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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 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

Categories blog

Digbeth Art

by Damien Walmsley Posted on
Graffiti Art in Digbeth

My photographic assignment for my 52 week Flickr group was to photograph Graffiti.  This gave me the excuse to visit Digbeth on a bright Sunday morning.  My first stop was Meriden Street to look at the graffiti done by the streetartist Gent48 on the house which is the home of independent grassroots music venue Suki10C. 

Birmingham Tribute to 22 emerging Black Stars
Suki10c
Suki10c Music Venue

They have recently upgraded the Graffiti on the outside of the building to celebrate 22 of Birmingham’s most prominent black stars of the future. It is eye-catching and a fitting tribute to such inspiring people. Readers of my blog will know that Digbeth is a favourite place of mine and there is a constant change of the Graffiti. This blog shows the old colour scheme of the Suki10C house

The Big Birmingham Bake
The Big Birmingham Bake
Mural by Gent48
Mural by Gent48
Railway Arch - Floodgate Street
Railway Arch – Floodgate Street
The Ruin and Birmingham Screw Driver Company
Floodgate street, the Ruin pub and the Birmingham Screwdriver Company (Artist – Fokawolf)

The next stop was Floodgate street and there are many examples of street art along the road.  First there was the Big Birmingham Bake and another Gent 48 mural.  Having photographed several murals, I wandering in through the link-way between Floodgate street  and the Custard Factory where the walls are lined with several good street art paintings.  

Walkway to the Custard Factory
Walkway to the Custard Factory
Don't be sad
A clown on the way into the Custard Factory (artist Wingy)
Piercing eyes
Piercing eyes (Artist – PHILTH)
Iconic artwork by Justin Sola
Iconic artwork by Justin Sola

The centre of the Custard Factory offers many photographic opportunities and the fun on this visit was the presence of several puddles from the overnight rain.  I enjoy puddle photography and my iPhone gave a nice picture which did well on social media.  The picture follows the golden proportion which must be a subconscious bias in my mind from my dentistry photography days.

Reflections in Digbeth
Reflections of Digbeth
Dorothy’s Friend
Dorothy’s Friend by Pete McKey

Walking around the custard factory is always interesting and I enjoyed seeing the tables in the courtyard. Each of the wooden tables was engraved with the history of the Birds Eye Custard Factory. Getting old means I remember many of the advertising material on the packets of Bird’s Custard!  There was also a lone statue of Jesus Christ looking out of the corner of a shop. His appealing mournful face striking a chord on this quiet Sunday morning.  He is missing his right hand which gives a pose of vulnerability yet it still seeks your attention from his expression and stance.

Statue of Jesus
Jesus Christ at the Custard Factory
Bird's Custard
Bird’s Custard on a beer table

Moving onto the adjacent carpark there is new graffiti street art by Snub23. The entrance to the car park is very different and is made of several crushed cars giving an American feel to the area.  Just inside the entrance opposite to the Snub23 artwork is a new outside bar with an open door to no where!  

Engine Car Park Entrance
Crushed Cars Car Park Entrance
Graffiti by Snub23
New Artwork by Snub23
Open Door
Open Door
Street art
More Street art

Whilst I did enjoy waking through Digbeth, there was still one picture that I wanted to take.  It was the Fox by Annatomix.  Whilst I had done this picture before on the Minerva Works side of the water, I had not done it from across the canal, looking onto the Fox.  Known as the Warwick Bar, this part of the canal has echos of Birmingham’s industrial past and indications of the potential changes that may happen when HS2 finally arrives.

WarwickBar
The Warwick Bar and the street art from Annatomix
The Fox by Annatomix
The Fox by Annatomix and to the right Monochrome by Lucy McLaughlan (monochrome)

I was nervous about the photography here as it is a very quiet part of the canal and I was carrying expensive camera equipment. I did not want to be mugged this Sunday morning.  However there are a succession of runners and cyclists that gave a feeling of sfety and I headed along the towpath past the Bond premises (!) to be directly opposite the Fox.  I took several pictures and was happy that I had captured this view which is an alternative to the one I had taken before. I also learnt that the monochrome to the right of the Fox is by Lucy McLaughlan. All done and so it was back home to do the processing and write up this blog.

Stay Strong
Stay Strong – a colourful message by HolyMolyUK

There are several good internet links on the Digbeth Street Art Scene
(all accessed July 2020)
1. How Digbeth gave a home to graffiti and street art – BBC News
2. Graffiti art of Digbeth Walk – WalkRunCycle
3. Graffiti Artist
4. The Street Art of Digbeth in Birmingham

plus my own previous blogs on Digbeth
a. Lockdown in Digbeth
b. Digbeth Lights
c. Graffiti, Graffiti, Graffiti
d. My Custard Factory Beat

But be warned the art changes quickly and many of these murals are “tagged” ruining the artwork or they have simply been painted over.

