The Demolition of Rugeley Power Station
Today I went to photograph the demolition of Rugeley Power Station and it didn’t end well for me or the power station! I’ve never actually witnessed a demolition like this before so when I read about it in the local news, I was excited to make the short trip from Birmingham to Rugeley to witness the spectacle!
Today I went to photograph the demolition of Rugeley Power Station and it didn’t end well for me or the power station! I’ve never actually witnessed a demolition like this before so when I read about it in the local news, I was excited to make the short trip from Birmingham to Rugeley to witness the spectacle!
As with a lot of my recent photography, I decided I wanted to capture the historical moment on film - in particular medium format. It was also pretty obvious to me that I would need to use a camera that had some kind of ‘burst’ mode to fire off multiple shots, as the towers came down! Fortunately, I have a Mamiya 645 Pro with an autowinder which would do just the job!
I knew thing were off to a bad start when I arrived in Rugeley and couldn’t even see the huge cooling towers through the thick mist. After a week of glorious sunshine, it was almost comical that the weather would be this bad but also a little predictable. Nonetheless, I wondered the local streets looking for compositions.
I had an idea in my mind that I wanted to place some of the local houses or maybe even a bungalow in the foreground of the shots so that it would add to the scale of the size of the cooling towers. This proved a little more difficult than I first imagined as I just couldn’t find a composition that I was happy with!
With the demolition scheduled for 11.15am and that time fast approaching, I settled on a spot overlooking a local football pitch and much to my surprise, there was even a match on! Brilliant! I thought, this will certainly add to the foreground interest!
As the clock ticked towards the final seconds for the towers, the weather had not improved much and my fears of using an old film camera in the rain were suddenly more prevalent as I desperately tried to hide my camera under my jacket. The problem was, it’s such a manual process in terms of setting the camera for a shot that I really needed to have the camera ready to go - but the weather just wasn’t playing ball!
11.15am came and went. With every passing minute I had the constant battle of trying to keep the camera dry but need to take the camera out at just the right second (and also checking it was set up to shoot!). Then, with a huge bang, the moment was upon us and the towers quickly came down. I fired off multiple shots until the film was finished and so too were the towers. The wait was over and I felt relieved that it was all done and over.
A quick train journey home and straight to developing the film. This part of the process is almost as anxious as the shoot itself as there are still so many things that could go wrong! I was happy to see that there were images on the negatives but on closer inspection, I could seem that something wasn’t right. Later, after scanning the images, my fears were true - all of the ‘action’ shots were dull and hazy… my lens had clearly fogged up and although they were semi usable, I was more disappointed than anything.
In honesty, it’s one of those things that I should have been able to deal with but between rushing and my outright desire to shoot film - I only really have myself to blame. Fortunately, the final composition never really worked for me and I would have liked more football players to have been at that end of the pitch and obviously, better weather! However, that’s how these things go and more importantly than the images, it was still quite an experience!
CAR PHOTOGRAPHY – 10 TIPS FOR TAKING BETTER PICTURES
Have you ever wanted to improve your Car Photography skills? For many of us, cars are things of beauty but trying to turn our ’snaps’ into eye-catching masterpieces is quite the challenge! Whether you want to take shots of your pride and joy or are actually looking to make a career out of Automotive Photography - I have an essential resource for you!
Have you ever wanted to improve your Car Photography skills? For many of us, cars are things of beauty but trying to turn our ’snaps’ into eye-catching masterpieces is quite the challenge! Whether you want to take shots of your pride and joy or are actually looking to make a career out of Automotive Photography - I have an essential resource for you!
I recently teamed up with online motoring website Motor Verso to compile ten tips for taking better car photos. However, the resource itself compiles years of experience from multiple photographers and covering everything from pre-shoot planning all the way through to editing your images and publishing them. It really is a fantastic resource for anyone looking to get into Car Photography and I only wish I’d had something like this available when I was starting out!
Why shoot Film Photography in 2020?
The Corona Virus Pandemic has undoubtedly been a terrible time for a lot of people. Personally, I have seen all of my work cancelled which has left me with a lot of free time. Rather than simply binge on box sets, I have tried to use this time productively. One of the things that I’ve wanted to do for a while now is to get back into shooting film. On a side note, I will be making a series of videos about this on my YouTube channel, so keep an eye out for them.
