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That was then, this is now

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

I planned to go into Birmingham on Sunday as it is quiet and often there is the chance of getting some interesting pictures. As I planned for the trip into the city, I thought what if I matched up some new pictures with old ones from my Flickr collection. Going into Birmingham is not pleasant as there are many homeless people around who are desperate following on from the Coronavirus. I did not take any pictures as they were aggressively asking for money. Therefore I was very careful getting my camera out to take the pictures. I took most of the pictures around changes caused by the tram network. I did take a few pictures of the new library but for some unknown reason, they were corrupted and I will have to do return and take a new set of photographs on another day. Once again as a photographer during lockdown it is wise to remember the strict security around buildings. When I went up the ramp to take the picture downwards, I was immediately spotted by security guards and asked what I was doing. I did feel bad as I am putting the guards under unnecessary pressure by checking on me. However the empty picture of the ramp was perfect. The pictures of the trams are shown in the gallery below.

In front of the Town Hall
On Pinfold Street
Taken on the ramp
Weaman Street

The past Birmingham views were chosen where I had some old photographs taken roughly in the same spot. These are lined up below. I realised that it was not until 2011 onwards that I really started to take pictures on the streets of Birmingham. In retrospect I should have done more but hindsight is a wonderful thing 🙂

Taken on January 11, 2012
Taken on July 1, 2019
Taken on February 9, 2012
Taken on November 7, 2013

I made the images the same size and then used layers in Photoshop to align the pictures and with a mixture of altering the opacity, rotation and altering the colours, I came up with 4 composite images.

I have had some nice feedback from them on social media and I will go back to do some more in a few weeks time. I wished I had done more old pictures but my photographic interests have certainly changed over the years.

Categories blog

Black and white at the Mill

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

Visiting Chesterton Windmill has been good for my spirits since the tough lockdown measures were lifted. As we visited the Windmill on a cold June Saturday morning, I wanted to do something a little different. This must go through the mind of all photographers as come back to places they have photographed on numerous occasions. So armed with both my 24-105 mm and 70-200mm telephoto lens I went to work. Interestingly both these are my goto lenses as well. So I add more photographs to a structure that has already been photographed many times.

Categories blog

Poppy Fields

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

For the last few years I have viewed pictures of poppy fields with a mixture of fascination and some jealousy.  I always wished that I could take some pictures of these lovely wild flowers.  Many of these fields seem to be around the Worcester and Hereford area of the West Midlands.  It would mean a long travel and a very early start or a late return.  I should be more dedicated!  Browsing Instagram, I saw a friend and colleague post pictures from a poppy field in Sutton Coldfield.  So we arranged to meet one evening and as the weather is so perfect this month, it turned out to be a most beautiful evening as well.  

A road of poppies
Picture taken by Dr Anthony Cox

Anthony and I met up at Minworth near Sutton Coldfield.  The field was beautiful.  The poppies had created a carpet of red over the whole field.  Several people has gathered in the field including photographers.  We stayed around till 9pm as the light started to fade.  It was exciting to see the colours and the light playing on the poppies and their stalks.  I was tired and getting the post out was not until the following morning.  I got some very nice feedback from the pictures and the whole project was very satisfying.  So I have ticked off a major photographic project on my bucket list.  The poppies have been photographed!!!!

Setting sun
Poppies lit up by the sun
Leaning towards the sun
A drone view of the poppies
Almost gone
Two photographers Damien and Anthony

Checkout Items in my shop

Categories blog

Venturing into Birmingham

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

Having done Digbeth, I felt brave enough to go into Birmingham again and look around both Gas Street Basin and Centenary Square.  My first difficulty was parking as car parks and on street spaces were either shut or there were traffic cones preventing you from parking.  I found a place and wandered down into gas street.  What I noticed was how many runners there were out and about plus cyclists using the tow path.  It is wide enough to do social distancing and it was being patrolled by two police officers as well.  

Some parts are locked up
The basin is still colourful
Many runners around

After Gas Street I went to Centenary Square and I had brought along my lensball as I thought it might give me some different and creative photography.  Sometimes the lensball is frustrating as it just does not add anything more to the picture.  In this situation, the shallow pool of water allowed you to place the crystal at the water’s edge and then lie low to line up a picture.  I was pleased with the result and it was well received on the social media.  I also noticed that whilst Broad Street is undergoing changes for the metro tram, there are social distancing notices all over the pavement.  The virus is still around and although walking around the streets of Birmingham has a normality about it, you do realise that we are sill in a state of crisis.

