There is a tunnel in Utrecht that leads from the Ganzenmarkt to the Oudegracht wharves. I discovered the tunnel by chance after a late night in the town as part of the conference dinner. Walking back to my hotel, I passed by the restaurants and the bars. My eye caught a flashing light and I looked over the railing and saw colourful lights radiating out of a tunnel close to the canal. I walked down and found this colourful psychedelic tunnel. The lighting of the tunnel kept changing and there were three people dancing in what looked like a trance. They were oblivious to my presence and so I took some pictures and then headed home.
Blue house Music.The colours are a-changing.
The next morning I retraced my steps to the tunnel. The location is a photographer’s dream site for pictures especially as the colourful lights are constantly changing on a regular cycle. The street art is colourful and the illumination provides a changing backdrop. I asked a colleague to return with me so that I could place him at the entrance then use his silhouette to provide a focus to the pictures. Enjoy the result. Sorry if it is somewhat self-indulgent but it was such a great place to photograph.
Figure at the end of a green tunnel.Lost in colour.Street Art in the tunnel.Artistic detail.Get down low.
I had the opportunity to take pictures during a recent visit to the streets and canals of Utrecht
Utrecht in the Netherlands was the base for the Ultrasonics Industry Association conference. My research group were presenting at the international conference and I was there to support their activities. We stayed in the Karel V hotel which has a picturesque view of the adjacent canal. There were many opportunities in the early morning or during conference breaks to explore the streets and canals. This Dutch city is very photogenic and I had brought along my Fujifilm x100v to accompany my iPhone13 for the photographs. For the readers of this blog, I will just show a selection of the many pictures that I took during my short stay. At the end of the blog, I have provided some links to Utrecht which provide ideas for your travel to this ever-surprising city.
Early morning in Utrecht.Another early morning view.Canal reflections.A nod to Greek architecture.Flowers, bikes and the canals.Canal scene in black and white.WindmillReal and unreal.Reflections.StreetlifeThe train station.More canal scenes in UtrechtThe Utrechts Conservatorium and part of the Utrecht School of the ArtsBiking over the canals of Utrecht.The holocaust memorial to people murdered in Utrecht during WWII.
So many pictures of this city and here are some more from both iPhone and camera.
The streets of Edinburgh lend themselves to street photography. The natural backdrop of old buildings and captivating views of the surrounding countryside help to frame the people as they go about their everyday life. The winter light is strong and directional. The stonework reflects the light and makes for some interesting pictures. Here is a selection for you to enjoy.
Light and shadows on the junction of Fleshmarket Close and Cockburn Street.Looking up both Cockburn St and Fleshmarket Street.In a rush for politics.The view over Holyrood to Arthur’s Seat.Waiting at the corner.Detail from the Royal MileWhose scooter is it?Old Infirmary LaneJacob’s ladder with Waverley in the background.Let us wait here forever. Calton Hill.
If you liked my take of the Streets of Edinburgh then please search for Street Photography in my blog. Here are a selection for you to look through and enjoy.
“Walking after you” is a line from an old CCS song called Walking that was released in 1971. The band CCS was led by Alexis Korner and was my introduction into blues music. The song mirrors my photography as I walk along the streets of Digbeth. Arriving early on a January morning before 8am, the street lights were still on in Floodgate street and there were not many distracting cars around. I quickly got out and started taking pictures. In my excitement, I did not get the right focus on my Fujifilm x100v but my iPhone came to the rescue. The opening picture caught the reflections in a large puddle formed from the overnight rain. This is a classic view of Floodgate Street and one that fortuitously worked very well. It did not need much processing and the cropping was critical to remove lettering and stray reflections.
Gibb St provides many photographic opportunities plus reflectionshots.
Having parked my car in Selfridges multi story, I wandered back to Digbeth as I had time before my morning appointment in town. I used my x100v exclusively for the majority of the pictures. The streets were shiny as the rain had been heavy the previous morning. Puddles were grouped along Gibb Street and Floodgate Street providing more photographic opportunities. My visit included a wander to the edge of Deritend to see the sunrise and then back down Upper Trinity Street which completed my trip around of the area.
Mind where you park
Constant change is synominous with the area. Shops have changed hands, new restaurants and night clubs have sprung up. There is new Street Art and old graffiti has to survive the constant mindless tagging that takes place. Around there are new building projects and Digbeth High Street is still scarred with tram works although one lane is open for traffic.
