The end of an era...
St Paul's Square is, for me at least, one of the most beautiful parts of Birmingham and I have been very fortunate to call it home! However, this weekend that all came to an end as Laura (my girlfriend) and I moved out. We haven't gone far, less than a five-minute walk, but for me, it may as well be a hundred miles away.
Six years ago (almost to the day) Laura and I got the keys to our first home together a little less than a year after meeting. As soon as the apartment came on the market, we snapped it up and have been enjoying the views over St Paul's Square ever since. The place was almost perfect for us. However, it wasn't ours and we wanted somewhere of our own.
So why is all of this important? Well, for the last few days I've felt really down about the move and the more I started thinking about it, the more I understood why. We had been through so much there, good and bad. We had made a home for ourselves and it was the impetus for me to get a new job and certainly made me take my finances more seriously! It was like a security blanket for me after losing my Mom and is possibly the only place that has ever felt like 'home' since leaving my childhood home.
Most importantly though, it was one of the main reasons I ever picked up a camera! Many people probably know by now that I started out a little over four years ago as a car photographer. Yet it was my 'practice' shots of Birmingham that really got me motivated to push my photography further. Many of my first images were of St Paul's and are still some of my most popular.
So needless to say, I am going to miss the old place. I am going to miss the views and waking up in the morning, looking out of the bedroom to see 'what the sky is doing' and deciding whether to go out and take pictures! However, the new place may not have the same views or the character, but it sees us move deeper into the heart of Jewellery Quarter and is undoubtedly a great move for us and one we are very fortunate to be doing! Obviously, I will still be taking pictures of St Paul's Square, but it will always have a certain special place in my heart... Here are just a few of my favourite images...
