Happy New Year to you all!
Happy new year to all of you! I hope the hangovers have subsided and you are not too sick of Turkey! This is just as quick post as I am busy make plans for the new year and have lots of exciting plans and projects for the next twelve months. More on this soon but lets just say there will be a big focus on changing my style a little as well as introducing a few new ideas and also a little bit of a side project that may actually put me in front of the camera (a very scary thought!) so you have been warned! I hope you all have a great year, see you soon...
Independent Birmingham
Founder and all-round good guy Joe, of Independent Birmingham recently contacted me to 'Capture winter/festivity' in Birmingham. This sounds simple, but trying to capture the essence of winter and the Christmas feel in Birmingham is a lot harder than you may imagine. Apart from 'missing the point' for quite a while, it was very hard to capture the spirit due to the lack of good old fashioned frosty weather to make everything look festive. That and time constraints meant that capturing Birmingham in the midst of the festive season was actually quite a challenge. looking forward to seeing which images are finally used but here is a selection of 'potentials'...
Picture Birmingham
I was born in Birmingham and have lived in the England’s real second city all of my life. Raised in Longbridge, I still remember the first time that I went to the City Centre and everything about it felt huge. Since then I’ve been obsessed with the place, people and the atmosphere that this very special city has.
My main passion in life is Photography, I feel uncomfortable without a camera in my hand and from a young age I have loved having the ability to freeze a moment in time. It’s only natural then that I waste many hours roaming streets of our city capturing its more beautiful side. I love to get lost in the city and forget any other worries that I have and just enjoy my surroundings. Birmingham has taken a lot of criticism over the years and I think now people are finally seeing the city for what it actually is.
I enjoy looking for new angles, fresh perspectives and do my best to try to create striking images that show the true Birmingham. From the bustling New Street and Victoria Square, to the beautiful St Paul’s Square and the walkways of the canals, there are some stunning places to roam around in Birmingham. There is no escaping its industrial heritage and some of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s architecture is maybe not the most flattering. Even challenging modern structures like the Selfridges building that is certainly ‘Marmite’ in its ‘love it or hate it’ uncompromising style can look striking in the right light.
Photography is more popular than ever and with affordable cameras and Instagram, it’s great to see thousands of people taking pictures of the city. There are many landmark building such as the Library of Birmingham that provide fantastic photo opportunities as well as a platform to view the city from on high. Many of my favourite places to shoot are perfectly accessible to the public and I often have to fight for a spot to get the shot that I want. I never see this as a negative though, it amazes me that tourist are going back to far-flung parts of the world and showing friends and family pictures of our home city.
There have been many things that have happened in my life that have threatened my photography from being attacked online to bereavement, I have threatened to quit on a few occasions. However, I can’t walk down a street without spotting new things, fresh perspective or just watching the changing light wash across the city without wanting to capture it. It’s this that keeps me going and makes me want to carry on. For this reason, I feel very fortunate to live in a challenging but beautiful city.
You could call this a ‘thank you message’ or a ‘love letter’ for the city but it’s not. It’s a call to arms, a rallying cry to anybody that lives in Birmingham to stop looking at the negatives and see the positives of where we live. Next time you are in the city, take a few minutes to look around, take in the Parisian style architecture above New Street, the soaring Raddison building (Beetham Tower) or take a walk through the Jewllery Quarter or Digbeth and look at it with a positive attitude (and don’t forget to take some photos!).
See the original article for Birmingham Updates HERE
It's Christmas time...
And that means one thing, The Frankfurt German Market has hit Birmingham! The market divides people, a lot of people love it for it's fantastic range of food, drink and bric-a-brac, whilst others hate the crowds, the congestion and the general hassle of trying to get through the markets. Personally, I love the markets as it provides some fantastic photographic opportunities. Every year I rush to markets in the hope of grabbing an image that really stands out.
However, this is where the problem begins. As many of our Facebook feeds and Instagram accounts will testify, everybody gets the same shots! Everybody with a camera phone will get a shot of the Carousel, the market stools and of course, the big wheel! I think this is great as I love to see people taking photos but it does mean us 'photographers' have to try a bit harder! In general, we will try to make our images stand out by either adding Black & White, reflections or creating a long exposure to blur out things like the big wheel.
A great place to get some market shots from is the Library of Birmingham's 'Secret Garden' and if you time it for a sunset, then you can get some really great results. This year I want to challenge myself though and not just go for the more obvious shots so I will be trying to hunt down different angles, using different techniques and avoiding beer before shooting! Keep an eye on my Facebook page to see the results and most importantly of all, have fun at the markets!
