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Walking in St Paul’s Square and down Livery Street

by Damien Walmsley Posted on
Amongst the trees JQ

I love the area around St Paul’s Church and in Autumn it starts to look colourful with the leaves on the ground.  It was one of my stops on my way to walk.  The sky was also very colourful with the sunrise and rain clouds making pretty patterns. 

Livery Street and it is only “A matter of opinion”

I took a picture down Livery street which is a very long street/road.  There is a Brummie saying that you look like you have “a face as long as Livery street”.  There are some good sign posting on the buildings in the area.  A matter of opinion has been up for a while and is shown on Livery Street. 

Compared to what
Compared tp what….

I noticed at one of the corners of St Paul’s Square that there was more signposting with the words “Compared to what…”  They add a fun element to the streets of Birmingham. 

St Paul’s Church in the Jewellery Quarter

A picture of St Paul’s Church was well received on social media.  It is a a very photogenic church.  Taking a picture of both the spire of St Paul’s and the BT Tower is another photo opportunity. The area is very pretty and it was after discussion on social media that I realised that there are more hidden squares around the Jewellery Quarter. It is a place to return to time and time again.

St Paul's Church and BT Tower
St Paul’s Church and BT Tower
Categories blog

Reflections on Gas Street Basin

by Damien Walmsley Posted on
Gas Street Basin

Now I am back in a work routine, I take the opportunity to park in the city around 7am and stay until 8am just before the car parking charging begins.  I set myself an area to walk around and aim to come away with 4 to 5 pictures that I can use over the coming days.  These may be for my 365 project or pictures that I can post onto Twitter and Instagram.  Gas street basin is a changing place and there is always something to photography during a walk on the tow paths.  On this visit, it was very still and quiet and there was a hint of mist.  The water in the canal was so still that it provided perfect reflections for my photography.  I had my trusty Canon 5D mark VI and my ‘go to’ lens EF24-70mm with me.  Initially I did not think I would get particularly good photographs but then as I got down low I started to see the photographic possibilities.   

Reflections in Gas Street
The still waters reflect the buildings of Gas Street Basin.
Birmingham - new vs old
Showing the new versus the old in Birmingham
Gas Street Sunrise
Golden buildings in the sunrise

With the reflections of the buildings, I saw that there were many different views.  I took around 20 to 30 pictures and then carefully selected around 6 photographs.  A selection of 4 posted on Twitter took off with many likes. At the last count it was over 20 thousand views.   I see so many excellent pictures of Birmingham and I am not here to say that mine are any better.  These pictures are my own personal view of the area and I am pleased that they make people happy.

Brindley Place
Venturing into Brindley Place for the reflections of the canal waters
Categories blog

I love Kardamena

by Damien Walmsley Posted on
Sunrise and boat

The village of Kardamena was not far from the hotel where we stayed for Natasha and Rob’s wedding.  It is a small resort with an attractive harbour and a big heart.  I was very impressed with the place.  It has many backstreets which are pleasant to stroll through and are relatively cool in the midday sun.  The harbour front contains many bars and restaurants which come alive in the evening.  Every morning, I ran into Kardamena and took many iPhone pictures which often included the sunrise.  This did depend on whether I got up in time. 

Table in the sun
A breakfast table in the sun
Church on the Road
A small Church on the Road that I ran past every morning.
Church and sea
Church and sea
Boat in the harbour
Boat in the harbour

The light on the Island is best in the early morning when the first rays break though over the waters.  At night the sun sets behind a small mountain ridge but some of the last rays of the day still make for a pleasant picture.  In the town we ate at several restaurants and the food was always tasty and delicious.  It was also good to drink Retsina again which I know is an acquired taste but it brings back memories of my time Greek island hoping when I was a student.  These are some of the pictures that I took which are all on my iPhone. It was not practical to bring the grown up camera out on either a run or in the evening when alcohol was flowing.  However I know that I will visit Kos again taking my cameras to catch the beautiful light. 

