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Englands Big Picture #2

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

I sent my picture of Chesterton Windmill into BBC England to see if it would be suitable for their theme ‘clearing the mind’. Each day, Englands Big Picture feature an interesting photograph shared with them from across England. The week that I sent my picture into the site, the BBC were celebrating the Get Creative Festival with a special gallery. I love this picture of the Windmill and I was very pleased to see it featured on the site. The link to the picture is a permanent one and it is also my second feature since running my photographic blog.

Get Creative Festival with England’s Big Picture. The them clearing the mind

Categories blog

Photographing Ragley Hall

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

We have never been to Ragley Hall in our time in the Midlands, so when my daughter Natasha suggested visiting on one of the open days then I was easily persuaded. We only signed up for the gardens as we had my grandson, Noah but it was still good fun. The grounds are expansive and there is a lake with forrest. The bluebells were past their sell by date and the path was not passable in places. However, the gardens were in immaculate condition and the Scott Garden with statues was beautifully laid out. We enjoyed the lunch in the cellars at the Hall and next time I must go and visit the state rooms. Hope you enjoy all the pictures that I took 🙂

  • just the two of us
  • a bird bath reflection
  • I can see for miles and miles
  • water fountains
  • family image
  • this is Noah
  • sun and shadows
  • the grass is nice
  • the Scott garden
  • looking up to the house
  • water feature
  • the end of the bluebells
  • lake reflections
  • more reflections
  • happy as Larry
  • son and daughter
  • in black and white
  • Ragley Hall
Categories blog

Knife Angel

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

Made out of 100,000 confiscated knives, this 24 foot statue is both emotive and chilling as a tribute to victims of knife crime. I wished to catch a picture of it at night and even at 9.30pm people were attracted to the statue to stop and look. It is mesmerising and the hands and eyes look right through you as you gaze upwards.

The Angel stands out from the buildings around it

The statue is on its way down from Liverpool to Trafalgar Square London. Here are my pictures taken with my Canon 5D with the trusty 24-105mm lens. A high ISO was necessary but it adds to the gritty nature of the subject. If you get the chance I strongly recommend seeing it.

Looking up at the Angel
The angel is in Victoria Square
People gather all the time to view it.
Categories blog

In Explore

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

When I started off submitting photographs to social media outlets, Flickr was my first choice. My first post on Flickr was on the 1st October 2005 and since then I have posted many times. There is still much exctitement when your picture gets selected to feature in “Explore”. The number of views increases and your likes go through the roof. The Flickr algorithm is a closely guarded secret and there is much speculation on how it works. I was therefore pleasantly surprised that one of my recent black and white photographs got featured. The picture is of Knowle Park in the village where I live. The picture has had in excess of 10 thousand views and over 200 likes. It is more satisfying due to the fact that it is several months since my last explore. So in celebration I have featured my first explore picture, my most popular explore and also the highest ranking one (which got to #1).

My first ever Flickr picture taken in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (2005)
My first Explore picture (2012) a macro of a saw blade
This picture was ranked #1 (October 2, 2014) and is of St Philip’s Cathedral

Here is the complete list of my explore photographs for you.

