Photographer Turns a Skyscraper Into a Giant Camera

Brendan Barry is a UK-based photographer who’s known for turning all kinds of unusual things into working cameras, from food and mannequins to shipping containers and camper trailers. But his latest project was his most ambitious yet — turned a Manhattan skyscraper into a giant camera.

Barry took over the 46th floor of a skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan and blacked out the 27,000-square-foot space by covering up the 160 windows with a 360-degree view of the city.

He then let the outside world shine into the camera by mounting 12 lenses pointed at the New York skyline.

The camera captured ultra-large-format analog photos using large rolls of photographic paper. The paper negatives were then contact printed into positive photos using iPhone flashlights as makeshift rudimentary tools for the process.

Here are a few of the giant prints that resulted from the effort:

Here’s a 7-minute film by Favorite Child Creative about the Skyscraper Camera Project:

You can find more of Barry’s work on his website and Instagram.