Maasvlakte Rotterdam: industrial photography in cold light

The Lyondell chemical plant on Rotterdam’s Maasvlakte had been on my photography list for some time. Its pipes and towers offered a dense industrial composition against the open coastal surroundings.

Finding an unobstructed viewpoint was the main challenge. Much of the area was screened by fences, buildings or other infrastructure. We photographed from a distance and stayed outside the marked areas around the plant.

Strong wind and cold made it difficult to keep the camera steady, especially while taking bracketed exposures for HDR processing. The finished images emphasise the intricate structure that first drew me to the site.