Birmingham Light Festival is back for its second year, brightening up Valentine’s weekend. The nights are still dark; the weather has been wet for so long that a burst of colour and light is exactly what is required to lift the mood before spring finally arrives.
I signed up for a photo walk organised by IgersbirminghamUK as part of the Birmingham Light festival. Our mission was to cover as many installations as possible on foot. Birmingham is a big city, but the artworks are placed at key spots, each linked by a brisk 5 to 10 minute walk.
Firefly Field
We met at St Paul’s Church, where the lawn shimmered with tiny moving lights. Up close, they revealed themselves as hundreds of glowing points gently “dancing” in the dark. This ‘Firefly Field’ looked magical to the eye, but photographing the movement was a challenge. A tripod and long exposure did the trick, turning the flickers into sweeping trails of light.
Ideas Happen Here
Our next stop was Newhall Square hear to the canal. Here, a giant glowing lightbulb sat beside a reflection pool. The artwork was bold, playful, and perfect for photography. The reflections doubled the impact, offering endless composition options. I had seen this at last year’s Birmingham Light Festival, but it still felt fresh when viewed for a second time.
Victoria Square
Victoria Square was packed with activity. In nearby Chamberlain Square, a giant Valentine’s heart glowed for the selfie crowd. Meanwhile, Birmingham Town Hall was watched over by huge, illuminated eyes. These were quirky and slightly surreal surrounded by the columns which were lit in shifting colours.
In the square, a silly statues x silent disco was in full swing. Dozens of people danced freely in total silence, headphones glowing. Light projections covered the Council House, inflatable figures waved overhead, and the whole scene felt wonderfully absurd. Even the Floozie in the Jacuzzi looked extra glamorous for the Birmingham Light Festival.
The Heartbeat of Brindleyplace
After more walking, we reached Oozells Square, where glowing green boxes pulsed gently with real human heartbeats from across the city. Each box represented a person going about their day creating a strangely intimate and surprisingly moving concept. Capturing their reflections in nearby restaurant windows added another layer of storytelling.
Our Beating Heart
The walk between the artworks became part of the experience as we headed off towards the Mailbox. There were canal reflections, glowing restaurant lights, and even a rogue flamingo hat floating in the water. At the Mailbox, we found a giant illuminated heart installation. I preferred the Heart’s past location at Snow Hill where there is more space, but it still made an eye-catching stop for photography.
Roof of Stars
On Thorp Street outside Birmingham Hippodrome’s stage door, strings of star-like lights stretched overhead They are beautiful to see, but tricky to photograph. Thankfully, some shiny parked cars nearby provided perfect reflective surfaces.
Reunion
Back to our walk and the 1,000 trades square had arches of light symbolising connection between people. The colourful arches outside New Street station symbolised reunions and framed the streams of passing travellers. This was a dream place for street photography with light, movement, and real human moments all in one place.
My Heart Belongs in Birmingham
By now, my legs were protesting, but there was time for one final stop. Tucked into a tree near the Shakespeare pub were glowing hearts withthe “Instagram-ready” slogan, “My heart belongs in Birmingham. We joined the long line of photographers capturing the same shot but it was worth it.
Huge thanks to Nadia, Kasim, and Jack from IgersbirminghamUK for leading such an energetic tour of the Birmingham Light Festival. Covering that much ground and that many installations in one evening was seriously impressive.
FORGED
I returned the following night to catch a fiery animatronic installation featuring pounding industrial music (Insurgent), flame effects, and dramatic mechanical movement. It perfectly captured Birmingham’s industrial heritage brash and noisy, it was spectacular and impossible to ignore.This year’s festival clearly built on the success of the first. If this is the direction that the Birmingham Light Festival is heading, then it will be a highlight of Birmingham’s winter calendar for years to come.
You may wish to compare this year’s description of the Birmingham Light Festival with the one that took place in 2025 and here is my blog of the event.
Every year, the Birmingham Christmas markets take over the city centre. Visitors come to enjoy festive food, warming drinks, and the lively atmosphere created by the stalls. While prices can be high, knowing what to expect makes the experience enjoyable, although deep pockets do help.
The Cathedral Market is my preferred part of the Birmingham Christmas markets. It is better organised than along New Street and uses the footpaths around St Philip’s Cathedral, which makes it easier to walk around. The food stalls here are linked to the Colmore Row business district, giving this area a calmer and more relaxed feel. This year, Asha’s has a stall in the square, and the food is excellent. Another popular stop is the pop-up pub Pigeon in the Park, which is always busy and adds to the festive spirit.
