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Author Archives: Damien Walmsley

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My Daughter’s Greek Island Wedding

by Damien Walmsley Posted on
Natasha Wedding

The corona virus almost scuppered Natasha my daughter’s wedding plans.  She and Rob wished to tie the knot on the Island of Kos in August.  The planning started at the end of last year and everything was in place, hotel booked and plane tickets all sorted.  What could go wrong?  The rest of 2020 does not need an explanation but it did cause the family much stress and anguish.  The government were opening and closing travel corridors to different countries.  Luckily Greece had a low infection rate and the wedding was on.  It was touch and go and there were causalities as some of the family were unable to come due to work restrictions.

Natasha Wedding
Proud Mum and Dad with Natasha
Natasha Wedding
Natasha with her Bridesmaids Kirsty and Sian

Kos is a beautiful island and we were booked into the Akti Beach hotel complex on the south near to the village of Kardamena.  It was very safe on the Island as most hotels and restaurants were lightly booked and there was not a large number of tourists present.  The weather was glorious and every day, it was on the right side of 30oC.  

Natasha and Rob Wedding
The wedding took place on the beach
Natasha and Rob
Natasha and Rob
Wedding on the beach
Undying love on the beaches of Kos


Natasha and Rob’s Wedding took place on the beach.  There was a small secluded part of the beach that was set up with chairs and a horseshoe decoration.  The scenery could not have been more idyllic.  Following the simple but moving ceremony, there was a short walk up to the reception.  This took place in the Malibu Beach Bar. There were only 14 close family that attended the wedding and we had the Beach bar to ourselves.  The setting was very tropical with bar and swimming pool. Following the cutting of the cake there was the bridal meal consisting of tasty BBQ food.  There were the speeches and a video collage of well wishers of people who could not get to the wedding.  This had been put together by Kirsty, Rob’s sister and there were some surprise guests included.  Following some fleeting fireworks, most people took a dip in the swimming pool and enjoyed the rest of the evening.  Natasha was so happy as she finally had her wish come true.

Natasha Wedding
Natasha and Rob on their wedding day
Malibu Beach Bar
Wedding Cake
In front of the cake
The wedding Dance
The first dance being recorded

After the wedding? I went banana boat surfing on the sea which is an exhilarating white knuckle ride.  We also made it to the Sunset tavern restaurant in Zia on top of one of the highest mountains in Kos.

Night at Kos
Moon, Saturn and Jupiter over the sea

As for the travel.  It was a weird experience wearing facemasks on the flight there and back plus all the quarantine form filling that had to be done.  Everyone got there and back safely without any infection from the corona virus.  On reflection it was a highlight of 2020 and we were so pleased that we could be there to celebrate Natasha and Rob’s big day.  I was pleased that I was able to take my cameras out to the event and was happy with my unofficial photographs.

If you enjoyed this post then you can view the wedding of my youngest daughter Sian who was married in Solihull with a reception at Tanworth in Arden a few years ago.

Categories blog

City Arcade – Birmingham’s hidden gem

by Damien Walmsley Posted on
City Arcade Birmingham

Lockdown had interrupted by own personal visits to all the arcades in Birmingham. I enjoy mornings when it is quiet and so before going to work, I parked up in town and made my way to the City arcade. In some ways it is my favourite arcade but it has fallen on difficult times. There are not that many shops in the arcade and they are all down one side. When I arrived at the arcade, there was a rough sleeper outside the real ale pub. In these difficult times the city is overburdened with homeless people and I worry for them.

City Arcade
Play on light in the Arcade
City arcade
Getting down low to show the architecture

The City Arcade was built in 1901 and designed by TWF Newton and Cheattle. I picked up this information from the Historic England site and then you are able to search on from there. It has had a recent face lift and the interior designs have been painted and stand out showing the detail that had gone into this building. It is part of Union street which is a busy thoroughfare between Corporation St and the High St. However, step into the Arcade and the noise of people quickly dies away. The arcade is at an angle and links up with the junction of Union and Warwick passage.

City Arcade Birmingham
Details of the ceiling

There are a few shops in the Arcade but from a photographers perspective, there are many reflections of the light. When people walk through the arcade then you can get some very nice effects. I spent a good 20 minutes taking photographs before I headed off to work. Another one of the Birmingham Arcades done and photographed. As the title says a hidden gem and worth exploring.

City Arcade Birmingham
Outside detail
City Arcade Birmingham
The front facade
City Arcade Birmingham
Morning light in the Arcade
City Arcade Birmingham
The grittiness of Union Passage (Arcade to right)
City Arcade Birmingham
Outside design details

And now moving inside to view some of the details of the shops.

