Looking to the future...
Well, it's been an eventful 12 months with some amazing highs and some horrible lows, but that's life. I will do a 'what a year' post closer to the new year but for now, I have started making some big plans and the best part? They will involve you!
I don't want to reveal too much just yet, but just to say that I will be getting out there and interacting mire with the people that really matter. I want to 'give something back' to show my appreciation for all the support I have had over the last twelve months. You will also be seeing a lot more of me on the web as well (whether you like it or not!) but as I say, more on that in the new year. For now, please keep an eye on my social media for new photography, news and maybe the odd 'event' or two!
Follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more. Thanks.
Why do we still buy prints?
A friend and I were discussing photography the other day and I was explaining that I had recently launched my online shop via my website. My friend turned to me and said, to my surprise, 'who still buys prints?'. Well, at first I didn't quite know how to answer, it took me a few seconds as I had not really considered it, I just thought that it was fairly obvious. They continued, 'isn't it a bit old fashioned, don't people just look at your pictures on your website?'
My immediate response was to start questioning my choice of friends, but I quickly started to explain that there is so much more to owning a print. Firstly, you don't necessarily have to appreciate 'art' - a print can be something that brings back a memory, that inspires you or simply puts a smile on your face. I'm no interior designer, but I do appreciate that a really special image or piece of art can make a mediocre room feel amazing! It is what that image means to you that is the important thing!
I started to describe that a print does not necessarily have to feel 'boring'. I have produced images of cityscapes on aluminium for large businesses that take pride-of-place in extravagant board rooms. I have also produced small prints that simply remind homesick 'brummies' of, well, home. There is also something hugely satisfying about having something 'physical' that you can look at rather than staring at it via a screen.
Whereas I like people to appreciate my work on the web, nothing compares to walking into a room and seeing your favourite image or catching it with a passing glance and it reminding you of a special memory. I asked my friend if they had any images of friends or family framed at home, to which they responded with a resounding 'Yes!'. I asked why, and they said 'because they are special'. I watched as the disbelief was slowly replaced with understanding.
The truth is, prints are still very important. I'm constantly amazed by images that I see on the internet but my favourite images, the ones that truly mean something to me? They belong on my walls.
If you see any images on my website/social media that you would like to purchase as a print or have a special enquiry (i.e. printing on aluminium) please contact me with your requirements.
Taking to the streets
I think it fairly clear that I love photography. I have no problem in getting up at 6.00am on a freezing morning in the hope that I will be rewarded with a stunning sunrise and produce one of my 'typical' images. However, this is not enough for me anymore and even though I am incredibly busy and have a constant flow of automotive work as well as commissions etc. I still want to be shooting every day.
So recently, I treated myself to a little pocket sized compact with the aim of having something I can carry and 'whip out' when I need it. Already, I have fallen in love with, but more on the gear in a future blog post. Why not just use an Iphone? I hear you shout... Well the simple truth is I like the feel of a 'proper' camera. I like the process of composing an image in my head, raising a camera to my eye and capturing a moment. I know, I'm old fashioned! I also like the process of bringing a file home, opening it up and, well, processing it. Yes I could run it through Instagram straight away, but I like the art of 'treating' an image exactly how I want to!
That's not to say that the final result will be made into prints and sold as art! Many of these images are purely for my Instagram account (follow me!) but that isn't the point. The point is that I can shoot everyday and force myself into capturing spontaneous scenes without the worry of 'will there be a good sunset?' - it really is the purest form of photography. So be warned, there will be more 'street photography' coming your way very soon, as well as some of the usual landscape stuff!
If you have any question about photography, why no get in touch
It's back! Frankfurt Christmas Market returns to Birmingham
If you are not aware of the Frankfurt Christmas Market then you haven't lived... (in Birmingham, between November and December, since 1997). It is the high-point of the Christmas calendar for thousands of brummies and most importantly, it provides an excellent opportunity for us photographers to get out their among the crowds, and by god there are crowds!
I have invested in a little pocket sized camera so this year I am going to be trying a bit of 'street photography and getting up close and personal to really try to encapsulate the spirit of the market (though I will probably go for a couple of the standard 'landscape' images). Stay tuned for more!
Shop now open!
It has taken a while but my SHOP is now up and running. feel free to take a look around and remember, you can order a print, mounted print or framed print of any of my images, just Contact Me if you have any other requirements.
A Grand new Central point for Birmingham
It Feels like New Street Station has been under development for decades but it is finally re-opened and reinvigorated. Yes, the 'bottle-neck' is still a problem and you can expect the usual delays and the platforms and Navigation Street entrance are dubious but as a whole, the new New Street is a resounding success. With a spacious atrium and finally some room to move, even at rush hour, the station looks built-for-purpose.