Work on the tram makes for lockdown pictures of the Library
The lensball likes being reflected
When will the Rep open for performances?
Centenary Square is quiet
Evidence of neglect on Broad Street
Changes and more Changes on Broad Street
It is a difference world
Social distancing on Broad Street
Categories blog

Lockdown in Digbeth

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

Venturing into Digbeth proved to be very interesting.  I had a project to do on street art and therefore I wanted to get pictures around Digbeth.  Sunday morning seemed to be a good time to venture forth now that government rules had enabled you to venture further afield for your exercise.  I was apprehensive when I got to Digbeth as it was very quiet and Floodgate street which is normally full of cars was disserted.  

Not a car to be seen in Floodgate Street
The odd person is around
We are looking out for you!
These notices are all around

After taking pictures I then drove around to Lower Trinity Street and strolled into the centre of the custard factory.  Again, it was very quiet with a few people taking exercise.  There were two people taking pictures of their high-performance car in the street.  There was no one around to stop them.  I took my pictures and then went back to the safety of my home.  Every day for the last few months has been a surreal and different experience.  I do not think I will see Digbeth so quiet again.

NHS heroes
Empty Coffee Bars
A few early walkers
No entry
Empty and quiet except for a few reflections
We are watching you – Street Art by Justin Sola
Categories blog

Opening Up

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

Knowle is opening up and the notices on the shops are changing to ones of positivity.  “We are opening up” is the general message.  Three of the restaurants had resorted to boarding up their windows so it is nice to see them taken down and messages of how they are resuming their services.  Several of the shops look very empty and places such as the opticians and the hairdressers are missing the human interaction.  They will be difficult to manage for social distancing purposes but I know they will find a way around it. I have taken several photographs which provide hope and are looking to the future. Very different from my earlier posts at the start of the lockdown.

Examples of the opening up with notice in shop windows and social distancing notices in the street. The butchers have been very active during lockdown and have been doing home deliveries. You can see all their boxes. The village is waking up once again.
Categories blog Uncategorised

Bike Riding in May

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

Ever since the Government eased the strict lockdown then I cleaned up my bike and started to go out on bike rides.  I throw my Canon 5D camera into a bag with both the EF24-70mm f/2.8L II USM and EF70-200mm f/4L IS USM.  Both lenses are excellent in covering most situations where I want to take pictures.  With the bright sunlight, I do use my polaroid lens fileter on the 24-70mm lens.  

Bluebells at Hay Wood

My first ride was to Hay Wood and then followed that up with going to Lapworth and the picturesque Kingswood junction. It did take some time to rest my stiff muscles before I was able to get going again.  After the short rest, I started to become more adventurous and went down to Lowsenford and back through Lapworth.  Following this,  I pushed myself further by going to Tanworth in Arden via Earlswood lakes.  This ride was challenging as it was a very windy day and there was a definite disadvantage as you cycled into the wind.  My next adventure was to Meriden and the centre of England.  The miles were being stacked up and I felt confident of my next ride to Kenilworth which was 24 miles there and back.  It was great to see the castle at Kenilworth even though one could only peer over the walls. 

The lockmaster’s cottage owned by the Landmark Trust at Lowsenford.

Doing these bike rides makes me realise how beautiful the Warwickshire countryside is and I hope you agree when you see this set of pictures.

Meriden Duck Pond
Brook Meadow in Darley Green near Dorridge
Field of Barley, near Temple Balsall
Kenilworth Castle
Categories blog

Oil and water

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

In the present lockdown situation, there has been the opportunity to take up different photographic projects that due to a busy lifestyle you would not normally have the time to complete.  My photography revolves around my job which is travelling to conferences, my daily commute into Birmingham and the growing family.  I have tried my hand at other forms of photography but not really had the time to look at it in detail.  I belong to a photographic group which is part of the BritshTechNetwork and the convenor Ewen Rankin, a professional photographer has been setting us photographic tasks (https://www.britishtechnetwork.com/category/photo).  These have been included water droplets and colourful reflections on the top of bubbles. 

The one that I found fascinating was oil on water.  I have revisited the technique a couple of times and I was very pleased that one of my pictures was selected in the Top 4 of a recent #ShareMondays2020 competition on Twitter.  I therefore decided to write up how I obtained the colourful picture and show you how straightforward the technique can be.  If done well it does produce very striking colourful abstract photographs.