Sunrise at Malibu Beach
Quiet streets of Kardamena
Bike in the sun
Bike in the sun
Main Church
Main Church
Greek Meze
Greek Meze
Boats in harbour
Boats lined up in the harbour
Sunrise and boat
That boat again on the final day of the holiday

The final picture is not in Kos but taken at the Sunset Taverna in Zia on the mountains.  It was an adventurous journey in the mini bus up and down the steep mountain roads from Kardamena to Zia but as the picture shows is was worth it for the sunset. This was taken with my Canon 5D with two pictures stitched together.

Sunset at Zia
Sunset at Zia
Categories blog

My Daughter’s Greek Island Wedding

by Damien Walmsley Posted on
Natasha Wedding

The corona virus almost scuppered Natasha my daughter’s wedding plans.  She and Rob wished to tie the knot on the Island of Kos in August.  The planning started at the end of last year and everything was in place, hotel booked and plane tickets all sorted.  What could go wrong?  The rest of 2020 does not need an explanation but it did cause the family much stress and anguish.  The government were opening and closing travel corridors to different countries.  Luckily Greece had a low infection rate and the wedding was on.  It was touch and go and there were causalities as some of the family were unable to come due to work restrictions.

Natasha Wedding
Proud Mum and Dad with Natasha
Natasha Wedding
Natasha with her Bridesmaids Kirsty and Sian

Kos is a beautiful island and we were booked into the Akti Beach hotel complex on the south near to the village of Kardamena.  It was very safe on the Island as most hotels and restaurants were lightly booked and there was not a large number of tourists present.  The weather was glorious and every day, it was on the right side of 30oC.  

Natasha and Rob Wedding
The wedding took place on the beach
Natasha and Rob
Natasha and Rob
Wedding on the beach
Undying love on the beaches of Kos


Natasha and Rob’s Wedding took place on the beach.  There was a small secluded part of the beach that was set up with chairs and a horseshoe decoration.  The scenery could not have been more idyllic.  Following the simple but moving ceremony, there was a short walk up to the reception.  This took place in the Malibu Beach Bar. There were only 14 close family that attended the wedding and we had the Beach bar to ourselves.  The setting was very tropical with bar and swimming pool. Following the cutting of the cake there was the bridal meal consisting of tasty BBQ food.  There were the speeches and a video collage of well wishers of people who could not get to the wedding.  This had been put together by Kirsty, Rob’s sister and there were some surprise guests included.  Following some fleeting fireworks, most people took a dip in the swimming pool and enjoyed the rest of the evening.  Natasha was so happy as she finally had her wish come true.

Natasha Wedding
Natasha and Rob on their wedding day
Malibu Beach Bar
Wedding Cake
In front of the cake
The wedding Dance
The first dance being recorded

After the wedding? I went banana boat surfing on the sea which is an exhilarating white knuckle ride.  We also made it to the Sunset tavern restaurant in Zia on top of one of the highest mountains in Kos.

Night at Kos
Moon, Saturn and Jupiter over the sea

As for the travel.  It was a weird experience wearing facemasks on the flight there and back plus all the quarantine form filling that had to be done.  Everyone got there and back safely without any infection from the corona virus.  On reflection it was a highlight of 2020 and we were so pleased that we could be there to celebrate Natasha and Rob’s big day.  I was pleased that I was able to take my cameras out to the event and was happy with my unofficial photographs.

If you enjoyed this post then you can view the wedding of my youngest daughter Sian who was married in Solihull with a reception at Tanworth in Arden a few years ago.

Categories blog

City Arcade – Birmingham’s hidden gem

by Damien Walmsley Posted on
City Arcade Birmingham

Lockdown had interrupted by own personal visits to all the arcades in Birmingham. I enjoy mornings when it is quiet and so before going to work, I parked up in town and made my way to the City arcade. In some ways it is my favourite arcade but it has fallen on difficult times. There are not that many shops in the arcade and they are all down one side. When I arrived at the arcade, there was a rough sleeper outside the real ale pub. In these difficult times the city is overburdened with homeless people and I worry for them.

