Pulling the curtains back, I saw the fog which lifts any photographers spirits. Fortunately, I had to be in Birmingham early and I knew that I would be able to get some good pictures of Dorridge station in the fog before it lifted. I was even more pleased that the fog had not lifted by the time I got to Birmingham city centre. The fog was still around the Bull Ring and Moor Street turning normal street scenes into atmospheric and mysterious places. The silhouettes of commuters provided the focus to many of the pictures. The majority of the photographs were taken with my iPhone15 which were then converted to black and white to take advantage of the contrasts available. I used Silver Efex Pro and I like the fine art processing or occasionally the overexposed settings that are provided. I also include pictures from the start of my journey in Dorridge where the fog was even thicker.
Dorridge station in the fog.
I do like foggy mornings as these blog posts show.
The Bullring centre is hosting a light show called Borealis for one week in February. This production by the artist Dan Acher is on display every evening during the week. With a mixture of dry ice smoke and laser beams, the “northern lights” are recreated in the centre of Birmingham. The performance is accompanied by haunting music which sets the scene and cranks up the atmosphere. When you stand still and look up at the colours, you are transported to a magical place where the northern lights are happening. Borealis is a photographer’s dream. As the laser beams crisscross through the smoke, colours are created and these are highlighted by the surrounding buildings. The gentle breeze in the area moves the smoke around leading to pleasing patterns against the backdrop of the Selfridges building and St Martin’s Church.
. I arrived there just as the sun was setting and the golden hour followed by the blue hour provided a changing backdrop to the scenes being created. The hypnotic music added to the atmosphere. The smoke adds to the surreal atmosphere and produces a haunting appearance to the area which is part dreamy and romantic at the same time. As it is half term week there are many people in the city shopping. The area around St Martin’s was packed with onlookers gazing into the sky. There was one child dressed in white who seemed to be leading the crowds in a service for the Borealis. The imagery could be appreciated either close up or at a distance allowing everyone to take in the spectacle.
The lights over St Martin’s Church with a construction crane leading the dance of the colours.There was a golden sunset that enhanced the colours of the laser show.There were packed crowds along St Martin’s way.The show caught the attention of everyone even this child who is leading the crowds.
Using both iPhone and my Fujifilm x100v, I had fun taking pictures before heading off for an evening meal in town. After dinner, I dropped by to see Borealis on my way to the train, the night was dark and there was a different take to the light show as the powerful laser colours shone through the smoke layers. I stayed around for a few more pictures. Even at that late time, there were people out and about enjoying the show.
The light show created a calming atmosphere with the lights and the music
Here is a link if you wish to know more about the work of Dan Acher.
The last light show in Birmingham that I visited was in February 2020 when the world was still very young and the idea that a virus would force us all indoors was a fanciful idea. My record of the festival light from 2020 is outlined on a previous blog.
About the picture taking. I was fortunate to have a dinner booked in town at 6pm. This gave me time to see the Borealis early and late in the evening. I always have my iPhone with me and wherever possible my Fujifilm x100v. When I arrived, my mind already starts to think how can I tell a story about the show. There were several things that caught my eye. The smokey atmosphere was one. Standing at the top of St Martin’s Walk looking downwards to the Church is a popular vantage point and captures the haze above the crowds. I moved closer to take in the sunset and the source of the smoke and lasers. My photographic mind is thinking about the big picture and then the smaller things that make up the view. What amazed me were the crowds of people, so I knew that I wanted them in the picture. I swap from iPhone to compact camera when taking my pictures. The iPhone is so good but I find that it wants to adjust the shadows and compensate for the darkness. Meanwhile the x100v requires a very high ISO and wide aperture to let the light in. Fortunately post processing is done with Lightroom and the “denoise” button is a dream to use. This has rejuvenated my night time use with the Fujifilm and I am not afraid to crank up the ISO. Selecting images proved a challenge and I limited myself to just 8 pictures. As always on social media, there were some very good pictures taken by other photographers. Seeing them, I think to myself, if only I had taken that photograph but I know that they also challenge me to adjust my view of the scene when out taking photographs. A selection of them may be found on the Beautiful Productions Instagram page.
For the most part of the year, Oozells square in Birmingham is unremarkable. The square is surrounded by office buildings on 3 sides and the IKON art gallery on another. This latter building is a grand Victorian building which was formerly a boarding school. There are several good restaurants in the square which have hosted family meals in the past. In spring, the square is transformed into a beautiful place by several rows of trees that burst into cherry blossom.
The IKON gallery emerging from the blossom that surrounds the building.