As the nights grow darker, the Christmas lights across the city shine even brighter. They look especially impressive around Victoria Square and Chamberlain Square, where the decorations draw large crowds.
Over in Centenary Square, the big wheel dominates the skyline. Nearby, the Magic Mouse rollercoaster is entertaining to watch, although riding it may not be for everyone. The illuminate ride makes a great subject for photographs. The ice-skating rink is also packed most evenings, proving how popular these winter attractions are.
Every year, I take time to wander around the Birmingham Christmas markets and the city itself, and I never tire of it. Although I often hear critical comments about Christmas in Birmingham, the crowds tell a different story. People clearly enjoy the atmosphere and the chance to celebrate the season together.
Below are a few photos of the markets and decorations. They are very different from the lights of London and show that Birmingham does Christmas in its own distinctive way.
More Christmas links with London. There is also a blog describing the Birmingham market in 2023.
There is one certainty in Birmingham: Digbeth always changes. For anyone interested in Digbeth photography, this makes the area endlessly fascinating. New buildings appear, artwork evolves, and the streets never look the same from one visit to the next.
One of the most noticeable recent developments is the new block of flats being built opposite the Custard Factory. The building stands on the former site of the old Peugeot Garage and Irish Centre. From a photography point of view, this construction is already changing sightlines and creating new contrasts between old and new Digbeth. We wait and see if these contrasts are really beneficial to the area.
As more people live closer to the city centre, Digbeth continues to evolve into a place where work, culture, and residential life sit side by side.
For Digbeth photography, the street art is a major draw. New shops and restaurants continue to open, while the artwork on the walls constantly changes. Because there are only a limited number of spaces, older murals are often painted over to make way for new designs. Some murals stay the same.
Fresh graffiti now sits alongside long-standing pieces. In some areas, heavy tagging covers earlier murals in a more random style. Even so, bold colours and striking shapes continue to dominate, making Digbeth a living canvas for urban photography.
This post is a roundup of some of the new scenes and artwork I’ve photographed recently. Wherever possible, I’ve credited the artists. If any credits are missing, please leave a comment and I’ll update the post.
I’ll be back in the new year to focus once again on Digbeth photography during the blue hour, which is one of my favourite times to capture the light and shadows in this changing part of Birmingham. One thing remains true — Digbeth always changes.
As readers will know, I regularly post oil and water pictures on my blog. I have completed a couple of sessions and now have a new set of pictures to share. The differences in these photos lie in the various backgrounds I have used. These backgrounds come from several sources, including magazines, children’s books, and abstract colour pictures that I have created in Photoshop.
I am also improving how I use the light source and am working to prevent the reflections that occasionally compromised the quality of previous photos. LED lights were used in some of the pictures. Although they mostly overpowered the images of the oil drops, though there was the occasional success. Switching to another brand of oil may have helped but, again I am unsure whether this is truly critical to the success of the pictures.
I use a spirit level app on my iPhone placed on the top to ensure the lens is at 90 degrees to the surface of the water. A large open aperture ensures that the maximum light is hitting the sensor. However, at f/2.8 your depth of field becomes narrow so focussing and positioning of the lens is critical to a sharp picture. Good technique helps reduce ISO noise and allows more information to be retained in the image which again will undergo cropping to get the desired photograph.
I hope you enjoy the current crop of pictures (pardon the pun).
Here are a few more oil and water pictures to enjoy.
This year, the Real Confetti Company offered evening viewings of the Confetti Fields for the first time, and I signed up immediately. There is always a short window when the Confetti Fields at Wick, near Pershore, open to the public. The weather and the timing of the delphinium blooms have a significant influence on this.
Although the dates did not suit the family calendar during the day, the evening timing worked for me. On a warm June evening, I arrived at the fields two hours before sunset.
As always, the vibrant colours of the flowers, neatly arranged in colour zones, were quite magical. The evening opening meant the field was less busy, allowing time to take pictures without the usual distractions of people walking through the lanes and avenues. When I arrived, the light was excellent and really brought out the colours. I met up with fellow photographer Dave Wells, and we were able to compare notes as we took our pictures.
Unfortunately, a sunset never materialised. The sun disappeared behind clouds on the horizon, and rain arrived just as we were leaving. However, this did not dampen my enthusiasm for photographing the flowers. Enjoy the pictures—and I have provided links to previous visits to the Confetti Fields in 2023, 2020, 2019, and 2018.
