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Black and White

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

This has been a week of rain and the days have been dull. Even though it is wet there are still great opportunities to go out and take photographs.. My early Wednesday walk from Snow Hill took in the canals that run underneath Snow Hill. The arches under Snow Hill are a favourite haunt of photographers and one can always find a good place for a picture. With the rain there had been condensation with rain collecting on the tow path near to the ornate gates which used to hold horses. Now the activity on the tow path is bikers commuting into work and runners making the best of the early mornings. I settled my camera down on the dirty floor at the edge of a puddle and started to take some pictures. It was difficult to control the bright light of the centre of the picture and the dark recesses of the tunnel. I could see on the first few shots that there was a perfect reflection that made the exit look like an eye onto the outside world. Just then a runner came past. It gave me an idea and by trial and error I set the camera at a shutter speed of 1/100 and f/6.3. I hiked the ISO up to 640. I set it for rapid shooting and then waited for the next runner. Soon enough one appeared and I took my pictures. I had to pick up the shadows from the RAW picture and also do a bit of dodging of the runner. The picture came out very well and was well received on social media.

The train station over the canal

After this I wandered over to St Paul’s square and took a few pictures of the Church and the tree lined paths that criss cross the square. The early commuters were oblivious to the camera and I took several pictures of the area. The black and white treatment suited the day, my ideas for the pictures and set off the charm of that particular area of Birmingham. Here are a selection of the ones that I took.

St Paul’s Church
The paths around St Paul’s Church
The Jam house with 3 Snow Hill towering over it
Commuting down Ludgate Hill to the City
Categories blog

England’s Big Picture

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

I am very pleased as it is my second feature this year on the BBC England’s Big Picture. This picture is of the Cube taken from the basement. It is an iconic picture and one taken by many people. It is a classic view of one of the lovely people by the artist Temper. I have done the picture many times but never featured it in my pictures. I was wandering around and decided that I would go down and take a picture as I passed by the Cube. It is a classic view of one of the lovely people by the artist Temper.

One of the lovely people (taken in 2017)

This is taken looking upwards to the sky from the basement level. There is no roof. I used my Sony RX100mk5 and when I saw the picture, I realised my hair had made an appearance. Also I was not quite central with the picture. I cropped and cloned out my hair but could do nothing with the off symmetry. On Instagram I noticed that BBCEngland liked the picture, so I sent it in. Low and behold my second picture submitted to the Big Picture this year was accepted.

England’s Big Picture: 27th May to 2nd June, 2019

Categories blog

Lord Leycester’s Hospital

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

Warwick is a favourite place of mine as it has many hidden delights.  The tourists flock to thee castle and will generally give the town a miss.  Don’t get me wrong the castle is well worth a visit and if you are going there you need to give up the whole day for the experience.  The town has a number of germs and one is the hospital. 

View down the High Street

The hospital was founded in 1571 by the Earl of Leicester but the Chapel had been standing on the site since 1126.  It had a long and varied history before coming under the patronage of the Earl of Leicester in the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1.  It was a place for old or injured solders to rest and recuperate. They were called the Brethren who were under the charge of a Master.  

The Guildhall and the topsy turvy walls

Today Lord Leycester’s Hospital is a place to visit and has an imposing presence on the main High Street into Warwick.  I have visited there before and this time took Sandy with me.  We visited the Chapel, the Guildhall and the Great Hall.  In the Great Hall there is a seat where King James 1st during a three day Banquet in 1617.  I took several overall pictures and the one of the outside of the Hospital made the BBC weather watchers.

The Great Hall with the King James Chair to the left
Details in the Chapel
The entrance to the Hospital
The Courtyard

I took along my Canon Camera 5D with a 24-105mm lens and it dealt well with low light conditions and the wide angles needed in the main hall. Well worth a visit and there is a lot of detail that I did not record as I went mainly for the overall pictures.