Why Film?
The obvious question for a lot of people, is why shoot film when you have a perfectly good digital camera? The simple answer, for me at least, is to achieve a look & feel that has eluded me for years. Looking at my images, it’s fairly clear that I always try to achieve an element of nostalgia, shooting in soft light and adding grain etc. to make the images feel older than they actually are.
That’s all well and good apart from the fact that digital images tend to be over sharp and well, are clearly digital images. This might sound counter-intuitive to a lot of photographers, ‘you don’t want sharp images?’ - in a way, no. You only have to look at any family album with 70’s, 80’s or 90’s and look at those blurry images to get an instant nostalgia fix! The brain seems to make a correlation between those images and something in our past that always seemed to feel like a ‘better time’. Now, this is obviously not factual, but something in those images makes us feel a sense of comfort - and that is something that I’m always striving to achieve.
OK, so get an old 35mm Camera…
Well, again, things are never quite that straightforward. I’ve shot enough 35mm in the past to understand it’s benefits and limitations. So straight away, I knew it wasn’t going to cut it. So I did what any ‘want-to-be’ hipster photographer would do and went straight to medium format and in particular, the Mamiya 645 Pro. Again, I will make a separate video on the perks & quirks of this particular camera but the simple benefits are that it feels modern enough that I could use it without thinking too much and more importantly, it’s a 120mm film camera - and I want that medium format goodness!
I was always sceptical over people saying that you ‘just can’t replicate the medium format look’ and I still don’t fully subscribe to it, but I do agree that the extra negative size has its own benefits over its 35mm counterpart. Most notably, I love the fall off in the out of focus areas that are very difficult to replicate on 35mm. That combined with the go-to Kodak Portra stocks, is a winning combination for me.
OK, so you just want to be a Hipster?
Well, I do have a beard and more than one check shirt. However, the truth is no. The camera, the medium and even the subject matter are all just ‘tools’ to provoke an emotion. I am not trying to get ‘Insta famous’ - far from it. I have simply found a way to translate the feelings of nostalgia that I want to achieve into an image in the most natural way.
That being said, there is obviously a bit of a trend for photographers turning to film in an attempt to show their credentials as a fully-fledged master of light! Again though, it is not about achieving any acclaim for me, it is simply to understand the process better and to take full control, from start to finish, of the images that I create. So that means I am also developing my own film and scanning my own images - again, more videos on this soon on my YouTube channel.
So no more digital then?
Far from it, I actually still carry my digital camera even when I am shooting film. I will obviously be shooting digital for client work - though I am interested in offering commissions on film, that would be fun! The whole process of shooting film is merely to help convey a metaphor in my images, in the same way, that some might choose to shoot purely black & white because it makes their images feel more ‘honest’. Digital is still absolutely a necessary tool but film simply allows me another option, depending on the subject matter.
What’s next?
I will be shooting a lot more film in the interim and will also be travelling to some of the lesser shot areas of Birmingham to find the kind of gritty, run-down scenes that I like. As previously mentioned, I am developing and scanning at home so I will be looking at simplifying and improving that process too.
Overall, shooting film in 2020 is a great new area for me to explore and allows me to keep developing my own skills. It allows me to slow down a little and work on my composition skills and also improve my ability to meter and read light. All of these will hugely benefit my commercial work and throughout the process, I will, of course, bring you with me to share my experiences and knowledge. I am really excited and glad that I can take at least one tiny positive from the crazy times that we are living in.
10 Useful things Photographers can do during Lockdown!!!
The Corona Virus pandemic has well and truly turned our lives upside down and whilst the health and safety of friends & family is the absolute priority, it can also cause real problems for those working in creative fields. Not only is it hugely damaging to income, but it can also destroy any form of creativity and motivation. However, there are still things that we can be doing to keep ourselves active.
Here are ten things that you can be doing during Lockdown to keep your Photography passion going in the right direction!
Corona Virus Update: April 2020
It’s amazing how much all of our lives have changed in such a small space of time. I want to start by saying that this is a truly scary time and I’m pretty certain that everyone’s lives will be affected somehow, and I am incredibly sorry for that. At a time like this, everything gets put into perspective and what is truly important to us, the health of those around us becomes the absolute pinnacle of our concerns.
