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!
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!
Birmingham on Fire - Wire wool Photography
I am always happy to try something new with my photography. I particularly enjoy it if there is an element of danger! Sometime ago, I had my first attempt at 'Wire wool Photography' this is a form of light-painting.
The process is quite simple. Find a dark environment, put some wire wool in a steel whisk, set it alight and spinning very quickly around your head! Set your camera to a long exposure, around 10-15 seconds and record the chaos!
Each little spark that comes away from the whisk send a trail spiraling off and creates these spectacular images that are full of action. I particularly like to do this by water to maximize the chaos as the trails can be picked up as reflections in the water.
It goes without saying that there is an element of risk with this kind of photography. You must be aware of your surroundings and have plenty of water to hand should things go wrong. If anybody out there would like to try this or has any question, feel free to contact me for some advice. As ever, find more of my images on my Facebook page and remember, safety first kids!
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
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...