My Picture featured on Midlands Today
Categories blog

Top of the Rotunda

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

When the chance came to take photographs from the top of the Rotunda then I was first in the queue. Maybe not first as there were several other keen photographers that wanted to up there as well. Those people with passion, @Birminghamweare organised the visit to Floor 20 of the iconic Rotunda. We had a 6 to 9.30pm slot on a Sunday night in one of the Staying Cool apartments. The city was buzzing as the Velo bike riders were finishing their 100 mile trip around the West Midlands. I thought I would be late for the trip to the top but I found a place to park and made my way to the Rotunda. I have passed the entrance many times but now I was going in and up to the top. We were based in Room 25 which has the best views over Grand Central and out to the west of Birmingham. I met up with my fellow photographers and walked out onto the veranda – viewing platform at the very top of the Rotunda. I took several minutes to take in the scene and as I often do in these situations got my phone out and took some pictures.

floor 20 of the Rotunda
late afternoon from the Rotunda
four buses
one train with many platforms
we are watching you
shadows and people

Having settled down and after the initial excitement had subsided, then it was time to start taking some pictures of the magnificent view. I had brought along my 100 – 400mm Canon lens which was able to pick out all the landmarks. These included Birmingham City football ground, St Martin’s Church, the Bus station, Grand Central, St Philip’s Cathedral. the Mailbox and Snow Hill. So many different views to choose from.

air conditioning
1, 2, 3 Snow Hill
green and white
the top of Selfridges
your friendly neighbourhood
that is why they call it the blues
lines

The setting of the sun was very exciting and we were all politely jostling for position to get the best shot in. We all managed to get our pictures of the sunset and then this was followed by the night lights of Grand Central and the surrounding buildings. Another set of pictures were taken. Then it was all over. Three and a half hours had gone so quickly. When I got back home it was such fun to look back at all the pictures and also so interesting to see pictures taken by the other photographers from the @Birminghamweare group.

the sign says it all
lens ball of grand central
setting sun
crane and a tower
warm tones
blue and red
Evening falls and the City lights up

A BIG thank you to Jonathan Bostock and Debra Power from @Birminghamweare for organising this memorable visit. Also thank you to Staying Cool at the Rotunda for allowing us the opportunity to view Birmingham from above. Finally I hope you enjoy all the pictures on show and tune into people with passion – Birminghamweare

the Rotunda
007 approach to photography
Categories blog

Englands Big Picture #2

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

I sent my picture of Chesterton Windmill into BBC England to see if it would be suitable for their theme ‘clearing the mind’. Each day, Englands Big Picture feature an interesting photograph shared with them from across England. The week that I sent my picture into the site, the BBC were celebrating the Get Creative Festival with a special gallery. I love this picture of the Windmill and I was very pleased to see it featured on the site. The link to the picture is a permanent one and it is also my second feature since running my photographic blog.

Get Creative Festival with England’s Big Picture. The them clearing the mind

Categories blog

Photographing Ragley Hall

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

We have never been to Ragley Hall in our time in the Midlands, so when my daughter Natasha suggested visiting on one of the open days then I was easily persuaded. We only signed up for the gardens as we had my grandson, Noah but it was still good fun. The grounds are expansive and there is a lake with forrest. The bluebells were past their sell by date and the path was not passable in places. However, the gardens were in immaculate condition and the Scott Garden with statues was beautifully laid out. We enjoyed the lunch in the cellars at the Hall and next time I must go and visit the state rooms. Hope you enjoy all the pictures that I took 🙂

  • just the two of us
  • a bird bath reflection
  • I can see for miles and miles
  • water fountains
  • family image
  • this is Noah
  • sun and shadows
  • the grass is nice
  • the Scott garden
  • looking up to the house
  • water feature
  • the end of the bluebells
  • lake reflections
  • more reflections
  • happy as Larry
  • son and daughter
  • in black and white
  • Ragley Hall
Categories blog

Knife Angel

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

Made out of 100,000 confiscated knives, this 24 foot statue is both emotive and chilling as a tribute to victims of knife crime. I wished to catch a picture of it at night and even at 9.30pm people were attracted to the statue to stop and look. It is mesmerising and the hands and eyes look right through you as you gaze upwards.

The Angel stands out from the buildings around it

The statue is on its way down from Liverpool to Trafalgar Square London. Here are my pictures taken with my Canon 5D with the trusty 24-105mm lens. A high ISO was necessary but it adds to the gritty nature of the subject. If you get the chance I strongly recommend seeing it.

Looking up at the Angel
The angel is in Victoria Square
People gather all the time to view it.
Categories blog

In Explore

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

When I started off submitting photographs to social media outlets, Flickr was my first choice. My first post on Flickr was on the 1st October 2005 and since then I have posted many times. There is still much exctitement when your picture gets selected to feature in “Explore”. The number of views increases and your likes go through the roof. The Flickr algorithm is a closely guarded secret and there is much speculation on how it works. I was therefore pleasantly surprised that one of my recent black and white photographs got featured. The picture is of Knowle Park in the village where I live. The picture has had in excess of 10 thousand views and over 200 likes. It is more satisfying due to the fact that it is several months since my last explore. So in celebration I have featured my first explore picture, my most popular explore and also the highest ranking one (which got to #1).