Halifax, Nova Scotia is a city alive with creativity. During my visit for an ultrasonics symposium, I discovered just how vibrant and artistic the city is especially when it comes to street art. Between conference sessions, I made time to explore. Dr Andrew Mathieson is on the board of UIA and also lives in Dartmouth. Andrew kindly shared recommendations of the city with the conference delegates. When I mentioned my love for street art, he immediately suggested I visit Quinpool Road. This is a student-friendly area just behind the Halifax Citadel.
On the last day of the conference, the sessions wrapped up early, giving me a free afternoon. The sun was shining as I set off on foot, making my way through the lively Dalhousie University campus. Students filled the walkways and the place was buzzing with energy.
Arriving at the head of Quinpool Road, I was disappointed. There were one or two artistic pieces here and there, but not the mural-rich environment I had been told about. I passed by Dilly Dally Coffee Shop, still searching. Behind the cafe at the intersection of Quinpool and Vernon, I found beautifully crafted lettering by mural artist Kristen De Palma (@kdpletters | kdpletters.com). Her work stands out in an otherwise hidden spot.
I was still looking for more murals and asked a local resident for guidance. They gave me a valuable tip: “Look around — check the alleyways and look behind buildings.”
The first large mural I encountered was on the Recreation Nova Scotia building. This was a striking blue mural of local fishing boats by Dom Laporte. From that moment on I began to notice murals everywhere.
Across the street stood the old cinema building which is now home to a climbing gym and a brewery. On the wall there was a quote from The Wizard of Oz, commemorating one of the final films screened there in 2017. This nostalgic piece was painted by @alexjfowkes.
One of my personal favourites was tucked away in a car park just off the main road. Titled Cattails and Pansies, the mural by Montreal-based artist Bosny (@bosny.jpg) pulled me into its intricate details. His artistic approach invites viewers to slow down and look more closely at the style of the artwork.
As I walked towards the more residential end of Quinpool Road, I came across a dominant mural on the wall of Pro Skates across from Oddfellows Barbershop. Created by Jeks One (@jeks_nc) the mural honours the late John Dunsworth, best known for playing Jim Lahey on the cult Canadian series Trailer Park Boys, which is set in the fictional Sunnyvale Trailer Park in nearby Dartmouth. Although I am not familiar with the show, I appreciated the care and character captured in this tribute.
On the return walk, I found more murals, including a wonderfully detailed wall painting outside Busan Korean BBQ. Created by local artist Dan Burt, it is a vibrant homage to Quinpool Road’s history. The artwork is full of local references, stories, and even a bus seemingly rising from the pavement.
Other pieces had no listed artist but were just as memorable. Even the electrical power boxes had been transformed and were painted with bright, creative designs.
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Other examples of street art along Quinpool Road.
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Quinpool Road is a lively area with restaurants and shops. The people who live and work there seem to accept that their everyday lives are part of the artwork, making it an ideal place for street photography. This student road is just one example of street murals in Halifax .
More examples of street art around Halifax – seen outside Pier 22, where the cruise ships arrive.
Halifax harbour waterfront.
Street Murals on Burlington Street walking Northwards
From large-scale murals to hidden gems, Halifax is a city full of colour, character, and creativity. If you are an enthusiast for street art and love to photograph such murals then Halifax offers many opportunities. Quinpool Road stands out but there are many other places where colourful art greets you. I did enjoy walking along the streets of Halifax looking out for examples of murals on buildings.
Much of the background information I gathered came from the Discover Halifax website which is an excellent resource for anyone keen to explore the city’s artistic side. I have not been able to list all the artists and for this I apologise. Please let me know and I will add your name to the list.
Further blog reading
I do enjoy taking pictures of street art along with the street photography that goes along with it. Two of my blogs will lead you into more UK based street art. Please feel free to browse through the articles.
I am always on the lookout for new street art in Digbeth and on social media I learnt that there was new artwork by Fokawolf under one of the railway arches. Another popular street artist, Gent48 frequently puts out vibrant murals and his new artwork was mentioned in recent instagram posts. My third reason for a visit was to take a look at the Colour Palette of Digbeth by Stacey Barnfield. This made it the perfect time for one of my regular visits to Digbeth, giving me the chance to refine my street photography techniques. I have experimented with different ways of capturing people, and a recent visit to London had proved quite successful. Now it was time to see whether the streets of Digbeth would be just as receptive.
The railway arches are a defining feature of Digbeth and often make a strong impression in photographing the area. I took the opportunity to capture the stories that unfolded beneath them. My Fujifilm X100VI was set up with back-button focusing, and as the sun was shining, I attached my Urth polarising filter to cut down on glare. The resulting images tell distinct stories, and I was pleased with how they turned out.