City Arcade
Play on light in the Arcade
City arcade
Getting down low to show the architecture

The City Arcade was built in 1901 and designed by TWF Newton and Cheattle. I picked up this information from the Historic England site and then you are able to search on from there. It has had a recent face lift and the interior designs have been painted and stand out showing the detail that had gone into this building. It is part of Union street which is a busy thoroughfare between Corporation St and the High St. However, step into the Arcade and the noise of people quickly dies away. The arcade is at an angle and links up with the junction of Union and Warwick passage.

City Arcade Birmingham
Details of the ceiling

There are a few shops in the Arcade but from a photographers perspective, there are many reflections of the light. When people walk through the arcade then you can get some very nice effects. I spent a good 20 minutes taking photographs before I headed off to work. Another one of the Birmingham Arcades done and photographed. As the title says a hidden gem and worth exploring.

City Arcade Birmingham
Outside detail
City Arcade Birmingham
The front facade
City Arcade Birmingham
Morning light in the Arcade
City Arcade Birmingham
The grittiness of Union Passage (Arcade to right)
City Arcade Birmingham
Outside design details

And now moving inside to view some of the details of the shops.

City Arcade Birmingham
Signs for the Arcade
The speciality beer outlet “TILT”
City Arcade Birmingham
WillPower
City Arcade Birmingham
Gadget Swap
City Arcade Birmingham
Chandeliers
City Arcade Birmingham
Reflections

If you are interested in the other arcades in Birmingham then please follow these links –
The Piccadilly Arcade
The Great Western Arcade

Categories blog

My best pictures are taken with my iPhone

by Damien Walmsley Posted on
Reflections in Digbeth

Should I be worried? Should I ditch my big camera? My most popular photographs are all taken by an iPhone. My most recent one of Gibb Street in Digbeth has been published by several outlets including BBCMidlands, Independent Birmingham, IgersbirminghamUK, Bhamupdates and Source investments. All very pleasing but I would like to talk about my aperture and shutter settings. The camera ISO and how I held it to take in the picture. No all I did was dip the iPhone into a puddle and the resulting picture then gets a life of its own. Getting down low certainly led to more impact to the picture. However, I am pleased that I can brag about my composition and that it caught the spirit of Birmingham!

Categories blog

An August Morning after the Storms

by Damien Walmsley Posted on
Knowle Park after the storms

The months of August are hot during the day and often very muggy at night. We have been through a spell of very hot weather and experienced some dramatic thunderstorms at night. Unfortunately I slept through the worse ones even though I had my camera set up to take some pictures. The next day I was up early and when I got to the park, I was not disappointed as there was a mist over the area. There were were also layers of colours present. What was remarkable was the continual change as the sun rose higher burning off the mist. The mist provides opportunities for rays of sunbreaking through the clouds to be highlighted. With my trusty iPhone I was able to take several photographs of the scene. These were immediately given some post processing via Snapspeed and then uploaded onto the BBC weather site. When I got back home all the pictures were run through Lightroom and then put up on Twitter and Instagram. I received a great deal of acclaim and lovely comments on the pictures and also featured no BBC Midlands weather.

Knowle Park
Knowle Park after the storms with a lone dog walker
Knowle Park after the storms
Magical mist, Sun and light
Knowle Park after the storms
The clouds were very dramatic
Knowle Park after the storms
This picture was shown on BBC Midlands weather
After the storm Knowle Park
This picture was popular on Instagram
Categories blog

Confetti Fields 2020

by Damien Walmsley Posted on
Confetti fields 2020

The Confetti Fields in Wick near Pershore are open but this year you have to prebook because of restrictions caused by the virus. It was a year the Real Flower Petal Confetti Co were beset with problems not only flooding and the Coronavirus but also the first planting was not successful. However they were able to replant the flower field to bloom later in the year. The delphiniums are much shorter and not as imposing as they are generally. To help out this year they had Sunflowers and wild flower fields which were impressive in their own way. Natasha Walmsley, my daughter, kept tabs on when they tickets were being released. We headed down to the fields and were not disappointed. The colours were there and there were many opportunities for photographs.

