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