My first ever Flickr picture taken in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (2005)
My first Explore picture (2012) a macro of a saw blade
This picture was ranked #1 (October 2, 2014) and is of St Philip’s Cathedral

Here is the complete list of my explore photographs for you.

20190506_Knowle Park, 2. 20181118_Family Picture, 3. 20181103_Sun Yat-sen Memorial Nanjing, 4. 36-Close-up picture of a complete stranger, 5. 20180720_Mailbox at Night, 6. 17_Monochromatic Color, 7. 20180415-Noah 1st birthday party, 8. 201803128_St Paul’s Church,
11 Colour Wheel, 10. 20180224_On the Phone, 11. 20171212-Sunrise-Breakfast, 12. 20171122-Gas Street Blue, 13. 20171027-Chloe Arrives, 14. 41st Week – Its all in the Game, 15. 20171004-Moor to New St commute, 16. 20170908-Friday reflections,
20170804-End of the day, 18. 26th Week – Submerged., 19. 20170525_Manchester Town Hall, 20. 9th Week – Light Painting, 21. 7th Week – Love, 22. 2nd Week – New Year Resolution, 23. 29112916_Ignoring the sunrise, 24. Week forty six: Theme DIY,
20161110_Night on Campus, 26. Week Forty Three – Round Peg in a Square Hole, 27. Week 40 – Frame within a Frame, 28. 20160918_Green, 29. Week Thirty Five – hyperfocal, 30. 20160805_Bassenthwaite Lake, 31. 20160709_Rest and Play, 32. Week twenty three – Looney Leap,
20160528_Sun on the buildings, 34. Week Fourteen – Chiaroscuro, 35. 20160321_Ring of Sunshine, 36. 20160310_Spirit of Birmingham, 37. 20160302_Snow in Leeds, 38. 20160212_Sunny Canon Street, 39. 20160201_Demolition, 40. 20151230_Skeleton of a leaf_macro,
20151217_Tree and tram, 42. 20151203_Oxford Circus, 43. 20151124_Martineau Place is ready, 44. 20151024_DentalShowcase, 45. 20151008_Morning lights, 46. 20150929_Grand Central Zoom, 47. 20150917_Selfridges abstract reflections, 48. 20150828_Light and Shadows,
20150818_Sunset Peljesac peninsula Coatia, 50. 20150803_Commuting, 51. 20150724_The Bone Ranger, 52. 20150715_Entrance to Great Hall, 53. 20150703_A bike too far, 54. 20150502_Ducking in Baddersley Clinton, 55. 20150429_Sunset in Knowle, 56. 20150423_Red and Pink,
20150413_Blue Mosque Detail, 58. 20150310_Back Bay view, 59. 141004_365_Brueton Park, 60. 141002_365_Cathedral on Fire, 61. 141001_365_Grand Union tow path, 62. 140930_365_Misty Joe, 63. 140929_365_Reach for the sky, 64. 140928_365_Towpath,
2014wk39_Selective Colour, 66. 140927_365_”Is the car stuck?”, 67. 140926_365_Bee in the Garden, 68. 140925_365_Minories biking, 69. 140924_365_Graffiti SnowHill, 70. 140922_365_Iron Man meets the morning sun, 71. 140920_365_Red Pipes Red Bricks, 72. 140919_365_Joe and the trees
140917_365_Bench on Campus, 2. 140912_365_Mid morning, 3. 140911_365_BrumRise over Aston, 4. 140910_365_Dorridge Station, 5. 140908_365_Edgbaston Street, 6. 2014wk36_Smoke, 7. 140718_365_Outside looking in, 8. 140717_365_A long corridor,
140715_365_Degree Day, 10. 140715_365_Spire in the trees, 11. 140714_365_Sky over St Chad’s Cathedral, 12. 140713_365_Empress of Britain, 13. 140712_365_Back home, 14. 140710_365_Dublin reflection, 15. 140710_365_Dublin Another view, 16. 140710_365_Dublin evening,
140707_365_30Years, 18. 140702_365_One night in Dorridge, 19. 140701_365_Bench in the sunshine, 20. 2014wk19_Landscape, 21. 140507_365_Night in Birmngham, 22. 140427_365_Clearing, 23. 140424_365_Walking to Trinity, 24. 140419_365_Champegg Dog,
140223_365_Snowdrops, 26. 140222_365_The moon is caught, 27. 140221_365_St Paul’s and BT, 28. 1410218_365_Queensway Silhouettes, 29. 1410217_365_Going down the stairs, 30. 1410216_365_Cube loving people, 31. 1410215_365_Sunset, 32. 2014Wk07_Love,
131216_365_St Martins, 34. 131211_365_Church on High Street, 35. 131209_365_Start of a good day, 36. 131009_365_Autumn starts, 37. 131008_365_Tutorial Room, 38. 131006_365_Mountain Biking, 39. 131005_365_Morning Sun, 40. 1307030_365_Found a Friend,
130513_365_Walk to the light, 42. 130316_365_Farmers Market Seattle, 43. 130314_365_Road in shadows, 44. 130313_365_Railings, 45. 130104_365_Good Morning, 46. 130102_365_Waiting4food, 47. 130101_365_River Leam, 48. 238_365_SunStreet,
214_365_saw2
Categories blog