When searching for street photography opportunities, the combination of artwork and typography is incredibly helpful. Timing is everything. I try to blend into the background. Focusing away from the subject while drawing them into the story is often a delicate balancing act.
Eventually, I found the Fokawolf piece—a large printout of the Chuckle Brothers pasted under the arches on Heath Mill Lane. Although I took many shots of people passing by the artwork, I was not satisfied with the initial results. Then I noticed someone approaching down the road. I waited in position. This is a useful technique: appearing to photograph the artwork and then capturing the subject as they enter the frame. I pretend I am still waiting for the right moment, even though I have already taken the shot. This approach only works in certain situations, but when it does, it can be very effective.
I also took some close-ups and other images of the surrounding streets. Digbeth naturally lends itself to photography. The colours of the street art are vibrant, and the architectural features add depth and texture. Messages on the walls and passing people add narrative and character to the photographs.
Enjoy my latest venture into Digbeth, and there are more adventures and photography in Digbeth in my blog.
I love linking pictures to songs from my youth, and Talking Heads were a big influence on my musical tastes after seeing them back in 1978 at the then Manchester Polytechnic. Even more surprising was that the support band was Dire Straits—but I digress. The title of the song “(Nothing but) Flowers” ties in nicely with the following set of photographs.
I am not the best gardener, but I do enjoy taking pictures of flowers—both cultivated and wild varieties. With the fine weather, spring has arrived and many of the flowers in my garden are in full bloom. I was keen to take pictures of them but with a slight twist in composition. With photography, setting yourself a mini project is fun. My aim with this set of pictures was to complete a macro series looking closely at the flowers in my garden.
I have a 100mm Canon macro lens set up with a ring flash, and it works well on my Canon 5D Mk IV. I was taught by the best how to use ring flash photography for my dentistry work, and this Canon macro setup has served me well over the years. My settings for this series were aperture f/22, shutter speed 1/100 sec, and ISO 100. Flash power varied between 1/1 and ¼ depending on the available light. I prefer the manual flash setting for this work as I am able to control the amount of light on the subject.
Composition: I aimed to photograph the flowers in my garden from an above point of view. By firing the flash directly at the flower, I would illuminate the centre, with the light falling off around the edges to create a black vignette. The pictures are full of contrast, and the colours are vivid. I like the effect, and I used the circular design of the flowers to fill the square crop.
I enjoyed this experimental approach to using the ring flash in this way and appreciated the sharpness and contrast in the images. Maybe next time, I will look out for some small insects to interact with the flowers. Nature certainly knows how to put on a good show—with beautiful symmetry and geometric design.
These pictures were of my flowers taken in my back garden. I also mentioned that I enjoyed pictures of wildflower landscapes. Please visit my link below to see a beautiful poppy field in Kinver, Staffordshire.
The year may have started with plenty of rain, but that never stops me from hunting for reflections. I have a few favourite spots where I find good puddles, and here is a selection from the start of 2025.
Someone recently asked about my technique for taking such pictures. When capturing reflections, I use my iPhone, seeking out patches of water and anticipating how a reflection may appear. A key step is to get as low as possible to the puddle. This can be challenging, especially with particularly muddy puddles, like the one on Normandy Hill. One wrong step, and you could end up a muddy mess if you stumble into the water.
I position my phone so that the back lens is as close to the water as possible, just before autofocus engages. This creates a blurred background effect as the phone focuses on the nearest object. Since you are often crouching in muddy water while holding your phone, you must anticipate the outcome of your shot rather than seeing it perfectly in the moment. Using a larger camera—even a compact one—would be difficult in such conditions. Of course, larger cameras work well when photographing a lake beneath a mountain range, safely away from the water’s edge. However, the beauty of using a phone is its ability to capture reflections effortlessly during everyday walks. There are two pictures, in this gallery that have been taken with my Fujifilm x100v and I am still able to capture the magic of reflections.
Having taken reflection photographs countless times, I now appreciate that the real skill lies in composition. It is about anticipating the possibilities that even a small puddle can offer.
The final picture of Reflections at Selfridges was featured in the 52Frames project. I was really pleased that it was selected and I received many positive comments. I would recommend readers to get involved with the project.
Enjoy this small selection of my reflective photography—I am sure there will be more throughout the year, so check back for updates!
Here are two more links to follow if this section on reflections has “wetted” your appetite.