20190506_Knowle Park, 2. 20181118_Family Picture, 3. 20181103_Sun Yat-sen Memorial Nanjing, 4. 36-Close-up picture of a complete stranger, 5. 20180720_Mailbox at Night, 6. 17_Monochromatic Color, 7. 20180415-Noah 1st birthday party, 8. 201803128_St Paul’s Church,
11 Colour Wheel, 10. 20180224_On the Phone, 11. 20171212-Sunrise-Breakfast, 12. 20171122-Gas Street Blue, 13. 20171027-Chloe Arrives, 14. 41st Week – Its all in the Game, 15. 20171004-Moor to New St commute, 16. 20170908-Friday reflections,
20170804-End of the day, 18. 26th Week – Submerged., 19. 20170525_Manchester Town Hall, 20. 9th Week – Light Painting, 21. 7th Week – Love, 22. 2nd Week – New Year Resolution, 23. 29112916_Ignoring the sunrise, 24. Week forty six: Theme DIY,
20161110_Night on Campus, 26. Week Forty Three – Round Peg in a Square Hole, 27. Week 40 – Frame within a Frame, 28. 20160918_Green, 29. Week Thirty Five – hyperfocal, 30. 20160805_Bassenthwaite Lake, 31. 20160709_Rest and Play, 32. Week twenty three – Looney Leap,
20160528_Sun on the buildings, 34. Week Fourteen – Chiaroscuro, 35. 20160321_Ring of Sunshine, 36. 20160310_Spirit of Birmingham, 37. 20160302_Snow in Leeds, 38. 20160212_Sunny Canon Street, 39. 20160201_Demolition, 40. 20151230_Skeleton of a leaf_macro,
20151217_Tree and tram, 42. 20151203_Oxford Circus, 43. 20151124_Martineau Place is ready, 44. 20151024_DentalShowcase, 45. 20151008_Morning lights, 46. 20150929_Grand Central Zoom, 47. 20150917_Selfridges abstract reflections, 48. 20150828_Light and Shadows,
20150818_Sunset Peljesac peninsula Coatia, 50. 20150803_Commuting, 51. 20150724_The Bone Ranger, 52. 20150715_Entrance to Great Hall, 53. 20150703_A bike too far, 54. 20150502_Ducking in Baddersley Clinton, 55. 20150429_Sunset in Knowle, 56. 20150423_Red and Pink,
20150413_Blue Mosque Detail, 58. 20150310_Back Bay view, 59. 141004_365_Brueton Park, 60. 141002_365_Cathedral on Fire, 61. 141001_365_Grand Union tow path, 62. 140930_365_Misty Joe, 63. 140929_365_Reach for the sky, 64. 140928_365_Towpath,
2014wk39_Selective Colour, 66. 140927_365_”Is the car stuck?”, 67. 140926_365_Bee in the Garden, 68. 140925_365_Minories biking, 69. 140924_365_Graffiti SnowHill, 70. 140922_365_Iron Man meets the morning sun, 71. 140920_365_Red Pipes Red Bricks, 72. 140919_365_Joe and the trees
140917_365_Bench on Campus, 2. 140912_365_Mid morning, 3. 140911_365_BrumRise over Aston, 4. 140910_365_Dorridge Station, 5. 140908_365_Edgbaston Street, 6. 2014wk36_Smoke, 7. 140718_365_Outside looking in, 8. 140717_365_A long corridor,
140715_365_Degree Day, 10. 140715_365_Spire in the trees, 11. 140714_365_Sky over St Chad’s Cathedral, 12. 140713_365_Empress of Britain, 13. 140712_365_Back home, 14. 140710_365_Dublin reflection, 15. 140710_365_Dublin Another view, 16. 140710_365_Dublin evening,
140707_365_30Years, 18. 140702_365_One night in Dorridge, 19. 140701_365_Bench in the sunshine, 20. 2014wk19_Landscape, 21. 140507_365_Night in Birmngham, 22. 140427_365_Clearing, 23. 140424_365_Walking to Trinity, 24. 140419_365_Champegg Dog,
140223_365_Snowdrops, 26. 140222_365_The moon is caught, 27. 140221_365_St Paul’s and BT, 28. 1410218_365_Queensway Silhouettes, 29. 1410217_365_Going down the stairs, 30. 1410216_365_Cube loving people, 31. 1410215_365_Sunset, 32. 2014Wk07_Love,
131216_365_St Martins, 34. 131211_365_Church on High Street, 35. 131209_365_Start of a good day, 36. 131009_365_Autumn starts, 37. 131008_365_Tutorial Room, 38. 131006_365_Mountain Biking, 39. 131005_365_Morning Sun, 40. 1307030_365_Found a Friend,
130513_365_Walk to the light, 42. 130316_365_Farmers Market Seattle, 43. 130314_365_Road in shadows, 44. 130313_365_Railings, 45. 130104_365_Good Morning, 46. 130102_365_Waiting4food, 47. 130101_365_River Leam, 48. 238_365_SunStreet,
214_365_saw2
Categories blog

Chesterton Windmill revisited

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

The May Bank Holiday was not going to be like last year. The temperature was predicted to go down to around 2 degrees centigrade. I had in my mind that I wanted to photograph Chesterton Windmill on the Saturday evening. Was I mad? Looking at the weather forecast there was a good chance of a mix of sun and clouds. These were the ingredients for a possible sunset. Therefore I had an early supper and packed all the kit. I included hot drinks as well. Lots of clothing layers and also a pair of gloves. Goodness is this May!!!

You see the windmill from the road and already your excitement levels rise as it is very prominent and command lovely views. There are never that man people there in the evening so I parked the car and I could not wait to get the camera out and start taking pictures. My problem is that I get too excited about getting that picture. I looked to bracket some of my pictures for later HDR treatment and some of them came out very well.

Sunset using a graduated filter
A bracketed exposure and the clouds are a little blurry due to their movement between shots
I like this one and it has caught the grass giving a layering to the picture

At the windmill, I also looked for different pictures of the structure. This can be difficult for me as I tend to always see the larger details. However the golden light opened some interesting pictures.

A sail and part of the structure makes for a nice picture. The stone wheel adds interest.

This is framing the sunset with one of the sails pointing to the setting sun.
The stone work absorbs the warm colours of the sunset
An attempt to highlight the grass around the windmill.
Another bracketed shot of the sunset

Then after a couple of hours the sun has gone and there is just a warm glow over the area. The hot coffee back at the car was lovely and then it was back home to look at the pictures. I will also be back to take some more pictures in the future. Hopefully I will not leave it too long this time.