With all of this in mind, I’m sure everyone has more important things on their mind but I thought I would provide a quick update of where I am with things, just in case there are any enquiries…
Are you available for work?
All of my work dried up overnight and as much as I wish I was still out there doing what I do best, I am following the government Guidelines for Social Distancing very closely. With that in mind, I have to classify my work as ‘non-essential’ and therefore limiting my contact with others. However, the moment this changes, I will, of course, be available for work.
Can I still buy prints?
I take a lot of pride in my prints and therefore choose to outsource the printing process to professionals. The company I use are currently closed and therefore, I am unable to get new work printed. However, I do hold a small selection of prints so please feel free to contact me to see if I can be of assistance.
How are you filling your time?
I have taken a little time to myself and tried to wrap my head around what is happening and the potential fall out it will have for the rest of this year. I think it will be incredibly difficult to predict what happens next so I have spent a bit of time making some much-needed changes to my website, cleaned my gear and organised a few projects that had been on the back-burner. Most of all, I am just sticking to the ‘stay home’ instruction and annoying my girlfriend, which is surprisingly easy to do apparently!
How do you keep yourself motivated?
This is a real challenge and after speaking to several friends, I know a lot of other people are struggling. However, I have taken some time to teach myself a few new skills, including home developing and a few new editing techniques. I have also thrown myself into a few good books and I am enjoying the time to find new inspiration.
Are you going out and getting ‘empty street shots’ of Birmingham?
This is a real touchy subject. I love the idea and I believe times like this should be documented. However, I personally think the risk of passing on infection and putting unwanted strain on the NHS is still too much of a risk to warrant going out just for photography purposes. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t take my camera with me on my allowed ‘exercise’ time, but I won’t be producing any new projects on the back of what is a very difficult situation for so many people.
What’s next for you?
Like so many others, I am just waiting for the opportunity to return to some kind of normality. At this point, that seems a way off. I will also be producing some new work for my YouTube channel so please consider taking a look at that.
Finally, I would just like to say please take care of yourselves. This is such a strange and challenging time for so many people that our priorities must shift. Hopefully, we all come through this stronger and with compassion for those who have had their lives severely impacted by these terrible times. Stay Safe.
A Foggy Morning in Birmingham
Nothing drags us photographers out of bed quicker than the chance of a bit of fog and mist. After a few busy days, I was completely ready for a lazy Sunday morning until I popped my head out of the window and saw, well, nothing…I quickly got ready and pretty much ran into town. Conditions were perfect and a bit of fog mixed with patches of light, always makes for interesting images.
I was very pleased to see plenty of the local photography community hoovering up images so keep an eye out for those. Here are a quick selection of some of mine of Birmingham drizzled in a pleasant layer of fog…
VIDEO - Landscape Photography Wales - Fail!
I know that Landscape Photography isn't really that easy. However, on a recent trip to Wales, I found out just how frustrating things can be. In particular, when you fail to make the correct preparations!
I take a pretty 'common sense approach to all of my photography, checking weather, looking at maps and generally trying to pre-visualise shots before I go out. However, for someone completely ridiculous reason, I did none of that on this trip!
As this video shows, not only did I fail to 'scout' locations and pre-plan some shots that I think would have been worth capturing, but I completely underestimated the weather and the terrain. This was quite silly as it left both me and my girlfriend cold and frustrated with the lack of 'good' images.
Whereas the weekend itself was fun and the landscape was particularly beautiful, the lack of the real 'wow' images, left me a bit underwhelmed. Ultimately, this only came down to poor planning on my behalf and with a little bit of effort, things could have been really different.
The moral to the story? Well, it just goes to show that a little bit of preparation goes a long way. In the future, I will make sure that I have more of a plan... and more warm clothing!
Beauty in the 'Beast'...
As the weather continues to cause havoc across the country, it's getting to that point where it stops being fun and starts getting serious. Sub-zero temperatures and treacherous conditions put those that are most vulnerable in real danger and make even simple journeys a nightmare. However, if there is anything that can be taken away from a terrible situation, it's that it makes the everyday scenes that we've all become accustomed to seem surreal.