Street Art, arches, lamposts and people, all add to the photographic mix.
For street photographers, there is a constant stream of scenes forming in front of your eyes and most of the inhabitants seem resigned to being photographed as it goes hand in hand with living in such a creative district. Walking after you is my theme and we have several people set against the backdrop of the Digbeth buildings. There are also pictures of the latest street art on the different buildings. The street mural highlighting Parkinson’s disease was previously advertising Peaky Blinders. This wall next to the High Street has become a sought after location.
Parkinson’s Disease Mural.
There are more pictures below taken during my visit to Digbeth. At the end, I have put links to several of my past Digbeth blogs for further reading.
Another view of Floodgate Street with the Floodgate on the left.The link entrance to the Custard FactoryMiddle of the RoadCareful who you walk past.Walking past the Floodgate.
.
Welcome to Digbeth
Looking back through my blog, I found that I have an extensive collection of pictures that feature Digbeth. This includes a few more pictures of Floodgate St and Gibb St as well. Please feel free to browse through my pages and comment on what you see and read.
The HiVis festival this year was at the Tea Works on Canal street. The wide open setting allowed for a range of Graffiti artists to ply their trade on the surrounding walls. I went to the festival with my family on the Saturday afternoon.
In ProgressDetailsAnnatomix at workPenguinFinal touchesColourful
The graffiti painters were in good form as well, with many ready to chat with you and let you know what they were painting. All the walls were in action and several artists were already working when we arrived. Seeing Annatomix painting was a bonus. The family were keen to get back to the shops and I only discovered her working on her scorpion design on the way out. There were many different art works on display but due to timing, most of them were works in progress. I will go back later in the week to check out the finished artwork. Stay tuned. The queues for the children’s graffiti painting were slow moving and we did not get a chance for the grandchildren to try out some painting. There was just a high demand in that area and we will be ready for next year.
Redbull gapTaking offMind the gapTake a lookWatch out skaters aboutThe rail
We loved the skate boarding and the energy around the place. The skate boarders were excellent and there was the opportunity to get up close and see them in action. There was a gap which the skaters jumped over before turning around on the ramp. All the skaters negotiated the RedBull Road gap successfully and there was also a rail to skate along as well. The boarders are very skilful and also fun to photograph.The HiVis event is organised by Graffiti Artist and I am already looking forward to the next event in 2023.
Tea WorksDiscussing techniquesTea WorksResident DJPenguinPlanning the next stepsDiscussions
I always enjoy visiting a new city and I was excited that such an opportunity arose through my research work. The City was Southampton. Arriving in the city via the train station, it is quickly apparent how much of it is new and there is little in the way of old pre-war structures. Blechynden Terrace is one of several reminders of the German Blitz during WWII. Whilst interesting, it was not in a great state and there was a large metal ring which held the wall together. The ring was a memorial to the past but the park was neglected and a refuge for the fringes of society rather than remembering the past.
The arch in Blechynden Gardens is a memorial to lives lost in the Blitz on Southampton.
The Southampton civic centre features on many photographs of the city. The buildings are set in a public area and serve several functions. I did not have time to visit inside the Civic centre and made my way around to the Guildhall Square. Next to the square there is what appears to be an old department store building called the St James Mathews Building. It is owned by Southampton Solent University and the part that I liked is all the Street Art on the outside of the building with some of it being very colourful.
Walking upwards to the Civic CentreGraffiti around the Solent University
I only had small parcels of time to get any photography done and, on the morning of the meeting, I got up very early and went down to the Mayflower Park to see which cruise ships were in. these floating cities are quite monstrous in real life, and one wonders how they float yet alone sail. My pictures show the Spirit of Adventure in the early morning light.
Spirit of Adventure in Southampton docks
The meeting finished early, and I had a few hours before the train home. I walked down Portland Terrace setting off from the Civic Centre. The street is very non-descript with a range of shops and facades that would make you think you could be in any city. I passed through Bargate and discovered more of the old city wall. There is the Arundel tower of the old city and the forty steps. I particularly liked the statue of one of the former mayors of the city looking over the old walls.
Passing through BargateLooking over the City walls.
The next point of call was the remnants of the old town and the Tudor House and the church of St Michael the Archangel. Another part of the old area of Southampton and although only small in area full of history. There was a passageway that led down to the Pig in the Wall pub and other interesting artwork including the outlines of merchant ships Western Esplanade and memorials of the voyage of the Mayflower. I was now back at Mayflower Park and saw another of the big ships was in with the Spirit of Adventure.