City Arcade Birmingham
Signs for the Arcade
The speciality beer outlet “TILT”
City Arcade Birmingham
WillPower
City Arcade Birmingham
Gadget Swap
City Arcade Birmingham
Chandeliers
City Arcade Birmingham
Reflections

If you are interested in the other arcades in Birmingham then please follow these links –
The Piccadilly Arcade
The Great Western Arcade

Categories blog

My best pictures are taken with my iPhone

by Damien Walmsley Posted on
Reflections in Digbeth

Should I be worried? Should I ditch my big camera? My most popular photographs are all taken by an iPhone. My most recent one of Gibb Street in Digbeth has been published by several outlets including BBCMidlands, Independent Birmingham, IgersbirminghamUK, Bhamupdates and Source investments. All very pleasing but I would like to talk about my aperture and shutter settings. The camera ISO and how I held it to take in the picture. No all I did was dip the iPhone into a puddle and the resulting picture then gets a life of its own. Getting down low certainly led to more impact to the picture. However, I am pleased that I can brag about my composition and that it caught the spirit of Birmingham!

Categories blog

An August Morning after the Storms

by Damien Walmsley Posted on
Knowle Park after the storms

The months of August are hot during the day and often very muggy at night. We have been through a spell of very hot weather and experienced some dramatic thunderstorms at night. Unfortunately I slept through the worse ones even though I had my camera set up to take some pictures. The next day I was up early and when I got to the park, I was not disappointed as there was a mist over the area. There were were also layers of colours present. What was remarkable was the continual change as the sun rose higher burning off the mist. The mist provides opportunities for rays of sunbreaking through the clouds to be highlighted. With my trusty iPhone I was able to take several photographs of the scene. These were immediately given some post processing via Snapspeed and then uploaded onto the BBC weather site. When I got back home all the pictures were run through Lightroom and then put up on Twitter and Instagram. I received a great deal of acclaim and lovely comments on the pictures and also featured no BBC Midlands weather.

Knowle Park
Knowle Park after the storms with a lone dog walker
Knowle Park after the storms
Magical mist, Sun and light
Knowle Park after the storms
The clouds were very dramatic
Knowle Park after the storms
This picture was shown on BBC Midlands weather
After the storm Knowle Park
This picture was popular on Instagram
Categories blog

Confetti Fields 2020

by Damien Walmsley Posted on
Confetti fields 2020

The Confetti Fields in Wick near Pershore are open but this year you have to prebook because of restrictions caused by the virus. It was a year the Real Flower Petal Confetti Co were beset with problems not only flooding and the Coronavirus but also the first planting was not successful. However they were able to replant the flower field to bloom later in the year. The delphiniums are much shorter and not as imposing as they are generally. To help out this year they had Sunflowers and wild flower fields which were impressive in their own way. Natasha Walmsley, my daughter, kept tabs on when they tickets were being released. We headed down to the fields and were not disappointed. The colours were there and there were many opportunities for photographs.

Sunflower bee clock
3 bees o’clock on a sunflower
sunflowers and delphiniums
The 2020 line up sunflowers and delphiniums
Three happy faces
Three happy sunflowers

The sunflowers were tall and high with many insects including bees alighting on them. The wild flowers were pretty and delicate. Finally the delphiniums were colourful and whilst not as tall they still put on a show. The sun was up and it was very bright. I used my circular polariser to reduce the glare. I also got low and went high with several pictures just to get a different effect. Going high I just had to hope that I had everyone in the picture.

in the Confetti fields
in the Confetti fields
Red delphiniums
Red delphiniums
Red and purple Red delphiniums
Red and purple Red delphiniums

As is tradition after the visit to the fields, we head over to the public park in Pershore and have a picnic in the delightful surroundings of Pershore Abbey. It is an idyllic spot and another great venue for photographs.

Pershore Abbey
Pershore Abbey
Pershore Abbey
Pershore Abbey
Categories blog

University of Birmingham Campus

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

For the first time since mid March, I am back on campus and it was a lovely morning. There were very few people around and I had brought my camera along. The Campus looked beautiful and the lack of cars certainly allowed unhindered views of the buildings. I did like the area where the wild flowers were near to the University gates. This series of pictures of the University shows it off and makes it look glorious.

Wild flowers and Old Joe
Wild flowers and Old Joe
Lovely light on campus
Lovely light on campus
View of the Green Heart
View of the Green Heart
Old Joe in the morning sunshine
Old Joe in the morning sunshine
Categories blog

Days out on the Canal

by Damien Walmsley Posted on
Kingswood locks

Days out with the Grandchildren do not have to be very expensive and we are very fortunate to have the canals near us. Therefore we choose to visit the canal junction at Kingswood which is the home of the Kingswood Arm a short section that links the Grand Union with the Stratford canal. My grandchildren had just discovered the Sylvanian family toy canal boat that belonged to my daughters when they were children. Both of grandchildren wanted to see canal boats for real.

Grandchildren
Lily and Chloe (apologies for the shirt – father supports Arsenal)
Kingswood Junction
Kingswood Junction

When we arrived at Lapworth, there was a boat going through the locks. This generated a series of why questions from both of them and I had a lot of explaining of how a lock works. The family on board the boat going through the Kingswood junction allowed my granddaughters to help with the opening of the locks. We strolled along the tow path and remarked how funny the roof of the lockmaster’s cottage was. It had a round roof like a barrel. Then we walked along the arm that joined both the Stratford and Grand Union canals. There was more excitement as several trains passed over the railway bridge that crosses the canal arm. We reached the Grand Union canal junction and much to the excitement of my granddaughters discovered a hand operated history box.

