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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.

Categories blog

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

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