This week, I have been wiped out by Flu! Not just any Flu, not even 'Man Flu', but some kind of 'I want to make every single cell in your body pay for it' Flu that even had Laura conceding that I might actually be ill. So as much as I would love to have been out with my camera, I've just not been able to.
That was until late Thursday night, where I had to run out for an emergency. I wrapped up as warm as I could, checked the weather "Feels like minus 12" took a brave pill (Lemsip) and head out. Now obviously, I was going to take my camera with me. Even in my sickly state, I wouldn't dare leave the house without it! I stumbled my way through town, grabbing quick images as I went.
The images that I did get were far from perfect. There is something about being laced with Flu in bitterly cold conditions that makes you forget the 'rule of thirds' or to check whether shots are even in focus. However, when I did check the images, I really liked the 'soft' feel to them and put this down as a 'happy little accident' as a great man used to say. The snow is certainly a nightmare and I genuinely feel for those vulnerable people that this kind of weather can really threaten. However, it's also nice to remember that even in the worst of it, you can still find little glimmers of beauty.
12 Views of Birmingham that will never be the same!
Birmingham is changing. Whether you are a fan of the waves of new development happening across the city, one thing for sure is that it doesn't show any signs of slowing up. There is always huge disruption whenever another part of the city is, closed down, blocked off and peoples lives re-routed. However, the financial benefits and the growing positivity around Birmingham is a testament to the investment that is being made in the city.
However, one thing that will change are some of our favourite views. Many will improve, some will be questioned and all will never be the same again. In years to come, we will look back at many of these images and talk about 'how things use to be'. It's strange to think that by then, we will have grown acustomed to the 'new' views and undoubtedly be surround by even more new developements and growth in our amazing city.
1) Boulton, Watt & Murdoch
The 'Three Wise Men', the 'Golden Boys', the 'Carpet Salesmen' - Whatever you refer to the statue as it's no longer where you would expect to find it. The lads have been uprooted as part of the Centenary Square development. Even the backdrop will change as a new building is already in development on the very spot where these influential men once stood. I wonder if they would approve of the changes happening in the city?
2) Three Snowhill
You can see this development from pretty much anywhere in the city, it really does dominate the skyline. The huge commercial development (the biggest in Europe I believe!) is set to completely change the landscape of the heart of Birmingham's financial district and the area around Snowhill. The sheer scale of this building is the most impressive thing and is best viewed from Great Hampton Street.
3) Paradise Forum
Despite the ironic name, Paradise Forum always divided opinion. Many will miss the Brutalist architecture that dominated the area (myself included) and I'm sure many more would quite happily of bulldozed the place down themselves! Love it or hate it, the old has made way for the new and the modern glazed building are well and truly flying up. I'm sure we will all grow use to the new amenities but a huge piece of Birmingham's heritage has changed forever.
4) Centenary Square
Lying just beyond Paradise is Centenary Square and it has already it's £10m transformation. The area that was once home to the iconic 'Forward' statue and Cliff Richard's 'Flame of Hope' is now making way to a new 'urban' space that has received mixed views. One thing that will change is the layout of everyone's favourite Christmas Market, that will be adapted to fit around the all new Centenary Square.
5) HS2 - Curzon Gate
There is no way that I could leave this one off the list. Arguably the most important development in Birmingham in decades, the multi Billion Pound project will see a central hub dominating Curzon Street. The area pictured above has already started to change and will provide the vital link between the new HS2 station and the heart of the City Centre. This one will be huge and with phase two expected to be completed around 2032 - you can expect this one be around for a while!
6) Bradford Street and the view back to the city
Bradford Street provides one of the main links into the city, arriving just behind the Outdoor Markets. Major developments have already started popping up along the sides of the road and with a huge area (bottom right) earmarked for further projects, it won't be long before the view back to the city has changed forever.
7) - The whole of Digbeth
And whilst we're in the area, it's probably worth noting that with the arrival of HS2 and the on-going 'land grab', it's not hard to imagine that much of the historic area will fall under development. I can only hope that at least some of the old buildings and light industry are preserved to ensure that there is some nod to the past and the important part that Digbeth has played as an industrial and creative hub for the city.
