Library of Birmingham photographers

On our recent visit to Birmingham we discovered that the city centre is, essentially, a building site. New buildings are springing up, old buildings are being refurbished, and the new tramway, we are told, has stopped running so that further extensions can be made to the system.

 The completed Library of Birmingham offers several high level views of the bustle below and I made a mental note to take a few photographs from these vantage points on our next visit. Today's offerings shows photographers who were using the viewpoints as we looked up from below.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Trees and shadow

One of the advantages of living in an area with a relatively large amount of tree cover is that having a walk on very hot days can be much more pleasant. In a recent spell of clear skies and high temperatures we were able to plan walks that followed sheltered tracks and woodland. The shade kept the direct sun off us and the trees themselves reduced the overall temperature by a few degrees. The dappled light also threw interesting patterns on the ground. This photograph is of my shadow (wearing a hat - you can't be too careful)!

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Photographing the photographers

A light dusting of snow, blue sky and bright sun all suggested that the Malvern Hills would be a suitable destination for walking and a little photography. Others clearly had the same thoughts and so one of my subjects was the photographers with cameras and phones. This is the best of my shots mainly because it's quite simple and I can imagine a little dialogue going on between the subject (left) the photographer (right) and the dog with the hang-dog appearance (centre) being banished from the composition.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Photographing Queen Elizabeth

I'm not a fan of our system of constitutional monarchy so you'd be unlikely to see me going out of my way to photograph Queen Elizabeth II. But Queen Elizabeth I is another matter. Any photograph I took of her would, of necessity, be of a representation, and there are some very interesting examples to be seen. The portrait in stained glass shown above is in Melford Hall, Suffolk. It dates from the nineteenth century and is based on a well-known Elizabethan-era painting. As I waited for the photographer in front of me to complete her shot it occurred to me that the inclusion of her silhouette might make for a more interesting image.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10