Capturing 'The Shot' All you need is luck!
It's no secret that a lot of photography is, as Henri Cartier-Bresson famously said, is about 'the decisive moment'. That means that split second when everything just falls into place and the subject is in exactly the right spot - that is when you hit the shutter button. Now I'm sure the intellectuals will tell me I'm wrong but that's my impression and that's what works for me.
What probably isn't as well known to those out side of the 'professional' circles is that a lot of photography is just down to pure luck. Now don't get me wrong, I am not bad-mouthing professionals, you still need to be in the right place, at the right time and obviously, holding a camera ready to go! But there is an element outside of the control of the photographer.
I was very fortunate to have a little spare time to go to the Library of Birmingham and was pretty much alone when a guy with a carrier bag and camera, lazily strolled passed me and along the rain soaked 'Secret Garden' terrace. Without thinking, I lifted my new Fuji XPro1 to my face and fired off a few frames. I thought nothing more of it but when I got home and 'developed' the images in Lightroom, I was very pleased with the results. The image has a classic look and a lot of satisfying elements such as the leading lines and the separation between the guys foot and the ground showing motion. A very pleasing shot if I do say so myself.
The next day, Birmingham was covered by a miserable grey cloud that did nothing but rain relentlessly. However, as I passed by my bedroom window I noticed a sliver of sunlight on an adjacent building and took my chances, I ran out into the rain with the XPro1 in the hope of capturing a pleasing sunset.
I headed to the nearest 'high point' which happened to be the Library of Birmingham. I impatiently caught the lift up to the seventh floor 'Secret Garden' and once again walked out onto the rain soaked terrace expecting to be alone. However, once again I caught a guy nonchalantly strolling in the same spot. I once again fired away and caught a similarly pleasing image. So why am I telling you this? Simply to show that it is not always down to planning (though I am a big believer in 'fail to plan, plan to fail') but a large dose of 'luck' always helps!
Autumn hits St Paul's Square
Like a lot of people, I think Autumn is my favourite season. I love the colours, the leaves turning to golden oranges and browns, the low sun illuminating the early mornings and the cool crisp air. It really is a special time of year. It also helps if you're lucky enough to live by quite a few trees that shed there leaves and create a carpet of colour all around them.
St Paul's Square in Birmingham is one of those places and it is beautiful at this time of year. So when I woke up earlier this week and saw the sun was out, I decided to grab my camera, run out and try to capture some of it's beauty. Autumn is a photographers dream but it doesn't last long so get out there and get snapping!
Snow Hill Station and it's surroundings
I am always looking for interesting areas of Birmingham to shoot. There are many common places such as the Library of Birmingham that a photographer with a spare 30 minutes will run to to get some great shots (and as luck would have it, I have some coming up in my next Blog post!).
However, there are certain areas that sometimes get over looked and I think the are surrounding Snow Hill Station is one of those. I chanced my arm and went to the top of the multi-story car park above Snow Hill and grabbed some shots of the tower blocks, streets and view back down to St Chad's Church and Queensway (and even had time for some long exposures whilst there!) - Let me know what you think.... Check out my Facebook Page for more regular posts.
Architecture in Birmingham
It's no secret that I love my city. Birmingham has a lot to offer and not least is it's interesting array of architecture. Ranging from the Parisian style architecture of Corporation Street through to the modern, glass front Beetham Tower, it really does cater for every taste. One particular favourite is the 'love it or hate it' Selfridges building, if nothing else, it makes for a fantastic photographic subject for us photographers :) - Feel free to share and see more on my Facebook Page
Selfridges, Birmingham
Photo Walk Birmingham - 27/04/14
Just a quick thank you to all those that attended my first eveer photo walk, hosted by me! It was a great day and I think everybody enjoyed it? We started by exploring around The Library of Birmingham and through to Victoria Square. We continued down past Birmingham Cathedral and on to Snow Hill.
We took our time, took in a lot of the details of what was happening around us and shared our ideas, techniques and had a laugh along the way. It is certainly something I will do again so if you would like to join us, keep an eye on my Facebook Page for more details. Here is a taster video created by my good friend and Motor Verso Editor - Paul Hadley... Enjoy...
Cherry Blossom in Birmingham
I love the spring. Sunny days but still a chill in the air. I also love the colours and the blossom of the trees transforms the grey city and gives everything a bit of a lift. It also reminds you that summer is not a million miles away! Here are a few of my blossom shots...
