Aston Hall

by Damien Walmsley 09/09/2018 09/09/2018

It is always good when my diary has the free space for an Igersbirmingham instameet and I was lucky as this one coincided with Birmingham Heritage week. The venue was Aston Hall a place that I had not visited since my daughters were young. I expected changes to the layout of the Hall rooms but also, I was excited to visit the Long Gallery which is one of the major attractions of this grand house that is steeped in history. I will not elaborate much further on the history of the Hall as it can all be found on the Birmingham Museums web site

http://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/aston

This visit was organised by Igersbirmingham who once again excelled at ensuring we had a worthwhile time with our cameras. We arrived an hour before the official opening and this allowed us the time to browse around the rooms and take photographs of the interesting places. I brought along my fisheye lens as I was hoping that this would provide a different view of the Long Gallery. I also worked with my Canon 5D and the 24-70mm and 70-200mm lenses. I do get very excited about taking part in photographic events such as this one and it takes a while for me to settle down and concentrate on achieving good pictures. There are many different views and the Long Gallery view with the fisheye came out how I imagined it which was fortunate. However, I am always surprised on how others view my pictures and the Igersbirmingham team selected the picture of the chimneys on the roof for their blog on the meeting

http://www.igersbirmingham.co.uk/aston-hall-instameet

Many thanks to the Igers team of Beth, Fraser and Martin for their work and enthusiasm in running these Instameets

Igersbirmingham ready to go and take some photographs.

Some of the Characters in traditional costume

Staircases make for interesting photography

Church of St Peter and St Paul (seen from Aston Hall)

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Walking to the University

by Damien Walmsley 29/07/2018 07/08/2018

At last I get to update my blog and these are a few pictures taken on a walk from the Mailbox along the canal to the University train station. It was a warm morning but I took along my Canon 5D mk4 and my EF24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens. I usually do little to the pictures other than keeping an eye on the exposure and using an unsnarling mask to finish the picture. On this walk I did play with some of the pictures in Google Nik. I also used black and white. I just have a sense when a picture suits black and white treatment. My favourite picture of the day was the cyclist and the train although it was fun taking pictures in the canal bridge just before the University Residence Park.

Playing with filters and you can often forget what the original looked like

The canal walk brings out nice light and shadows

A non functional pier adds some charm to the scene

Man versus machine and I do like this photograph

Another favourite view which you start to see as the curve of the canal opens up

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Dancing in the City

by Damien Walmsley 24/06/2018 24/06/2018

The Birmingham International Dance Festival comes to the City every two years. There is an extensive programme of dance related events. It is the sixth festival but it was my first experience. The meeting was organised by Igersbirmingham and when the announcement popped up on my Instagram account, I immediately signed up for it. I was also unsure who would be there but the chatter on instagram told me that there would be a few seasoned photographers going to the event. On a Saturday lunchtime in June, I met the other Instagrammers outside St Philip’s cathedral. We got our wrist bands plus a voucher for a free coffee and cake and made our way to Victoria Square. The stage was set outside the Council House and we stood around waiting for the first dance act. After a few minutes, I became aware of four men in what I can only describe as balloon suits, starting to make their presence felt in the square. They started pushing against people and then slowly they began to dance. They were hilarious and with a mixture of humour and surreal movements began to do various routines. Their body suits were filled with air and made them look ridiculous but this was part of the fun. They interacted, danced and had fun. They moved on to New street, bouncing and dancing with the shoppers. I did not know whether to follow but looking at other photos from the event, I wish I did. The name of the dance troupe – Didier Théron

However, back at the stage there was another act starting about a boy and the moon. The moon was on a trapeze circle and the boy was below. The story told how he wished to get up to the moon and he also had a fight with a chimney sweep and a dragon!!! Whatever the result it was a great spectacle and was very clever in its delivery. The name of the this dance troupe – 2FacedDance

The next dance was by two women who were sat on their own bench. They were Can Do Dance and it was a thoughtful and reflective piece of dancing that caught my imagination and I hope that I have caught the intense feelings and emotions that were shown by the dance moves.

It was not possible to stay around for the whole day and there were many more acts to follow. I caught three of the acts and I enjoyed the quality and standard on display. I will be on the front row when the festival comes around in two years time.

BIDF is produced by DanceXchange.