Categories blog

Nifty Fifty

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

The Nifty Fifty is said to be the lens that comes closest to capturing what the human eye sees.  When I got my first DSLR it had a crop sensor and I purchased a 50 mm Canon lens as it was so cheap.  Over the years I have used it as a portratit lens. It has given very good results especially when using it with a flash set up. A few months ago, I felt I needed a new challenge with my photography so I put the 50mm lens onto the Canon 5D and used it whenever I could.  It was a challenge taking the pictures and was similar with other prime lens which I have written about. Take a look at the picture Metropolis taken with my 40mm lens. When using a prime lens, you do have to think about the composition as you have no capacity to zoom in or out.  Therefore your feet have to do the moving.  I have provided a selection of photographs taken with the 50mm lens and as you see the results are pleasing.  There has been some post processing in a few of the photographs.  The result was that I did get a kick out of using just this lens.  It was not a case of loosing any pictures because I had the wrong lens but rather that I created new ones.

The 50mm lens brings out colour and shows the detail from the blossom.
Here I am using the 50mm lens to capture the architecture of the University of Birmingham Buildings. The sharpness comes through as well as the colour
I captured my grandson Noah with a candid shot. The lens is great for such closeup pictures
This mural by Annatomix is on the Warwick Bar part of the inner canal network. The prime lens has caught the detail and there is a nice use of the focus with the foreground adding to the framing around the picture.
Shooting the Custard Factory building through a hoie in a security fence. Shows how the nifty fifty can really focus
Another go at the focus through a fence and the subject is the Chimney at the Custard Factory.
Here is a landscape picture with the 50mm lens.  The mist adds atmosphere and the figure comes out to be very sharp.  I was surprised how the 50mm lens worked this so well.
Final one is another blossom picture with the mist added a nice backdrop to the picture
Categories blog

Bluebells in Austy Wood

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

The annual bluebell walk in Austy Wood is not taking place in 2019 “Due to ongoing forestry operations and other contributing factors……” This is disappointing as it is a glorious sight with a lovely carpet of bluebells. However there is a public footpath that just takes you into the top part of the forrest. I got up early and set off for the Wood. Although it was cold, there was the prospect of a lovely sunrise and warm conditions to follow. The walk takes you over the Stratford-upon-Avon canal and then up a narrow lane to the wood. It was still and quiet and I was the only one around. I saw deer and two large hares bounded past me at speed. I was not camera ready at the time.

Lensball in the woods

I took several pictures and then I reached the top of the wood and there were the bluebells in all their glory. I spent a good hour there taking pictures. I used a mixture of my lens including my wide angled and telephoto zoom lens. One of my iPhone pictures made The BBC weather and I also got the chance to use my Lensball for a quick picture of it resting on a tree trunk with the bluebells in the background.

Bluebells are such a photogenic subject
Forestry work taking place in the Wood
It was a lovely morning to walk up to the woods
Intense blues in the wood.
The trees provide a nice backdrop
Path in the sun
Used a graduated ND filter to bring up the forest floor.
A simple iPhone picture makes The BBC local news website.
Categories blog

@birminghamweare

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

This is a great community who are active in many different parts of Birmingham life. It is about celebrating inspired people and the success of different communities in the Birmingham area. One are of celebration is in photography. The good people of Birmingham have featured 10 of my best photographs as portrayed on their web site

It is interesting to me what other people like with my photographs. All the pictures taken were featured on Twitter @birminghamweare and received numerous likes.

Categories blog

Down by the Canal

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

The canal through Knowle is one of my favourite places to visit. If it looks as if the light will be good then I look for the opportunity to visit. There are always boats on the canal and the sun sets nicely on the top of Knowle locks. There are some water reeds at the top lock and for a few minutes as the sun sets, the light catches them nicely. I used my Canon 100-400mm lens to save me having to cross over the lock with all my camera equipment. Once that picture was done then I settled back to catch the sunset over the water. I always enjoy the picture taking here and also used my Big Stopper to see if that would give a nice effect.

Ripples, reflections, long boat and the tow path
Locking towards the bridge and Knowle Locks
Peaceful evening
Long exposure of the sunset
Sunset over Knowle Locks
Categories blog

Steve Gunn

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

Taking concert pictures is not easy for me as I am not as young as I used to be and do not like being squashed at the front of the concert. The chance to take some close up pictures came when I went to see Steve Gunn, a guitarist and songwriter, who is prolific songwriter. Steve’s style is influenced by blues, folk and rock and he is a pretty good guitarist as well.

The first song is done

The Hare and Hounds in Kings Heath, Birmingham is an intimate venue and there is the ability to move through the audience and get very close to the artist. I had my Sony RX100v5 camera on manual settings with a shutter speed of 1/200, aperture f/2.8 and ISO 2000. Getting close and taking the pictures meant that the lighting was a little easier to control. I expect I could have changed the settings a bit more but I am generally pleased with the results. Also we got a selfie with the man himself after the concert.

Lets get to the microphone

The concert had some great music. He was good to listen to and he is an excellent guitarist. The small venue meant that the sound was good and the different parts of the band came together well\\. The guys sorting out the sound were not so happy but it was a good night all round.

The band is working well
I have a few guitars to use yet
Thanks for coming along tonight
Putting that song over
Tuning up
The light garden at the Hare and Hounds
Andy, Steve Gunn and myself
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