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Tag Archives: Cherry Blossom

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Birmingham Blossom Watch

by Damien Walmsley Posted on
Cherry Blossom, Oozell's Square, Birmingham, March 2023

For the most part of the year, Oozells square in Birmingham is unremarkable.  The square is surrounded by office buildings on 3 sides and the IKON art gallery on another.  This latter building is a grand Victorian building which was formerly a boarding school.  There are several good restaurants in the square which have hosted family meals in the past. In spring, the square is transformed into a beautiful place by several rows of trees that burst into cherry blossom.  

Cherry Blossom, Oozell's Square, Birmingham, March 2023
The IKON gallery emerging from the blossom that surrounds the building.

The event is becoming more and more famous having been featured this year on the BBC News.  We went with the family to see the blossom and get the obligatory pictures.  Here Noah is reaching upwards mesmerised by the blossom.  Soon the green leaves will appear. Noah’s coat contrasts well with the pink.  

Cherry Blossom, Oozell's Square, Birmingham, March 2023
Noah reaching out towards the blossoms.
Cherry Blossom, Oozell's Square, Birmingham, March 2023
Lily, Noah and Chloë, my grandchildren with the blossom in the background.
Cherry Blossom, Oozell's Square, Birmingham, March 2023
Lily, Noah and Chloë, my grandchildren with the blossom and the IKON gallery in the background.

The event is enjoyed by all ages but as you see from the pictures, my grandchildren had a fantastic time seeing the cherry blossom. The BBC News item has made the blossom event famous at a National Level.

Cherry Blossom, Oozell's Square, Birmingham, March 2023
The IKON gallery with cherry blossom trees and admiring visitors.

Birmingham cherry blossoms draw spectators and photographers – BBC News March 2023
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-65043539

Here are some of my past entries on Oozell’s Square.

Birmingham Blossom
Blossom in Oozells’ Square
Birmingham Gems (3rd Edition)



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Photographing Dublin

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

A long weekend break in Dublin with beautiful weather could only mean one thing, great opportunities for photographs.  We stayed in a hotel near to Grafton Street which allowed lots of opportunities for street photography.  The place that I particularly enjoyed visiting was Bewley’s coffee house.  The last time I was in Bewley’s was as a young 19 year old student ready to hitchhike around Ireland.  Trinity College Dublin is also very photogenic and the good weather brought out the people as the photographs show.  Another favourite spot is Dublin Castle and the gardens behind provide great spots for not only soaking in the sun but also taking photographs.  There are a few night shots thrown in and even though Sunday morning was dull in comparison to the rest of the weekend, several of the buildings still lent themselves to being photographed.  A memorable weekend and once again the fair city of Dublin is the winner.

Stained glass window in Bewley’s

Ensuring all is correct in Bewley’s

Street performer in Grafton Street

Trinity College Dublin

Sphere within a sphere

Selfie in a sphere

A beautiful day at Trinity

Commanding Cherry Blossom

An Aaron Island jumper

The ha’penny Bridge

A lone figure in Temple Bar

The Temple Bar in Temple Bar

Dublin Castle

Colours of Dublin Castle

View from the Hop off – Hop on Bus

So many tourists with the GPO Building, O’Connell street in the background

The figures of the Irish Famine always send a shiver down my spine

Dublin at night with the reflections in the river Liffey

Amazing mural of a red squirrel done as a series of “Trash Animals” by the artist Bordalo II

One of my all time favourite Rock stars

Categories blog

Cherry Blossom experiments

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

Oozells Square is just off Brindley Place.  It is a relatively new square and has a faceless RSB bank on the south side with the elegant IKON gallery on the North side.  Either side are a couple of restaurants which have their charms and are enjoyable places to dine the night away. The square is pleasant and whilst not unique does showcase the IKON gallery rather well.  For a few weeks in April, the square comes into its own with Cherry Blossom.  The trees erupt in bright pink and it is an attractive sight.  The flowering attracts most photographers in the area and I happen to one of those photographers that waits for this moment.  This year I wanted to be different by experimenting with a range of in camera methods.  I used several techniques including Intentional Camera Movement, Zooming and Double Exposure.  As an added bonus my iPhone picture was featured in the BBC weather bulletin that evening.

The cherry blossom in Oozells Square. The only downside was the dull skies.

This was using a Zooming technique on a 200mm lens

A double exposure using the original photograph and a larger picture of the IKON tower

This is using an upward Intentional Camera Movement

Picture taken on my iPhone for BBC weatherwatchers

And it made the 6.30pm BBC weather bulletin as well.