Artists featured – Instagram address
Annatomix
Gent48
PHILTH
Snub23
Lucy McLauchlan
Pete Mckee
Justin Sola
Wingy
Holy Moly UK
Fokawolf

If there are any corrections on the names of artists or names missing then please let me know and I will add to the blog.

Categories blog

Neowise

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

Astrophotography is good fun but living near to a city means only one thing – light pollution. Also you need to have very good weather as well. I had been telling myself that I need to take a picture of Comet C/2020 F3 otherwise known as Neowise. I read around the subject and realised that I needed a dark and clear sky clear of light pollution. I also looked at many different photographer’s pictures on Flickr including the Neowise group. Camera settings should include a large aperture to let as much light in as possible. The shutter speed is set at around 3 to 5 seconds. Any greater and the picture would be blurred by the trail of movement of the comet across the horizon. After that, the ISO is boosted to again increase the sensitivity of the camera. It goes without saying that a tripod is essential.

A close up of the comet

After a few abortive attempts locally mainly due to the amount of light around the village where I live, I made the decision to go further afield. Chesterton Windmill is a classic landmark for photographers. It is an interesting structure to include in your photograph and it sits on top of a hill with commanding views of the Warwickshire countryside. It is sufficiently far enough away from the city lights to provide a darker sky.

Looking for the comet.

After the decision, there were delays due to the weather and then on Wednesday night it seemed that there may be a lull in the overcast skies. I took a chance. I recruited a friend to come along with me. Therefore Sean and I set off for the sunset at Chesterton Windmill hoping for clear skies. The sun was nearly set by the time we arrived with many people enjoying the mild evening. We waited for the twilight to arrive and then the night proper. Neowise is becoming very faint and is ranked at the lowest category of 3 in brightness. At the beginning of July it was much brighter but now you do have to hunt for it in the sky. Even though it is now closest to the Earth, it is rapidly moving away from the sun.

The black and white version

Gradually the skies over the Windmill become much darker and I was lucky that I had brought a very strong torch to help me move around. I did drop the camera platform bracket that allows attachment to the tripod. Luckily I found it amongst the undergrowth – much to my relief. There was a growing frustration as it was very difficult to locate the comet. My “sky at night” app informed me of its location but still we could not see it. The movement of the clouds over the sky were not helping. Eventually I turned up the ISO on my camera and I caught the comet. I was very pleased and then I was able to take a few more pictures. It was still a frustrating time as the clouds kept passing over just where the comet was.

Twilight and it is now a patient wait.

The results of my photography are shown in this blog. Looking back I could have done a bit more with the picture taking process but there were people around to chat to and I was also looking at the sky with binoculars. I was just grateful that I could see the comet. The pictures may not be the greatest but the evening was exhilarating and fun as we chased the comet through the clouds. I now know what to do but there is unlikely to be another comet for some time yet. I may come back to do some star trails or even look for some meteor showers in the future.

So long Neowise and thanks for passing by earth on your travels.

Here is a link that shows how difficult it was becoming to see the comet in the final few weeks of its journey through our solar system.

Categories blog

Winterbourne reopens

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

As the University of Birmingham locked down so did Winterbourne house and gardens. There was still a small team of gardeners tendering the gardens during lockdown. As the restrictions eased, the gardens reopened to University staff on the 6th July. It is one of the perks of working at the University that you have free access to the Botanical gardens. I took the opportunity on a Friday afternoon to visit Winterbourne and it coincided with a break in the weather. Yes, the sun was seen in the sky! I brought along my macro lens and decided that it was going to be a close up day photographing the flowers and some of the friends that visit them as well.

A zoom of colour!
Nature’s helper
Prickly
Summer in full swing

I realise now that what I enjoy about garden photography is the symmetry of the flowers. Also I like the asymmetry that is overlayered on the symmetry. The colours and the flower arrangements right down to the petals play a part too.

Symmetry and colours
A busy bee
Lilies in the sunshine

Winterbourne has different areas to it and there is a brook at the bottom of the hill with an Japanese oriental garden. On the way down, there are many flower beds and open spaces. Towards the house there is the walled garden and glasshouses that have a large variety of interesting species.

Can you spot the spider?
Lovely colours
A play on light and colour

Why do I love Winterbourne so much? I think it is the range of plants that come from around the world. Part of my role at the University is Director of Global Engagement. The Winterbourne Gardens web site mentions that the plant collection is taken from countries such as China, North and South America and the Alpine areas of the world. Maybe this is why walking around the Botanical Gardens feels as if you are undertaking international travel in a short space of time and distance.

