Search

Author Archives: Damien Walmsley

Categories blog

Photographing Kuala Lumpur

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

I was in Kuala Lumpur for a conference. We were located in the south of the city centre and there whilst there was lots of entertainment in the evening there was not an opportunity to see the city. The last day gave me that chance and I headed into the city.

Traffic everywhere
Parts of the city were heavily built up
Monorail commuters
Motorbikes everywhere
Yellow Shutters

Unfortunately I had not been able to book a visit to the top of the Petronas Twin Towers. Instead I took pictures of the area outside the Towers. At night the area surrounding them teams with people. There is a light and water show with the Towers acting as an impressive background to the many people gathered there. On the last day whilst deciding what to visit, I read in my guide book a comparison between the Twin Tower experience and the Menara tower which is just as impressive. On balance it said the the Menara Tower experience had the edge, so I headed there. There are many photographic opportunities to be had as you wander around the city and in in spite of the bright sun, there was a mix of beautiful buildings and large open spaces to photograph. Access to the Menera tower was not difficult and after a 30 min wait we were up to the top with terrific views of the city including the Twin Towers. The highlight of the visit to the Menera Tower was a glass sky box which was off the edge of the top. A weird experience seeing the drop under you feet but also great fun.

Menara Tower
At the top
Skybox looks scary
Some people were well prepared.
A great view of the Petronas Twin Towers

Following the Tower we made our way back to the Central Market and strolled around the centre of the city. Moving about was relatively easy once I understood the monorail system which provided scenic views of the city.

Central Market
Stores Galore
Inside Central Market
Clothing
Trophies, mugs, photo frames
Feet and Shoes
Caligraphy
The City River
Some KL locals

Whilst there was lots to do during the long days of the conference, we were entertained royally by our hosts. On both evenings of the conference we had dazzling concerts.  The first was orchestrated by the dental students and the second had professional entertainers. On the second night the violinist, Joanne Yeoh, lit up the room with her virtuoso performance. Joanne is well known in Malaysia and has released several recordings. She looked very striking with her blue dress, short hair and modern violin. Her violin playing was incredible and captivating. Here are a few photographs of her performing on the evening.

Captivating music
Joanne Yeoh
Beautiful stage effects
Lights on
Categories blog

Winterbourne revisited

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

I am catching up with my photographs. I visited Winterbourne house in July and the flowers were in full bloom. This photographic journey features the Nut walk. I used a lensball to create the effect at the end of the network which provides a natural frame to the house. Following this I moved onto the flower beds near to and around the glass houses. There were several damsel flies flitting in and around the flowers. It is always a fascinating place to visit and has featured in previous blogs.

A place to pass the time away
more flowers
Worker bee is very busy
In full bloom
Damsel fly
The oriental garden in the lower reaches of the garden
View over the lake adjacent to Winterbourne
Natural framing of the house from the Nut walk
View of the house via a lens ball
The Nut walk
View of Winterborne from the garden (selected for BBC midlands weather)

A previous visit to Winterbourne House

https://damienwalmsley.com.dream.website.dream.website/winterbourne-house-worth-a-visit/
Categories blog

The Chancellor’s Dinner

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

Every year the end of the degree ceremonies is marked by a celebratory dinner in the Great Hall. This picture taken with my iPhone gives a glimpse into the grandness of the night. It is a showcase for the University and many local dignitaries are invited to the event. The Great Hall looks magnificent as the Chancellor, Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea CBE, the India-born founder of Cobra Beer, delivers the welcoming address. The iPhone has captured the colours of the night well. The picture made explore on Flickr and received 10k+ views and was rated the 82nd photograph of the day.

Categories blog

Word on the Water

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

I was down in London for several meetings and my final one was at the Springer Nature offices near to Kings Cross. It was a warm afternoon and following the meeting, I walked over to Granary Square along the Regent’s Canal towpath. It was here that I came across the second hand book shop named “Word on the Water”.  What a hidden gem.  The shop is based in a barge and the books were on display on the towpath side of the boat. After taking pictures of the outside, I ventured onto the boat. The interior was jam packed with books and other interesting pictures and artefacts.  A great place for taking photographs

Word on the Water
Book browsing

I got talking to the owner John and his friends learning more about the shop. John allowed me to take his picture as part of the stranger project that I needed to do for my 52 week photographic project.  I did some research afterwards and found out that there is often live music on the open deck of the boat. Also the shop is a popular destination for book lovers everywhere.  Taking pictures in the interior was a challenge when using my Sony compact as even in late afternoon the light was very bright.  I could have taken many more pictures and I will return another day to do some more photographing.  Thanks to John for allowing me to take his picture and also to his friendly dog who did some posing for me as well.  If you want to learn more about this interesting barge on the canal then look up their Facebook page for more information.

Interesting books from famous authors
A cushion with. a view
Inviting place to visit
Lots to see and look through
A friendly dog welcome
Categories blog

It only takes a minute

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

A day out in Amsterdam sounds exciting but this was for work and I spent most of the day in meetings. We were based at the Amsterdam Medical Centre and then we moved into the city centre where the University central administration resides.  During the taxi ride the sites of Amsterdam revealed itself out of the window.  It was a sunny warm day and the toursists were out.  The taxi stopped on the Rakin Canal and then we made our way up Spui to the Maagdenhuis of the University of Amsterdam.  When we got out of the taxi, it was if we were plunged into a summer holiday.  The place looked beautiful with people moving around by foot and bicycle.  I got the camera out and started snapping.  I was also lucky as part of the delegation arrived late, so I was able to wander around the square outside the Maagdenhuis and take some photographs. All on my Sony RX100v5 and all taken within a few minutes of each other.

