare and a wintry sky. I shot from the medieval tower at the Garden Museum near Lambeth Bridge. I was on location to capture different times of day – from sunrise (a fairly civilised start time in winter – unlike the summer shoot!) to daytime and sunset.
Having waited all day for the right light conditions with a glimpse of winter sun, there was a moment where I captured this very pink light – made so by a Saharan dust cloud over London. When I came to work on the images I’d captured throughout the day, this very pink image revealed another oddity – two foxes right up on a graffitied rooftop. You can see them hanging out in the crop from a much bigger image below.
Here you can see the new winter background in a video from Trevor Phillips’ Sunday Morning show.
One of the thrills as a London photographer is to document the ever-changing skyline. So, for me to do so, and for it to be seen by millions of people daily is a real privilege.
Studio backplates need to feel authentic. For Sky News, anchoring the set in its Westminster location creates a backdrop that viewers will immediately recognise. The addition of seasonal and time-of-day versions ensures the LED wall evolves naturally, mirroring the city outside the studio.
To view more of my work as a London photographer, please visit the gigapixel portfolio here. You can get in touch with me here.
FAQs
A high-resolution image used as a backdrop, typically displayed on LED walls in broadcast studios.
A commissioned backplate ensures accuracy, exclusivity and technical quality tailored to the studio environment.
Yes multiple versions can be captured across seasons and times of day, offering flexibility for live broadcasts.
Page last updated: September 2025