Well earned City-break...

The Bull Ring

When I was young, okay, a lot younger, my Mam and Dad used to take my brother, sisters and me to see our relations over here in the UK. We took it in turns, sometimes I was lucky, other times not. But I always remember Birmingham and the Bullring. It was a kind of mecca for shopping and what a dump it was. But not anymore. Birmingham is a city that has totally changed, and speaking with my architecture hat one, it has changed is fantastic ways. We recently had an opportunity for a few days in this city. We visited the Motor Heritage Museum, Cadbury World (an absolute must!) and did a bit of shopping, well, Mrs H did the shopping, I did the photography.

Debenhams

What I particularly like about Birmingham the mix of 70's and contemporary design that is fused together in the city. I could walk around it for hours, and have done on many an occassion. You can see this around every corner.

Bridge over the Canals...

It is a great place for street photography. The people are friendly and warm. I feel at home there. If you haven't visited this wonderful city, then go and do so as soon as you get the chance. 

Attraction.

Old and New

The double exposures are more or less straight out of the camera. I made a few tweaks in Lightroom; a touch of sharpening, slight de-saturation for an olde worlde feel and a nudge of clarity. the trick is to pre-visualize. I knew the shots I wanted to double expose before I left home.

If your camera has a double exposure feature try using it. Set it to two or more shots, if it has 'autogain' leave it at the 'on' position, this is probably the default setting anyway. All it does is divide the correct exposure for a given shot by the number of shots in the multiple exposure. In my case it was 2 shots, so the exposure for each was halved. Sounds complicated, but you can always check it out on the screen as you go and turn it off  and compare. There is also the manual option as well, where you just work out the exposure for yourself. Don't worry too much about it; just have a go.

The Emperor's New Clothes...

Who do you take your photographs for? Do you take them for yourself? Or do you take them for other people?
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Diesel Pumps, Co. Cork, Ireland

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As photographers (and with another hat on: as architects) we have a unique ability to interpret the wishes and vision of those who come to us and to use our vision to bring a project to fruition. Sometimes that will mean taking a different direction to that of the client and sometimes it will be the same. But it is up to us to lead and bring expertise to the table.
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Child of Prague, Family House, Co. Kerry, Ireland

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For me it is about looking at the ordinary and seeing the extra-ordinary in it. Whatever it might be; an old statue, signs, gates - there is always a story to be told. That is what people are coming to you for; however you do it, when a photograph becomes special, you know it.

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Sign posts, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, Ireland

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I started off this post thinking of the many photographs I have seen that have won acclaim in competitions, magazines, galleries and all over the place and what they did for me; some blew me away, others did nothing. Was I missing something?

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But then I look at my photographs, the ones I take for me and only for me. They probably do nothing for anyone else. Does that matter? On one level of course I want recognition for my work. Who doesn't want everyone to like what they do? But on the other level I want to be happy with what I shoot ... for me. My best shots are the ones I took for me. They have a certain depth to them that comes from how I was feeling, what I was looking for, the rhythm of the moment that some of the other shots don't have.

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There are many ways to look at photographs, on their own or as a body of work and it is all to easy to criticise. It is hard to take a step back and ask questions; much easier to dismiss that which is different or doesn't fall into our view of the world or how photographs should be taken, in our cosy little world.

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Church Door, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, Ireland

I am minded of the old fairy tale; The Emperor's New Clothes. Sometimes I cannot help thinking about it when I see some photographs. But whether you are the Child who sees through the clothes or the Emperor who is wearing them one thing is certain; the Emperor is still the Emperor and the Child is still the Child.

Of course there will always be photographs that you just do not like, for whatever reason. But the next time you see such a photograph, take a second look. What this tells me is that I have to get out there and take more photographs, for me.

Oxford Rain

Oxford for me, was always the centre of British university learning. The seat from which academic careers were launched. At least that is what it seemed like to me living as a teenager all those years ago in Ireland.
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I couldn't help but imagine all the students going to and from their lectures and tutorials; they always seemed to wear the black gown and mortar board hat. The dreamy spires and all those colleges - I never understood how there seemed to be so many colleges there.
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But what epitomised Oxford for me was Inspector Morse. During the eighties, I must have seen every single one of the episodes. The City, the man, the car; it all said Oxford.
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I enjoy visiting Oxford - it is always a treat to wander the streets with my camera watching the particular Oxford world going by, trying to get a glimpse into what it might be like to study and live here. The day we visited, it rained. Mind you it rains more in Ireland.