"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.”
Well, it might be more believable than attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion, but this is still impressive. A local photographer recently captured a photo of the Vancouver Lookout at the Harbour Centre complex but it looks like it belongs in the dystopian cinematic universe of Bladerunner.
Aamir Ullah, an Oakridge resident, has been exploring his passion for photography over the past three years. While he enjoys taking "pretty pictures" he strives to tell stories through his work.
'Have you ever retired a Vancouverite?'
Ullah certainly struck that chord with the Harbour Centre photo because when he posted it to social media, without even mentioning the classic 1982 sci-fi film, it was the first thing many thought of.
"Have you ever retired a Vancouverite by accident, Mr. Deckard?" quipped Redditor leadenCrutches.
As it turns out, making the tower look like it could have been an establishing shot in either of the Bladerunner films is exactly what Ullah was going for.
“I aimed to go for this orange Bladerunner/dystopian look due to how the weather was looking that day, Ullah wrote in a message to Vancouver Is Awesome. “I was on a rooftop the day after the record heatwave and the entire city was a bit hazy.”
“I’ve always liked the sci-fi aesthetic of films like Bladerunner, so I wanted to create that vibe while also letting people know that it’s still Vancouver. It also just kind of emulated what I was feeling the day before with temperatures being so hot, the orange cast of the city kind of depicted how it felt to sit at home boiling like you’re in a pot.”
While the photo of the lookout itself is not edited, Ullah changed the background to include the slanting, all-metal buildings and flying vehicles. Ullah says from start to finish the photo took him an hour to complete.
To see more of Ullah’s work you can check out his website or Instagram page at @aamir.u_