Equipment

The set-up is fairly simple.  You need a sturdy tripod with a horizontal arm that can help position the camera over the water.  A good deep bowl is needed, here a glass Pyrex water jug is used.  I have a small raised table that I use for my laptop work.  The jug is placed on a colourful background on the table.  In this case I have used a well-known children’s book and there is a patchwork of different colours that will provide an interesting background.  A strong light source is needed and I have placed this to lean into the jug.  Please be careful as there is a mix of electrical wires and water so do take the necessary precautions.  The continuous light was provided by a Rotolight NEO2 set at an angle.  My work table has some grooves which allowed the light to be stabilised at the base.

What is needed – Tripod, washing up liquid, Camera with macro lens, NEO2, Olive Oil, Colour background, teaspoon and water jug and small table to place jug on.
Positioning the light against the jug of water placed on the background

Technique

A small amount of Olive oil is placed in a teaspoon and dropped onto the surface of the water.  It is often difficult to make out the oil on the water so it is with careful trial and error that the macro lens is positioned to focus on the water surface and the oil.  The teaspoon is also used to gently stir the water although later we agitate the surface more vigorously.  

Camera settings

The camera used was a Canon D5 with a 100mm macro lens.  The focus was set at f/2 which throws the background out of focus.  I used a fast shutter speed (s/250) as the oil droplets will circulate quickly as it gets stirred up more and more.  Using live view assists with the focussing.  I upped the ISO to 800 so that I got a clear image on the back of the camera. I adjusted the set up so that I could bring a chair up close in order to sit comfortably and just concentrate on the photography.  Manual focus was used throughout to ensure sharp pictures. 

Advanced technique

After the oil is photographed then the next steps include adding washing up liquid to the water.  This changes the surface tension of the water and introduces more shapes.  It also creates more bubbles which can once again be guided by the teaspoon.  Changing the firing mode to continuous shooting allows you to capture different combinations as the water moves around following stirring/agitation.  Also remember to move, position or change the background to get different colour effects.

Processing 

The pictures are uploaded into Lightroom for processing and you are free to follow your normal preferred settings.  There may be a need for creative cropping to get the best abstract picture.  I like looking at the shapes and the symmetry or just letting my artistic decisions rule my cropping.  Two tips for oil and water pictures.  Increase your saturation levels to a much higher setting than normal.  The water absorbs the light and your pictures will initially look dull.  Increasing the saturation compensates for this and gives pleasing results.  I also move the picture into Photoshop where I apply an unsharp mask and adjust the levels to give the best exposure.  

The saturation is increased to around 40 in Lightroom

Summary

This technique is straightforward and produces some stunning abstract photography that you will be proud to display on your monitor or on your wall.  It is easy to set up and is a useful introduction into macro photography.  Have fun and enjoy taking the photographs.

Categories blog

Up close in Knowle

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

I like taking pictures as you gather and I needed some inspiration to make the daily exercise more interesting. When the Visit Knowle site published a close up of one of the buildings in Knowle then I knew this was an avenue I could explore. So we have a series of images below all taken in the village of Knowle near Solihull. I hope you like them and you might even want to guess what some of them are if they are not that obvious. The lesson learnt from photography is always try and look at everyday objects with a different eye. You will be surprised what you get to see. There are examples of textures, materials, architecture and decay. All give a different but also uplifting views of my home village. The pictures are here to provide some of the character old and new of the village. I also found a reflection picture of the local church which was pleasing.

Categories blog

Stars in the Sky

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

There are many photography projects to do during the Lockdown and Star Trails is one that I fancied doing. I have an App on my phone called Star Walk and it shows the sky at night. There are many stars out there but with light pollution is not possible to get particularly good images. I have always liked seeing the stars and wondered if there was a simple project to get started in this area. Star trails looked just what I needed. Using a long exposure technique it is possible to record the moving stars. I read my Digital Photographer magazine and also looked over several articles on the web. I discovered that my Canon 5D had an auto setting that would continuously take pictures. So I set up the camera on a tripod and using the Star Walk App located Polaris the North Star. I took my wide angle lens Canon EF 16-33 mm and used the largest aperture of f/4. The focus was set at infinity. The camera was pointed directly towards Polaris and the neighbour’s house and my Magnolia tree were used to frame the picture. The exposure was set at 30 seconds. Also the auto was set to take a picture every 30 seconds. There were a few false starts and then once I was happy, I let the camera run on automatically. Then 167 pictures later it was time to go to sleep so I processed all the pictures in the morning in a program called StarstaX which blends them together. I learnt a new synchronisation technique in Lightroom as well. The final picture was very impressive although there is still a lot of light pollution around as the trails should be more intense. The picture got a lot of interest on Social media and I was pleased with the final result. I will have to go out again and do some more picture taken of the stars!

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