Peter Stewart, “Stacked”, Urban Architecture Series of Hong Kong

Some 7.2 million people live in Hong Kong, a region that covers 426 square miles. Cramming that many people into so small an area requires building up. And up. And up. Peter Stewart’s series “Stacked” provides a dizzying view of the high-rises most Hongkongers call home.

Hong Kong is renowned for its deep harbor and amazing skyline, which features more than 1,500 skyscrapers. The very tallest of them are office buildings, but even apartment buildings rise 250 feet or more, allowing those on the ground to see only slivers of sky through a canyon of concrete, steel, and glass. “Once you comprehend the reality of [Hong Kong], it really makes sense that the only way to to build is up,” Stewart says.

He’s photographed more than 300 residential towers. Stewart achieves his signature Point of View by finding the point midway between the buildings and aiming his digital camera straight up. A 14mm lens lets him capture the symmetry and repetition of buildings on both sides, and distorts the view to create an almost surreal image.

Stewart takes multiple exposures at various shutter speeds, blending them in Photoshop so the bright lights in the windows aren’t blown out against the darker exposure of the skyline. He also plays with color for a futuristic feel. Such “digital fakery,” as Stewart calls it, evokes a melancholic, almost dystopian mood.