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.
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.
AtomiumFun with shapes and reflectionsSunstar 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 closelySymmetry of the crystalLooking 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 .
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 LivingReflections 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 sealUp close with the float planesBarnacles on a ladderView from the front of the boatCaptain Spencer
This has been a week of rain and the days have been dull. Even though it is wet there are still great opportunities to go out and take photographs.. My early Wednesday walk from Snow Hill took in the canals that run underneath Snow Hill. The arches under Snow Hill are a favourite haunt of photographers and one can always find a good place for a picture. With the rain there had been condensation with rain collecting on the tow path near to the ornate gates which used to hold horses. Now the activity on the tow path is bikers commuting into work and runners making the best of the early mornings. I settled my camera down on the dirty floor at the edge of a puddle and started to take some pictures. It was difficult to control the bright light of the centre of the picture and the dark recesses of the tunnel. I could see on the first few shots that there was a perfect reflection that made the exit look like an eye onto the outside world. Just then a runner came past. It gave me an idea and by trial and error I set the camera at a shutter speed of 1/100 and f/6.3. I hiked the ISO up to 640. I set it for rapid shooting and then waited for the next runner. Soon enough one appeared and I took my pictures. I had to pick up the shadows from the RAW picture and also do a bit of dodging of the runner. The picture came out very well and was well received on social media.
The train station over the canal
After this I wandered over to St Paul’s square and took a few pictures of the Church and the tree lined paths that criss cross the square. The early commuters were oblivious to the camera and I took several pictures of the area. The black and white treatment suited the day, my ideas for the pictures and set off the charm of that particular area of Birmingham. Here are a selection of the ones that I took.
St Paul’s Church The paths around St Paul’s ChurchThe Jam house with 3 Snow Hill towering over itCommuting down Ludgate Hill to the City
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 colourI captured my grandson Noah with a candid shot. The lens is great for such closeup picturesThis 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 focusAnother 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
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 wellI have a few guitars to use yetThanks for coming along tonightPutting that song overTuning upThe light garden at the Hare and HoundsAndy, Steve Gunn and myself
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