Rakin Canal in the Sun
Maagdenhuis, University of Amsterdam
The square on Spui street
Amsterdam
Categories blog

Centenary Square

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

Centenary square has a new water feature and it is a very large reflecting pool. It offers photographers the chance to take some beautiful pictures. Whilst it has been opened there is still work taking place on the square and it will be even more spectacular when it is completed. If you search Instagram there have been many pictures already taken with children splashing in the fountains or late night shots with sparkling lights. I am sure that I will return with even more pictures over the year to come. When I posted my pictures on Twitter, some one suggested that it could be a ready made advert for Birmingham in a similar mode to the Thames TV iconic reflected picture. I rose to the challenge and made one with Birmingham on the picture. If you are reading this then you must visit Birmingham!!

The library
Reflections to the cube
The ICC and the Rep
A lovely looking reflection
The Rep theatre
Doing the walk with your reflection
Categories blog

Confetti Fields 2019

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

A year on and another trip to the Confetti fields at Wick, near Pershore. This time we took more of the family to see the flowers. It was in a different field and I don’t think the display was as intense as last year. It did not matter as all the grandchildren loved it. Sandy was impressed with it as well. It was very busy as usual as people do turn up early! My granddaughter Lily was old enough to fully take it in, whilst Noah and Chloe enjoyed all the attention and day out. After the fields we headed out to Pershore Abbey Park for a well deserved picnic. Here are the photos of the day.

Categories blog

Photographing Atomium

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

I have been to Brussels many times but never to the Atomium and it is one of the places on my travel bucket list.  We were in Brussels for an intensive feedback with Marie Curie funding at the European Research Council. Our visit was not helped by delayed and cancelled flights with Brussels Airlines. When we eventually arrived, the conference went well and we were able to catch up with the program.  Once the day was done we took a taxi to the north of the city and walked up to the Atomium.  

Atomium
Fun with shapes and reflections
Sunstar on Atomium

The Atomium was part of the world’s fair held in Brussels in 1958 (the year I was born) and consists of nine iron atoms in the shape of an iron crystal.  This is magnified over 165 billion times. It is an impressive structure and immediately commands your attention.

There is a plane in the centre if you look closely
Symmetry of the crystal
Looking up

They were getting ready for the start of the Tour de France so it was not possible to get a “clean” view of the front of the structure. There was fencing around the front of the structure with tents ready for the cyclists.  However it was a warm evening and the sun was out.  There were reflections on the metal structure of Atomium and with the low sun I was excited to be taking photographs.  We arrived when the building was shut but it was still possible to wander around and enjoy all those wonderful photographic angles.  It is a place where the locals gather and there were many people wandering around.  I converted many of my pictures to black and white so that the lines and metal texture came through.  Once I had done my photographs all taken with my Sony RX100v5, we headed back to the City for dinner. I was happy to have finally seen Atomium.

A touch of colour

On the website the copyright of pictures is outlined as the creator of Atomium, the late engineer André Waterkeyn protected his design.  So please be aware if you copy any of my pictures which are being used on my website for personal reasons only  . 

https://www.atomium.be/copyright
Categories blog

Photographing Vancouver – Electric Harbour Tours

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

This was a special day. As soon as I arrived in Vancouver I started posting pictures on my social media accounts.  These were picked up by the Meet in Vancouver convention bureau team. They messaged me as they found out that I was both a runner and a photographer. They delivered two wonderful gifts to my hotel. One was a special pack of natural products for the after run experience.  I also received a trip for two with Electric Harbour Tours around the bay.

High Rise Living
Reflections from the front of the boat

On the last day I took up the offer of the boat trip. Captain Spencer was my guide and we set off in our boat around the bay. During the trip, we saw the harbour seal who scavenges around the left overs in the harbour.  We got close up and personal with the harbour air floatplanes.  We also got views of derelict structures with wonderful barnacles growing on them.  There was lots of history about the bay and tales about the boats in the marina. Captain Spencer kept me amused with his stories. There were fantastic sea views and amazing skyscrapers to view from the relaxing voyage of the eclectic boat. It was a great finish to the conference.

The harbour seal
Up close with the float planes
Barnacles on a ladder
View from the front of the boat
Captain Spencer
Categories blog

Photographing Vancouver– Stanley Park

by Damien Walmsley Posted on
Stanley Park, Vancouver, Canada, July 2019

Stanley park is the centre of Vancouver. A large natural reserve near to the city and it has so much to see in it.  I did some running around on my first morning and used my iPhone to take pictures of the eastern tip of the park. The water is still and offers lovely reflections of the marina and the city. I got there by running down Robson street and used that as my starting off point into the park. 

View of the Marina
View of Vancouver from the Park
A lighthouse on the north perimeter

For the Summer solstice, I walked to the Eastern side of the park and captured the sun going down.  Crowds had gathered near to the English Bay Beach. The sunset was golden and a lovely end of the day

Summer Solstice

For my last day in Vancouver, I ran around the Eastern perimeter underneath the road bridge and then headed down through the interior of the park.  I stopped at Siwash Rock to take pictures as it has nice views of the western part of Vancouver. I kept running past the upper tip and then made my way home. I headed southwards through the park. I quickly found that you can easily loose your bearings in the park especially if you are tired with your running.  Once again I used my iPhone to take pictures on the run, and I was pleased that I came across the rose garden which is a peaceful place in the park with lots of colour. Then I found Robson street and it was back to the hotel. It was a long but rewarding run.

Siwash Rock
Siwash Rock
1 … 42 43 44 45 46 … 54
0
    0
    Your Cart
    Your cart is emptyReturn to Shop
    Shipping, taxes, and discounts calculated at checkout.
    Continue Shopping