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Photographing Birmingham (May 2018)

by Damien Walmsley 19/05/2018 19/05/2018

A few views of St Paul’s Church, Gas Street Basin, the Library and the Cube. The sunlight always gives the local landmarks an added boost.

Early commuters with the reflections in the water

The Library reflected in the International Convention Centre’s windows

A favourite picture of mine with the Cube in the background and the boats arrange in an arrowhead point to the distance.

Early worker getting his long boat ready for the day

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My Custard Factory Beat

by Damien Walmsley 07/04/2018 07/04/2018

I work in town on a Wednesday morning so I take the opportunity of pacing around the streets with my camera. The Custard Factory proves to be a happy hunting ground for pictures. The graffiti is very colourful and there are several interesting nooks and crannies that provide interesting views. Here are a selection taken from one of my Wednesday walks.

Walking down Bordesley Street on the way to the Custard Factory

I do like the way they are staring at you

Back Wednesday and the artist, Annatomex, came back the next day to finish it off.

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Week of the Beast

by Damien Walmsley 03/03/2018 03/03/2018

A cold week for the UK in general. Personally, I picked up a bad cold which coincided with the onset of very cold weather. Keeping motivation at work was the main priority. Initially the week started with clear skies and cold nights. There were some lovely sunsets and exciting sunrises but then the cold and grey set in. The snow showers were insistent and the final part of the week was snow and cold weather. It is at this time that you also find that there are many other very good photographers. I enjoy watching the television or reading the papers and seeing some of the pictures that people have taken around the country.

It is the start of spring and it is difficult that we have such bitter cold weather to contend with. Hopefully in the coming weeks, the cold weather will be largely forgotten and we will be able to enjoy the start of spring. I did manage a few pictures that will serve as a reminder of the week for me.

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Super Duper Moon

by Damien Walmsley 03/02/2018 03/02/2018

The Super Moon or the Super Blue Blood Moon was visible on 31st January. I missed the early stages of the moon when you do see the magnification.

I took my photographs with the moon outside Knowle Parish Church and then in the morning on top of one of the car parks in Birmingham. There were dozens of good photographs taken by many people.

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A week in pictures

by Damien Walmsley 14/01/2018 14/01/2018

Let me take the opportunity of describing my photographic week in January

SUNDAYThe End of a Perfect Day

On SUNDAY, I went out to take pictures of wildlife as I have access to a 400mm lens. My runs along the canal nearby had revealed that a heron had made its home there. So I set off with certain pictures in my mind. I went up the canal bridge near to where I knew I had seen the heron. The day was cold and bright. The time was right as well, as it was coming up to around 4pm and the golden hour was almost upon me. Then I discovered that several walkers passed me on the bridge and went into an adjoining field. I went to investigate and the view was idyllic. Path, farm house, setting sun and lovely colours. I switched lenses to my 24-70mm and set up the aperture to see if I could get a sunstar. I used my camera view and upped the ISO. A couple of shots and I got a result that I was happy with. Some minor editing followed in LR and PS. The heron? I managed a few shots but none of the shots were as good as this scene of winter’s setting sun.
(postscript – as a bonus it was selected for publication in the Birmingham Post and Mail)
Camera settings – f-14, s-1/60, FL-24mm, ISO-250

MONDAYThe IKON gallery in Birmingham

MONDAY and I was at a reception hosted by the University of Birmingham at the IKON Gallery. I have a camera with me at all times and the Sony RX100 is an ideal camera to have for pictures on the move. It is very versatile and packs a lot of features into a small camera. The evening was busy and there were few opportunities during the reception and the meal with presentations. I was patient and at the end of the evening there was the opportunity to take an outside picture of the ICON gallery. This place is photographed many times especially in Spring when the cherry blossom arrives. This picture is processed in black and white. The channel leads the viewer to the central building. I did notice that it was odd to see umbrellas/parasols set out in January but they make the picture look good with them set neatly in front of the lit windows.
Camera settings – f-1.8, s-1/30, FL-8.8mm, ISO-2000.

TUESDAYTelephone Box

TUESDAY morning and I was working at the University campus. I have some time to take a detour around Brum before I jump on the train to the University Station. I take photographs of what I like and I had some good ones of the Cathedral in the light. This telephone box does nothing really and just stands near to the Cathedral. It does feature in many pictures around Birmingham and the light from the street lamp makes it stand out from the dark morning. In the days of mobile phones it is a remnant from a different era. It was this photograph that I selected over the others.
Camera settings – f-2.8, s-1/40, FL-10.6mm, ISO-2500.

