Cabot Circus is a modern indoor shopping centre in Bristol, under an enormous shell-like glass atrium. When I was there in the summer on a 33deg day it was quite warm under the glass, particularly on the upper floors, but the bright light made for some amazing shadow photography possibilities.
The photography policy in Cabot Circus only permits the use of mobile phones or small digital cameras without prior notice. If you are planning photography using a camera with an interchangeable lens, you will need a permit. This is best obtained using the contact us form on the Cabot Circus website. You can read the Ts and Cs and Photography conditions on the Cabot Circus website. It’s at the bottom of this page; don’t be misled by the title of the page!
For a recent camera club trip to Bristol, I was successful in obtaining a permit for a group of five enthusiast photographers for non-commercial, private only use of the images; for things like photography competitions and social media. We undertook to keep our camera bags out of the way, not to shoot inside shops or through shop windows, nor to photograph security equipment. The person I dealt with was very helpful.
On the day, as expected, we were challenged by the Cabot Circus security, and were able to produce our permits; this changed the whole conversation into another very friendly interchange about the photography opportunities in the shopping centre.
Cabot Circus is on three levels and there are lots of viewpoints from above, with interesting angles to be had on the roof and the shadows cast below. It’s worth just walking around to begin with, to get the lay of the land and make sure you don’t miss anything.
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