Chesterton Windmill revisited

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

The May Bank Holiday was not going to be like last year. The temperature was predicted to go down to around 2 degrees centigrade. I had in my mind that I wanted to photograph Chesterton Windmill on the Saturday evening. Was I mad? Looking at the weather forecast there was a good chance of a mix of sun and clouds. These were the ingredients for a possible sunset. Therefore I had an early supper and packed all the kit. I included hot drinks as well. Lots of clothing layers and also a pair of gloves. Goodness is this May!!!

You see the windmill from the road and already your excitement levels rise as it is very prominent and command lovely views. There are never that man people there in the evening so I parked the car and I could not wait to get the camera out and start taking pictures. My problem is that I get too excited about getting that picture. I looked to bracket some of my pictures for later HDR treatment and some of them came out very well.

Sunset using a graduated filter
A bracketed exposure and the clouds are a little blurry due to their movement between shots
I like this one and it has caught the grass giving a layering to the picture

At the windmill, I also looked for different pictures of the structure. This can be difficult for me as I tend to always see the larger details. However the golden light opened some interesting pictures.

A sail and part of the structure makes for a nice picture. The stone wheel adds interest.

This is framing the sunset with one of the sails pointing to the setting sun.
The stone work absorbs the warm colours of the sunset
An attempt to highlight the grass around the windmill.
Another bracketed shot of the sunset

Then after a couple of hours the sun has gone and there is just a warm glow over the area. The hot coffee back at the car was lovely and then it was back home to look at the pictures. I will also be back to take some more pictures in the future. Hopefully I will not leave it too long this time.

Categories blog

Nifty Fifty

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

The Nifty Fifty is said to be the lens that comes closest to capturing what the human eye sees.  When I got my first DSLR it had a crop sensor and I purchased a 50 mm Canon lens as it was so cheap.  Over the years I have used it as a portratit lens. It has given very good results especially when using it with a flash set up. A few months ago, I felt I needed a new challenge with my photography so I put the 50mm lens onto the Canon 5D and used it whenever I could.  It was a challenge taking the pictures and was similar with other prime lens which I have written about. Take a look at the picture Metropolis taken with my 40mm lens. When using a prime lens, you do have to think about the composition as you have no capacity to zoom in or out.  Therefore your feet have to do the moving.  I have provided a selection of photographs taken with the 50mm lens and as you see the results are pleasing.  There has been some post processing in a few of the photographs.  The result was that I did get a kick out of using just this lens.  It was not a case of loosing any pictures because I had the wrong lens but rather that I created new ones.

The 50mm lens brings out colour and shows the detail from the blossom.
Here I am using the 50mm lens to capture the architecture of the University of Birmingham Buildings. The sharpness comes through as well as the colour
I captured my grandson Noah with a candid shot. The lens is great for such closeup pictures
This mural by Annatomix is on the Warwick Bar part of the inner canal network. The prime lens has caught the detail and there is a nice use of the focus with the foreground adding to the framing around the picture.
Shooting the Custard Factory building through a hoie in a security fence. Shows how the nifty fifty can really focus
Another go at the focus through a fence and the subject is the Chimney at the Custard Factory.
Here is a landscape picture with the 50mm lens.  The mist adds atmosphere and the figure comes out to be very sharp.  I was surprised how the 50mm lens worked this so well.
Final one is another blossom picture with the mist added a nice backdrop to the picture
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