It's been a while.....
Well, it's been a hectic first half of 2015! Lot's of great projects and work but my automotive photography has had to take priority so I'm sorry I've neglected this blog. However, I will be updating it regularly from now on, so stay tuned for more coming soon :)
Snow-way! Birmingham gets a light dusting...
As some of you may know, I also shoot cars and earlier this week I had a rather nice Volvo to shoot around Birmingham City Centre. Just as we were finishing the photos, I noticed that there were little white flecks on my lens. It was only bloody snow! I'm not a fan of using my very expensive camera gear in the white stuff but it did make for an interest end to the shoot with the Volvo, a car which after all - should be able to handle a bit of adverse weather.
When I got back to St Paul's Square, the snow had started to settle and I didn't hesitate to grab a shot of the square looking all wintery. I got back in the warm and planned for an early morning trudge out in what I imagined would be Canadian style snow drifts. However, the next morning, when I got up at about 6.00am, there wasn't a drop to be seen, it had all vanished like we'd had a a magical heatwave in the middle of the night. Fear not though, weather reporters predict that Britain will be in for another battering soon enough and even as I type this, I can feel the skies growing heavy with cold, white picture-making heaven - fingers crossed for some more 'winter-wonderland' images of Birmingham soon!
#Birmingham #Photography #Snow #SnowUK - Follow me on Facebook for more :)
Fail to plan...
We're nearly two weeks into the new year and I've already been pretty busy with a few shoots, coverage of Autosport International and a busy few weeks to look forward to. However, it is not all running from shoot to shoot, a lot of planning and preparation has to be done first.
This year, more than any, I have been working on a business plan, researching the market and looking into new avenues for 2015. I can't really say much now but it will prove to be a challenging year in which I move into some new areas, well outside my own comfort zone and even incorporate some video into my portfolio, as well as learning new techniques along the way and still producing my regular shots of my beloved Birmingham! So here is to an exciting twelve months :)
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!
Gear Review - Lowepro Flipside 400 AW
With my ever accumulating pile of gear and a strong desire to carry as much of it as possible I decided it was time to invest in a 'proper' camera bag. After much research, I decided on the Lowepro Flipside 400 AW - I may be giving the game away a little but... I was not disappointed! This bag is great and after finding quite a deal on Ebay, I am very pleased with my purchase.
The inside of the bag is cavernous and can easily accommodate two camera bodies, a long lens, a selection of smaller lenses and a host of other items thanks to the large front pocket and side pockets. The clever little bag also has internal pockets for your memory cards, internal padding that can be adjust to make room for whatever gear you need to pack and a rain cover tucked into the base for when things get wet. Though I must say, I think this bag does a great job of defending your gear against lighter rain showers.
One of the best features of the bag and what gives it it's 'Flipside' name is the way the bag opens. The zip is tucked against your back to keep sticky fingers out. This also helps when accessing your gear as the bag can be rotated in front of you and opened without putting the bag on the ground. However, if you do, it is easy to access the bag in an upright position to avoid putting a dirty bag on your back.
Any criticisms? Not many, one thing to be wary of is how you pack the bag, being careful to 'balance' the weight evenly so the bag does not try to slip of one side. The other is the tripod straps, I found that strapping a tripod horizontally across the top of the bag is the best solution though you do have to be careful walking through doorways! These are very minor criticisms that really shouldn't stop you from considering this bag - All-in-all - I would highly recommend it - 8/10