8) The Iron Man
Another statue has grown legs and moved on (he genuinely has feet too!). Antony Gormley's famous statue has been moved to make way for the new Metro route and will be put into storage and cleaned up by Birmingham's Museum's Trust. The statue, with it's iconic rusty metal work will pop up somewhere new in the city, but for now at least, this is another view we will not see again in our city.
9) Victoria Square
Victoria Square has seen many changes over the decades. If you search for the 'old' pictures of Birmingham, it has been transformed from a grassy, park-like spot to a very 'urban' square that wouldn't look out of place in any major European City. Whether it's the brutal bulldozing of the old Library, the new Metro that will skirt around the edges of the Square or the filling in of the Floozy's fountain, Victoria Square is constantly evolving.
10) The view form the old Natwest Tower
OK, so the view itself might not change much but with the demolition of the old Natwest Tower on Colmore Row, the skyline of the area will be changed forever. The new development of '103 Colmore Row' will see a new, glass-clad 26 storey tower replace John Madin's iconic structure. The new tower will undoubtedly be impressive, but the views from the top will be the real gem!
11) The Wholesale Markets
Another icon of Birmingham will soon be cast to the history books with the demolition of the Wholesale Markets. The history of the markets can be tracked back over 800 years and it's most recent incarnation opened in 1974. The traders will now be relocated and the buildings demolished to make way for a substantial new development comprising of commercial and residential buildings and huge new park areas.
12) The City Skyline
With all of these changes, one thing that will definitely never stay the same is the city skyline! With many other new developments popping up around the city, Birmingham will continue to grow and change for many years to come!
And finally...
I am not a historian, nor am I an expert on regenaration or city plannig. However, I do like to think my images go some way towards documenting our changing city. Even though it will not be to everyione's liking, it is impressive to see the money being spent in our city which can only have a positive impact. Birmingham is a very special place and I think more people are starting to realise this. We may have lost some special views and iconic buildings, but it will certainly be exciting to look back on these images in years to come and see just how much Birmingham has changed!
London - Photography in the Capital
You know the week between Christmas and New Year, the one where every day feels like a Sunday and they all may as well be because you have no idea what day it actually is! Well, every year I use that time to catch up on work, personal projects & the dreaded Tax Return! However, this year, I promised myself a day to myself, where I would go and take pictures just for the sheer enjoyment of it.
I wanted to get out of Birmingham. 2017 had been great for me but I started to feel like I had walked every square inch of my favourite city and wanted to get out to somewhere not so familiar. So I picked a day, booked a 5.15am train (yes, that's AM!) and with absolutely no plan, other than to take pictures/shoot video, I set off to the capital.
I know London well enough so had already decided to stay pretty central, maybe head over to Canary Wharf but basically, 'be a bit of a tourist'. When I got there, I was blessed with a great sunrise and pretty much didn't see a cloud in the sky all day, so I was already onto a winner. I strolled around for a few hours, hopping on & off the underground and surfacing in different spots, taking pictures and then heading back below ground.
As for London, I have always loved the place and very similar to Birmingham, I can't believe the rate of change down there. It was almost eerie how quiet it was in the morning, but it didn't take long to wake up! It was also nice just to be a bit of a tourist, and not be affraid to shoot the landmarks. However, I would strongly advise any visitors to go to the top of Monument, if you can handle the huge spiral staircase, the views are incredibly rewarding!
It was really enjoyable to shoot new scenes, explore new streets (that aren't New Street! Brummie jokes!) and shoot without any emphasis on what 'style' or 'content' I thought people would want to see. I was just doing it for the love of taking pictures. Oh, and also shooting video whilst I had the chance because, you know, that's something I do now as well.
Whilst we're on the subject and for all you photographers out there, pretty much everything you see, photos and video, were all shot on the incredible little Sony RX100V, I rarely took the 'big camera' out of my bag and in many ways, wish I had only taken the little Sony. I absolutely love the images and footage I got, the slow-mo from the Sony is awesome and I love some of the images. In fact, the image shot through a window in Soho of the guy drinking is possibly one of my favourite images I have ever shot!
All-in-all, it was a hugely enjoyable day and I loved looking back through the video and putting together the short film. I think I will be doing more of this kind of thing in 2018 and strongly suggest to everyone that you take the occasional day out for yourself, to do something that you enjoy, you've earnt it!
Interested in Buying any of these images as prints? CLICK HERE or Contact Me.
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