The event is becoming more and more famous having been featured this year on the BBC News. We went with the family to see the blossom and get the obligatory pictures. Here Noah is reaching upwards mesmerised by the blossom. Soon the green leaves will appear. Noah’s coat contrasts well with the pink.
Noah reaching out towards the blossoms.Lily, Noah and Chloë, my grandchildren with the blossom in the background.Lily, Noah and Chloë, my grandchildren with the blossom and the IKON gallery in the background.
The event is enjoyed by all ages but as you see from the pictures, my grandchildren had a fantastic time seeing the cherry blossom. The BBC News item has made the blossom event famous at a National Level.
The IKON gallery with cherry blossom trees and admiring visitors.
Oozells square in the westside of Birmingham is unremarkable other than the IKON gallery which is on one side of the square. The IKON is a highly acclaimed contemporary art venue and when you have finished looking over the latest exhibits, take a well earned rest in Yorks coffee shop. However in the months of March and April the square erupts with cherry blossom and becomes one of the most photographed squares in Birmingham. I also took many photographs. The square was featured in a BBC news and my photograph was included. I have also added a few more of my own in this post.
A favourite reflection is produced around the water featurethe blossom turns and ordinary square into the extraordinary.A traditional view of the blossom with the IKON in the background.Another traditional view of the blossom in the square.
The Photography show turned out to be a great event. I was worried prior to the event as what it may be like especially as it had been put back after a few false starts due to Covid19. The show was held in Halls 1 and 2 at the NEC and when you walked in you noticed that the stalls were set more apart than normal providing a feeling of space. There were wide walkways and amble space to pass people.
Sunday was my first day and it appeared relatively quiet. This gave me the opportunity to linger at several stands and return to take several looks at the cameras on display. I had not booked into any talks, and those that I did attend for did not live up to their titles. The quality of the PowerPoints was surprisingly poor. One talk that I did enjoy on the Sunday was by Claire Luxton. Her artwork was spectacular with wonderful attention to detail. The way she produced the photographs involved a great deal of planning. She was also a very enthusiastic speaker, and I enjoyed her presentation style.
Models at the Fujifilm stand
On the stands, I handled several cameras, fell in love the Canon R5 but it is out of my price range and unlikely to be a camera that I would use that much to justify the price. I liked the new Z fc series from Nikon with its retro design but it would have to do well to be a better buy than my Fujifilm X100V. The Nikon is an attractive camera and as the person who was demonstrating the camera moved it around, the dials caught the light and it did look very attractive. There were also some very nice Fujifilm cameras that I was able to pick up and try out. The Cewe book stand display was lovely to browse through and I will use them for my 365 printed project.
Walls of Pictures
during the show I met up with Photography friends Martin Kelly and Ian Lewis. We found a quiet spot and did a recording of the Photo show. It was different undertaking a live recording and not having to do a zoom. After it was finished, I went and looked at the action area where there were displays of Bike jumping, juggling and breakdancing. Once again my FujiFilm camera did a great job. The evening finished with a few drinks in a local pub and then a get together meal at a local hotel.
Rankin with some of his admirers
The action arena at the show. Juggling.
Wedding Photography at the Nikon stand
Claire Luxton on the Canon Stand
Taking pictures at the Canon Stand
Bike Jumping
On Monday I was back at the show, this time to take part in a Digital Camera magazine walkabout. I had been long listed in a Garden flower competition on the Digital Camera Facebook page. Although I was not a winner, Niall Hampton the editor of the magazine inquired who was going to the Photography show. I mentioned that I would be there so he dropped me an email and I was selected for a walkabout around the NEC taking pictures for a feature in the magazine. I will cover this more in a future blog.
Walking around the National Exhibition Centre
Whilst I was waiting, I took the opportunity to walk around the lake and was taken in by the attractiveness of the place. It did surprise me that such natural beauty existed within the concrete jungle of the NEC. I also did a walkabout in the NEC itself covering the skywalk to the far reaches of the Exhibition Centre. I have some examples of the pictures that I took.
Lone figure
lookig up
Colours in the Airstream
Resorts world
Man out of Time
Resorts World on the Lake
Abstract on Airstream
Billboards and water
Metal Shapes
Resorts world and reflections
Yes this is the NEC
All Monday’s pictures were done with my Canon D5 with the 24-105 lens except one picture that was taken with my iPhone. This one picture made the picture of the day on BBC Midlands today. In summary the Photography show was worthwhile, I enjoyed the two days as each was different in what I saw and participated in. There were a few big names missing but the ones that were there such as Canon and Nikon more than made up for it.
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