Sunflower bee clock
3 bees o’clock on a sunflower
sunflowers and delphiniums
The 2020 line up sunflowers and delphiniums
Three happy faces
Three happy sunflowers

The sunflowers were tall and high with many insects including bees alighting on them. The wild flowers were pretty and delicate. Finally the delphiniums were colourful and whilst not as tall they still put on a show. The sun was up and it was very bright. I used my circular polariser to reduce the glare. I also got low and went high with several pictures just to get a different effect. Going high I just had to hope that I had everyone in the picture.

in the Confetti fields
in the Confetti fields
Red delphiniums
Red delphiniums
Red and purple Red delphiniums
Red and purple Red delphiniums

As is tradition after the visit to the fields, we head over to the public park in Pershore and have a picnic in the delightful surroundings of Pershore Abbey. It is an idyllic spot and another great venue for photographs.

Pershore Abbey
Pershore Abbey
Pershore Abbey
Pershore Abbey
Categories blog

University of Birmingham Campus

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

For the first time since mid March, I am back on campus and it was a lovely morning. There were very few people around and I had brought my camera along. The Campus looked beautiful and the lack of cars certainly allowed unhindered views of the buildings. I did like the area where the wild flowers were near to the University gates. This series of pictures of the University shows it off and makes it look glorious.

Wild flowers and Old Joe
Wild flowers and Old Joe
Lovely light on campus
Lovely light on campus
View of the Green Heart
View of the Green Heart
Old Joe in the morning sunshine
Old Joe in the morning sunshine
Categories blog

Days out on the Canal

by Damien Walmsley Posted on
Kingswood locks

Days out with the Grandchildren do not have to be very expensive and we are very fortunate to have the canals near us. Therefore we choose to visit the canal junction at Kingswood which is the home of the Kingswood Arm a short section that links the Grand Union with the Stratford canal. My grandchildren had just discovered the Sylvanian family toy canal boat that belonged to my daughters when they were children. Both of grandchildren wanted to see canal boats for real.

Grandchildren
Lily and Chloe (apologies for the shirt – father supports Arsenal)
Kingswood Junction
Kingswood Junction

When we arrived at Lapworth, there was a boat going through the locks. This generated a series of why questions from both of them and I had a lot of explaining of how a lock works. The family on board the boat going through the Kingswood junction allowed my granddaughters to help with the opening of the locks. We strolled along the tow path and remarked how funny the roof of the lockmaster’s cottage was. It had a round roof like a barrel. Then we walked along the arm that joined both the Stratford and Grand Union canals. There was more excitement as several trains passed over the railway bridge that crosses the canal arm. We reached the Grand Union canal junction and much to the excitement of my granddaughters discovered a hand operated history box.

On the tow path
On the tow path
Listening to the Story of Rosie

In these days of the Coronavirus, we had our hand sanitiser ready plus a disinfectant wipe ready to hold the handle. We turned the handle quickly and like magic to the children, a voice appeared. The hand operated verbal histories box tells the story of Rosie. She and her husband lived and worked on the canals. They ferried supplies along the canal to the Cadbury’s factory in Birmingham. The grandchildren were fascinated with the way it worked and the story of Rosie. They had been to Cadbury’s world so this interested them. So much so we heard the story five times! The other fun was seeing what people were doing on the boats and the girls had chats with several boat people along the way.

Listening to the story
The story was repeated several times

We even found a boat with the name Small World and then started singing the refrain “It’s a small world”. The earworm of a tune was with us not only on our way back to the car but for the rest of the day. There is so much to do and see around the canals. Life is good by water and as the sign says slow down and enjoy it. The three ducks certainly did.

By the lockmasters Cottage
The lockmaster’s cottage and that funny roof
Thank you for slowing down
Thank you for slowing down

Further reading about the Kingswood arm.

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