The Cherry on top of the new station (literally on top!) is the amazing new Grand Central shopping centre. Where as the name has caused some confusion and moans & groans for a 'lack of originality' I actually feel it suits it's grandiose title and bodes well for the City's economy as many high-end stores have found a new home here with John Lewis heading the line-up.
An eye-watering £750m has been spent bringing us a new heart of the city but it seems like it will be a successful operation. Justifiable fears have been raised for it's impact on the neighboring Bullring and Mailbox retail areas but personally, I feel it will only serve to further enhance Birmingham's growing reputation as a 'shopping destination' and furthermore prove the the City is on the up and long may that continue!
The new Media Eyes at Birmingham New Street Station by Ross Jukes Photography
The Rotunda's 50th Birthday Party
I was very fortunate to be invited along to celebrate the Rotunda's 50th Birthday Party last week and it is fair to say, it was special! The building is a true landmark on Birmingham's skyline and is easily one of the most recognisable structures in the Midlands. It has been through numerous changes but currently is home to a boutique hotel and beautifully designed apartments which are testament to Birmingham's rising stock. It is fair to say that Staying Cool have the building in safe hands.
However, I was not there for a relaxing break, nor the free Champagne and canapes (though they were very nice!). I was there for the views and they did not disappoint! With an army of fellow photographers invited by the amazing folk at IgersBirmingham cameras were firmly planted toward the view across the Grand Central development and New New Street Station (this will be covered in a separate post). Everyone was amazed to see the sun breakthrough the clouds and give us a stunning sunset to really cap off an excellent event! Here's to another 50 years for the 'old girl' and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for her.
Ten out of Ten(by)
Last weekend I had a rare little break and went for a weekend camping in Tenby, Wales. I had been to Tenby when I was much younger with my Mom and Brother and was amazed at some of the memories that it brought back. It's a beautiful little place and really sums up all the characteristics of a seaside town! It even has a beautifully converted Coastguard launch station/House that featured on Chanel Four's Grand Designs - pretty much my dream home! All-in-all, a fantastic weekend.
Capturing Birmingham's hidden beauty... Part 2
Birmingham as a city adopts, welcomes and embraces it’s inhabitants regardless of culture and creed and I believe that this is also true of it’s fabric. The less desirable, unattractive underdog buildings are embraced as icons and cherished as testament to the warmth of the city’s
There is no doubt that making Birmingham look beautiful is a challenge. With the right light and the right editing, it is possible. Over the past 12 months I have witnessed a ‘baby-boom’ of talented photographers taking to the streets to capture the hidden beauty of bleak-Birmingham and produce images that Birmingham City Councils marketing department must be salivating at.
You only have to search ‘Birmingham’ on Instagram and within a few scrolls of a digit, you will find striking images of the city’s once loathed buildings bathed in hipster filters and fresh life breathed into their concrete lungs. Popular pages such as ‘IgersBirmingham’ and ‘Hiddenbrum’ and many other social media outlets have created intrigue and mystery around the city and have forced people to look at the boxy beauties with new eyes.
Birmingham seems to have reached a tipping point. It may finally be on the brink of shedding it’s ‘ugly-duckling’ image. With redevelopment-a-plenty in the city centre headed by the Grand Central/New Street Station, Paradise Forum development and big plans down the line for HS2, the City may be coming of age with a bright future to look forward to. Riding the crest of this wave will be the photographers, bloggers, former Londonites and all-round hipsters that have seen Birmingham’s true beauty.
Capturing Birmingham's hidden beauty... Part 1
Back in 2008, Birmingham was voted the UK’s ugliest City. This reputation has hung around the city’s neck for years and has become a long standing joke that everybody (apart from its residents) has had a good laugh at. However, Birmingham, much like myself, has been on a journey in that time and is fast becoming a desirable, metropolitan and dare-I-say, trendy place to live.
In fact, a recent study has shown that many ‘twenty-somethings’ have fled from the capital to the UK’s second city. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show nearly one in ten people in their 30s who left the city between June 2012 and June 2013 fled to Birmingham. Arecord 58,220 within the 30-39 age bracket leaving London 5,480 moved to the ‘ugly duckling’.
Being a photographer in the ‘UK’s ugliest City’ certainly has its challenges. The stark, Brutalist architecture of the 60’s and 70’s can still easily be found throughout the City Centre. As a former Industrial hub, the city has previously shed its skin and looked to the future and adorned itself striking architecture.
The bold, blocky structures such as Birmingham Library and the infamous New Street Station Signal Box are the main offenders in what can be coined as Birmingham’s ‘Grey’ period. A lot of the City’s buildings have been demolished to make way for the kind of stereotypical, glass fronted modern buildings that can be found in every major city in the world.
In my own photographic journey, trying to capture a more beautiful side to Brum’s urban landscape, I have unearthed a strange contradiction to the scornful comments about the bleak wasteland that is Birmingham’s architecture and found that there is some serious love for the former ‘ugliest city’.... Part 2 coming soon....