On the tow path
On the tow path
Listening to the Story of Rosie

In these days of the Coronavirus, we had our hand sanitiser ready plus a disinfectant wipe ready to hold the handle. We turned the handle quickly and like magic to the children, a voice appeared. The hand operated verbal histories box tells the story of Rosie. She and her husband lived and worked on the canals. They ferried supplies along the canal to the Cadbury’s factory in Birmingham. The grandchildren were fascinated with the way it worked and the story of Rosie. They had been to Cadbury’s world so this interested them. So much so we heard the story five times! The other fun was seeing what people were doing on the boats and the girls had chats with several boat people along the way.

Listening to the story
The story was repeated several times

We even found a boat with the name Small World and then started singing the refrain “It’s a small world”. The earworm of a tune was with us not only on our way back to the car but for the rest of the day. There is so much to do and see around the canals. Life is good by water and as the sign says slow down and enjoy it. The three ducks certainly did.

By the lockmasters Cottage
The lockmaster’s cottage and that funny roof
Thank you for slowing down
Thank you for slowing down

Further reading about the Kingswood arm.

Categories blog

Sturgeon New Moon

by Damien Walmsley Posted on
Sturgeon New Moon

Undertaking moon photography is an art form. It can look easy but then again the bright light of the sun reflecting off the moon has to be carefully exposed on camera. If you expose for the wonderful background of the moon in the clouds then invariably the moon becomes an overexposed disc. The answer to the problem is to use photoshop to process two pictures which I thought was very clever until I realised that it has been done many times before. Here are my simple attempts and they did get a very good response on the social media.

Sturgeon Moon
The Sturgeon new moon
The Sturgeon New Moon
The Sturgeon New Moon

Here is a very good YouTube channel on the subject.
“How to create stunning HDR Moon Composite“.

Categories blog

The Streets of Warwick

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

Warwick is a sleepy market town which is most famous for its castle. The town itself has many interesting streets and buildings. On a sunny Sunday morning, I parked up near to the high street and took a few “classic” pictures of the castle and the town centre. I had my Canon 5D and my Canon 24 -70mm lens which always gives good results. Take a look below at the results. My favourite picture of the walkabout is of St Mary’s Church and I enjoyed the black and white processing. I took this picture looking up Castle St towards the Church.

St Mary's Church
St Mary’s Church taken from Castle Street
St Mary's Church
St Mary’s Church
Fun boats on the Avon
Fun boats on the Avon – looks like an important meeting
Warwick Castle on the Avon
Warwick Castle on the Avon
Market Street
Market St
Market Place
Market Place, Warwick
St John's Hous
St John’s House, Jacobean Manor
Warwick
The Eastgate and St Peter’s chapel
Warwick
Lord Leycester Hospital
Warwick
Council offices leading to St Mary’s Church
Warwick
Window flowers with St Mary’s Church in the reflection

Further links –

Lord Leycester’s Hospital
Categories blog

Port Loop

by Damien Walmsley Posted on
Port Loop

Running was and still is a big part of my life. When the dental hospital was operating out of the Queensway site then we used to take the opportunity to run up to the Soho loop along the Birmingham Canal Old Line. I took my camera with me to revisit the area and my start point was Port Loop on Rotten Park Street. Nothing rotten about it and an amazing housing development is going up. I took several pictures around there, chatted to a local developer who was commissioned to take pictures of the old buildings and then made my way to the canal.

Port Loop development
Port Loop development, Birminghamn
To be developed
To be developed, Port Loop

There were so many people running, cycling and walking and as the Canal and River Trust say #lifeisbetterbywater. I strolled up and down the old line and lingered around the junction with the Soho loop. I enjoyed seeing the city from the distance and the graffiti was very colourful adding to the enjoyment of the photographic opportunities. There were lots of different activity happening and I caught different activities including trains, bikes and boats. I look forward to seeing the area develop over the next few years.

Start of the Soho loop
Start of the Soho loop.
View of the City along our canal
View of the City along our canal
Just talking
Just talking
Quiet Saturday morning
Quiet Saturday morning
Colourful surroundings
Colourful surroundings

Finally the added bonus was taking a short drive to see the Two Towers. Edgbaston Water Works and Perrrot’s Folly are both seen as inspirational in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. The Two Towers are in walking distance of the Oratory which is where the young Tolkien went to Church and is a subject of another of my blogs.

Edgbaston Water Works
Edgbaston Water Works, the Two Towers
Perrott's Folly
Perrott’s Folly, The Two Towers

Here are some links
Urban Splash
Canal and River Trust
Birmingham City Council
Places for people

My links on canals
Down by the canal
Night on the canals
Canals and Waterways
Winner BCN 250

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