WEDNESDAY
A meeting in London always opens up new possibilities for taking photographs. I had a few ideas and when I got to Baker St, I used the underpass that goes under Marylebone Rd. You have to love the red stripes and the surreal angle that they are set at. It just cries out to be photographed. I was also pleased to see that I had caught the people on the different coloured stripes which is a bonus. I also took lots of other photographs but I discarded them in favour of this one.
Camera settings – f-4, s-1/160, FL-8.8mm, ISO-2500.

THURSDAY
A cube view

THURSDAY was a day of teaching and meetings. I was taking it slow making my way to a meeting at the Mailbox only to learn on the way that it was cancelled. I went slower and decided to take the towpath back into the City Centre. I am glad I did as the little bit of sun we had lit up the Cube and its reflection in the canal. I had inadvertently left the ISO at 2500 but this did allow a good capture of the cyclists on the left. A bright moment in an otherwise dull day.
Camera settings – f-4, s-1/320, FL-11.3mm, ISO-2500.

FRIDAY

Thank God its FRIDAY. I was not having a great deal of luck with taking a photograph today. It was a dull day and many of my pictures looked dull and boring. This was taken going home from Platform 1 of Moor St station. You can see the dull sky in the centre against the relatively warm lights of the station. Taken with my iPhone and it constantly amazes me how it takes a reasonably good picture under different lighting conditions. A bit of touching up done in Google Snapspeed.
Camera settings – ƒ-1.8, s-1/6, FL-4.0 mm, ISO 100

SATURDAY

It is SATURDAY and at long last I get to use the Telephoto lens. I went to Brueton Park, Solihull, where the Warwickshire Wildlife Centre is based. There was some wildlife around and for about 10 minutes there were two Goosanders in the large pond at the nature centre. It is not easy to compose pictures and this is one of the better attempts of many I took during the morning. I need to tweak the settings a bit. This particular picture caught my eye due to the ripples. Wildlife photography is not straightforward and requires a lot of patience. I will have a few more attempts over the coming months.
Camera settings – f-5.6, s-1/100, FL-400 mm, ISO 500

And that was a typical week in January.

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Night on the Canals

by Damien Walmsley 07/01/2018 07/01/2018

It is cold in January and as I was in the City for an evening meal, I took the opportunity to take a few pictures around Gas Street Basin and Brindley Place in Birmingham City Centre. In a highly photographed area of the City, it is a challenge to take pictures that offer a different perspective of the area. As I wandered around I did not realise how cold it was and it reminded me to get some special gloves that cover the hands but allow you to use the camera controls. When I got to meet everyone in the restaurant, my hands hurt as the blood began to recirculate. At least I had some pictures to look back on and some of them looked worthy for entry into my blog. The majority of the pictures were done on a manual setting and I used railings and walls as my tripod. It is difficult to balance the bright neon lights and some of the pictures were cropped to remove the distracting glare. I enjoy night shooting in the city and I will miss the shortened days as spring is around the corner.

Window patterns over the Broad St tunnel

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Botanical Gardens Instameet

by Damien Walmsley 02/12/2017 02/12/2017

When the notification came through, I immediately applied. A photographing evening at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens after-dark Christmas-lights experience was an exciting prospect. I was lucky to get one fo the 50 tickets as previous events sell out very quickly. However, when the day came, the weather forecast was for one of the coldest nights of the year. I was starting to have second thoughts about going. I took the decision to wrap up warm, put my cameras in my back pack and set off for the gardens. When I got there, it was good to find friends from previous igersbirmingham Instameets. The evening was going to be a good one.

The light show did not disappoint and the trees, paths and glasshouses were all part of a well choreographed light display. It is difficult taking photographs in the dark and also having to contend with the bright lights. The iPhone does well at producing a good picture whilst with modern cameras cranking up the ISO gives you lots of flexibility. I was fairly pleases with the results and provides good memories of the evening.

More details of the evening may be found on the IgersBirmingham Website. The Botanical Gardens are well wroth a visit day or night

Can you see the photographers in the light show

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