A view of the Church of St Micheal the Archangel from Tudor HousePig in the Wall pub set in the old City walls.A view through the misty afternoon from Mayflower ParkWatching the ships
Time to catch my train home and as I walked to the station, I passed derelict areas where planners of large shopping centres had not realised that a change of tastes and economy would make them quickly redundant. Southampton is a city to visit but it does portray a history of a changing city.
The demise of Toys R Us
Pictures were taken mainly with my Fujifilm x100v and Silver Efex was used for the black and white conversions.
There have been many opportunities over the last couple of weeks to take pictures that rely on reflections. Surface water from all the rain leads to puddles on footpaths and pavements that are a good source for taking reflective pictures. Modern cameras have a flip screen that allow you to get low and take the picture without having to get too uncomfortable on the floor. The placement of the lenses has to be very low to take advantage of the reflective split. On the iPhone 13, the positioning of the lenses allows you to get closer to the water. However take care as in doing this you will find your mobile phone getting a little wet! Straight after the rain, I am always looking for a new angle for my photography using reflections from the water and here are a few examples. Most of them are taken with the iPhone camera. However during the visit to Upton House near Banbury, I discovered a very large reflective pool in the garden that provided a wonderful opportunity for a reflection.
The reflecting pool, Upton House and Garden. This was featured on the lunchtime weather news of BBC South.
There was some local and national successes with several of these pictures being picked up on Instagram by both National Geographic Traveller and BBC weather watchers. Some were successfully featured in local instagram pages. There are explanations behind all the images shown and whilst you are reading this blog post, I am still on the look out for reflections.
Taken on a wet night in Birmingham looking up towards the Bullring. This was featured on the Birmingham.City Instagram pages.The line up of trees at Umberslade Estate becomes the perfect setting for a puddle reflection.Waiting for the train home and I happened to catch these puddle reflections which were perfectly placed for the picture.A classic view of the IKON gallery in Oozells Square. The “river” of water provides the reflection.A puddle in Gas Street Basin provides a great reflection. He looks like he is walking on water. This was featured on the National Geographic UK traveller Instagram pages.
“If you see me walking down the street And I start to cry each time we meet Walk on by, walk on by.” Song and Lyrics composed by Burt Bacharach, with lyrics by Hal David
The following images should be viewed when listening to the song by Dione Warwick although there is the alternative version by Isaac Hayes which is worth a listen as well. These pictures were taken in Brindley Place, Birmingham using my 70-200mm lens on my Canon 5D IV. The rising sun casts a shadow against the brick wall and as people walk by it appears as if the shadows are making an arrow. Add in the bonus reflections and it makes for a superb place for street photography. Enjoy the following set of 5 pictures.
Shadows point to the person walkingWalking to each otherWalking to the shadowsA wall of shadows and textures.Bike, phone, shadows.
I just love taking pictures of street art around the West Midlands. As a companion piece to my photographic walk around Royal Leamington Spa, this is a detailed look at the street art around the Grand Union Canal area. There are several wall murals that are worth highlighting and many are curated by the Brink Street Art group. Each is interesting and whilst I know some of the artists, the vast majority I am unsure about. I have put down the Instagram link to Brink Street Art Group if you wish to find out more about these images. I will update the blog to give the recognition to the artist and their mural so please contact me. If you are visiting Leamington Spa, then they are worth a visit to see.
Those eyes!The pen is mightier….Almost Neon light eyesCheese, cat and a mouse. @JulesMuck
BalancingAcross the canal.A pair of eyes.Crow in the moonlight.The beauty of swans.Colourful street art by N4t4
I have been documenting the Lockdowns over the last year and we are a few days away from April 12th when shops will reopen. My last blog entry was all about Digbeth. I was interested to see what the city centre looked like and therefore, after taking pictures in Digbeth, I walked into Birmingham city centre. As expected, It was quiet except for all the ‘Just Eat’ guys on the steps eating during their lunch break. Their bikes were all strewn around the concourse overlooking St Martins church. Other pictures taken on my walk included some headline photographs of the Electric Cinema looking sparkly from nearby reflections, trams and masks in Birmingham and the covering of the Selfridges store. Here are a few highlights of that stroll around the centre.
Walk a mile in my shoesThis is a cheeky street photoSelfridges is slowly being coveredTexting but not just eatingMore of the Just Eat GuysStreet Just Eat againSigns of the times