Temporary entrance with social distancing sign into the walled garden
The lime walk
Walkway through the garden
Symmetry in the onion vegetable patch

Finally, whilst I love taking pictures of the plants, I do not know many of their names. So if anyone is able to help so that I can name them correctly it would be very much appreciated 🙂

Winterbourne house
Categories blog

#RHSPhotoComp – Winner

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

Very pleased that this has happened and I am now shortlisted for the Annual Competition of The RHS. Fingers crossed.

Categories blog

The Welcombe Hills

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

I love Stratford-upon-Avon and have visited it many times over the years. There is so much to see including the beautiful walks around the River Avon, the Shakespeare properties and the pleasant shopping area of the town. I thought that I knew all about Stratford until this weekend, when my daughter and her family invited me for a walk around the Welcombe Hills.

Up to the Obelisk
Paths up the hill

I drove into Stratford from the A46 roundabout and then before the retail park turned left and made my way through a housing estate. I passed through some old gate markers and then up a road to a small car park. You do need local knowledge to find the place. You are then at a gateway to the start of a walk passing through spectacular scenery. Initially we walked along a field leading to a group of houses. One was of a mock castle design. We then passed into another field on our way to the obelisk. We passed the Welcombe hotel and climbed up to the obelisk. There were many runners out and about as well. From the top of the hill, there are commanding views of the Warwickshire countryside. The structure was erected in 1876 by Robert Needham Philips to honour his brother Mark Philips and further information and links to Shakespeare are documented on the web.

Map of the hills
Beautiful scenery and views

Following on from the obelisk, there is a walk over fields and there are many farm friends in them. We then passed through a wood where there were several tree houses probably made by scouts. We then made our way down over more fields admiring the views of Stratford upon Avon and picking out different structures. Eventually we came upon a fallen tree that my grandchildren love to call the broken tree and we stopped for a picnic. The tree had lots of different shapes and the bark provided a range of textures that proved a good vehicle to photograph.

We are watching you
Granddaughters hands on the tree bark
Broken trees

After that it was back to the car and a short journey to my daughter’s mother in law’s house for some well deserved bacon sandwiches and cake. If you are interested in following my footsteps then details of the Welcombe Hills is part of the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust.

Time for Sunday Brunch
Categories blog

Lavender’s Blue

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

I think that Lavender has more of a purple colour with a touch of blue. Certainly the fields at Cotwolds Lavender were in full bloom. The day was overcast and there was a strong wind blowing. This being June the day was warm but there was a definite chill around. The farm had instigated social distancing so the shop was closed but the Lavender fields were open. We had a lovely time entering into the channels between the flowers to take in the smells and the intense purple colours. It was not that many people and there were plenty of opportunities to take pictures. One I was particularly pleased with was where I lay down in-between the lavender and used my Canon 70 to 200mm telephoto lens to catch the flowers. Noah my grandson had a lovely time running up and down the rows of lavender.

Cotswolds Lavender
Noah in the Lavender
Noah and Natasha
Beautiful Country side
Look closely and you can see the bees.

After the farm we then went onto the Broadway Tower. The air was clear and it was possible to see the Malvern hills and further afield. The shop next to the tower was good to visit and the social distancing that was in place ensured that we were were able to move around safely. Again it was not too busy and probably the wind swept day kept a few people away plus the fact that all the pubs were open as well for the first time since lockdown. An enjoyable day out and definitely a place to visit again.

Broadway Tower
Viewing the Folly
Hi there
Beautiful views
Something a bit different to end the day
Categories blog

St Paul’s Church

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

The Jewellery quarter is one of my inspirational places for photography. Affectionately known as the JQ, it contains so much history wrapped in its character. Old and new blend together with interesting details including churches, shops, doors, alleyways and jewellery shops. Arguably the centre piece is St Paul’s square with the beautiful Church in the centre. The spire is taller than the building making it difficult to frame for the photograph. However, there are a few areas where you can frame it correctly using the surrounding trees. I wandered around the square and then down Bennett’s Hill on a quiet Sunday morning. The only company were cyclists and joggers. A few people were sitting on the benches taking in the early sunshine. These are a few pictures taken around the square and down the hill.

There are a few places that are active on social media including the Soda Bread Cafe and up and coming photographer Rebecca who posts lovely photographs of the JQ skyline. It is sad to see the Jam House as I have many happy memories of nights out there. It will be a while before it opens again. The square holds many happy memories for me. It was here that one of my photographs first got featured as a BBC Midlands picture of the day. The Jam House, Andersons and St Paul’s House all have special family and work memories. So a quiet Sunday in June was spent not only taking photographs but reliving memories of a favourite Birmingham spot. Don’t let me have it all for myself why not visit it yourself but remember to take your camera with you.

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