THE MOST BEAUTIFUL STATIONS PUNCTUATE THE BEAUTY OF MOVEMENT NOW

We celebrate the beauty of movement with a look at places that facilitate the movement of people from place to place. Check out these astonishingly beautiful subway and metro stations that offer reasons to stop moving --- long enough to appreciate their grandeur -- before moving on to your next destination.

DAVID BURDENY -- MAGNIFICENT MOSCOW METRO STATIONS

These Russian subway interiors are so beautifully intricate that you might mistake them for a palace, museum, or perhaps a church. Canadian photographer David Burdeny is the only cameraman to access these tunnels after hours, when they’re empty.

This photo series, Russia: A Bright Future, features grand subway stations in Moscow, built in the 1930’s.

Burdeny uses unusual long exposures, showing us what our naked eye cannot.

These rare, beautiful, and haunting images uniquely exhibit that some of the most beautiful things in the world are underground. 

While most people are mainly interested in moving through subway stations as quickly as possible, on their way to somewhere else, you’ll want to stop and look around to check out the majesty of these places in Russia.

High arched ceilings set up a sense of awe, while gold leafed relief and dazzling chandeliers immerse you in opulent ornamental detail.

Burdeny, cares about the architecture and design of each place, in particular. He holds a masters in architecture and a bachelors in interior design.

The stations that make up the Moscow Metro were designed to be “palaces for the people,” a mission led by Josef Stalin to showcase the superiority of socialism.

The system opened in 1935 to about 285,000 riders. Today, about 9 million people move through 196 stations.

As both an architect and photographer, Burdeny obsesses over preserving the vertical lines of buildings in his images, so the edges don’t appear to warp, using a special camera system specifically designed for photographing architecture: a Phase One IQ260 digital back mounted to a Cambo body. 

With extra wide angles and built-in perspective control, Burdeny eliminates distortion. Long, bracketed exposures enable Burdeny to shoot in natural light, adding depth and richness to his images.

Burdeny continues to explore the world in search of more beautiful subway stations. We found a few more to share with you, like the one above, in Manhattan, and scroll down to see more below. Scroll down to see Image Credits List for details on each.

Read more about Beautiful Movement, as it relates to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact including Beautiful Images & Ideas That Will Move You Now, Waves Are Found to Move the Whole Planet. and Beautiful New Spins on Flying Food Now and The Art of Moving What Surrounds You Now.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by David Burdeny. Taganskaya Metro Station. Moscow, Russia.
2. Image: by David Burdeny. Komsomolskaya Metro Station. Moscow, Russia.
3. Image: by David Burdeny. Elektrozavodskaya Metro Station. Moscow, Russia.
4. Image: by David Burdeny. Novoslobodskaya Metro Station. Moscow, Russia.
5. Image: by David Burdeny. Arbatskaya Metro Station. Moscow, Russia.
6. Image: by David Burdeny. Kiyevsskaya Metro Station. Moscow, Russia.
7. Image: by David Burdeny. Kiyevsskaya Metro Station (East). Moscow, Russia.
8. Image: by David Burdeny. Sokol Metro Station. Moscow, Russia.
9. Image: by David Burdeny. Avtovo Metro Station. St. Petersburg, Russia.
10. Image: by Fred Guenther. Courtesy of NYC Subway. City Hall Station. New York City.
11. Image: Courtesy of Archiengi. Crater de Luz, Toledo Station. Naples, Italy.
12. Image: by Hsiung/d6478coke. DOME OF LIGHT/光之穹頂. Formosa Boulevard Station. Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
13. Image: by BN App - Download now!
14. Image: Courtesy of Decoration Lovers. Shanghai Metro Station.