Bridging The Gap

The construction works for the new tram lines is moving along slowly. Unfortunately this has meant the chopping down of even more mature trees. And they say that it's an environmentally friendly form of transport!

One big development has been the installation of a new bridge over Queens Road. It also runs over the railway station, and will eventually join up with the existing terminus.

I can't say that it looks particularly attractive, and I'm not sure that it is in keeping with the area. It will certainly stick out against the Edwardian majestic splendour of the station, with it's ornate brickwork and art nouveau motifs.

But things are designed these days to be as cheap and as easily built as possible, with hardly any thought into the aesthetics, or how it will look in relation to the other buildings around it.

Street Life

Gail and I went on a little adventure this morning in Nottingham city centre. We participated on a street photography workshop, arranged by Michael Lau with a model and five other photographers.

The idea behind using a model was for those photographers that had not done street photography to become used to shooting on the street.

It's something I do all the time, to varying degrees of success, so I went along for the fun and to shoot Keiron our model for the day.

We went to various places across the city centre; especially the Lace Market and the Old Market Square.

Gail had no problem in going up to strangers and asking if she could take their photo. She seemed to spend more time doing this, than shooting the model.  Some people, including myself were a little bit more reserved about doing this. I actually prefer to shoot strangers in a way that they don't know that they are being photographed, which I think is the essence of street photography.

All Fingers And Toes

On Wednesday Gail and I went to do a boudoir shoot at Michael Lau's studio with the lovely and exotically named SINderella Rockafella.

We were meant to be there for 5.30, but it took us two hours to get there, even though the city centre is only some five miles away.  All the roads were gridlocked. It couldn't have been all down to the snow that had been falling since the afternoon.  There must have been some accidents or breakdowns in several places, as the traffic just wasn't going anywhere.

Eventually we got there and got sorted out. On these sorts of shoots, I usually take my Nikon D3s, but for a change, I thought I would see what sort of photos I could produce using just my Olympus OMD.

I think Michael is a little envious of my camera, as he said that he would like one himself, but wouldn't be able to justify the expense.

Anyway, here's one of the results, with just a little tweaking in Lightroom. SINderella was great to work with and very adaptable, even though she has been modelling for less than a year. She clearly has a successful career ahead of her and presently has over 10,000 likes on her Facebook page.

Crane And Able

I've got a day off from work today, as I have a few days holiday to take before I move jobs next month.

One of my goals today was to mend the loo, as it wasn't flushing properly. This meant a trip to a local DIY store. Whilst driving down a road that I always use,  I found out that the road had been closed and came across this scene, which explained.

Two houses were being redeveloped, and as neither has a driveway, it clearly was impossible to deliver the building materials to the back of the house. So it seems that using this big crane was the only method.

It was certainly very easy for the builders, but a tad inconvenient for residents and motorists, as they had to do a long detour around some other streets, to get where they wanted to go.

Love Don't Live Here Anymore

Not a very encouraging newspaper headline on today of all days; St Valentine's Day.

But no, the council are not considering banning lovemaking or encouraging celebacy in Nottingham, but the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner is deciding on whether to close all sex shops and lap dancing clubs in the area, as they are seen to degrade and endanger women.

There is some debate as to whether this is true or not. As if it is stamped out and goes underground, then it might become more dangerous to the women who work in them. Maybe it should go the other way and the industry is properly regulated and checked like it is in Holland and some states in America.

Still the poster for Nandos behind takes the subject of St Valentine's Day the other way, with the idea that you can become Rudolph Valentino or Casanova after eating a plate of their spicy chicken legs.

Snow Joke

Well it happened again. Snow was predicted, and indeed fell during the afternoon.

I was on half a days leave, and was cycling home when the real flakes began to fall. The wind was blowing strongly too, so my face was being stung by the flakes.

The ground was becoming white quite quickly, and so by the time that I had reached Highfields, it was beginning to look a bit like Switzerland.

As it was all fresh snow, there weren't that many footprints about, so I stopped off and took a few photos of the different scenes.

I don't know whether it was just the snow, or some knock-on effects, but it took Gail and I the best part of two hours to drive into the city centre for a photoshoot, whereas, it normally only takes about 15-20 minutes.

All the roads were gridlocked. Nothing was moving. In fact it took us the best part of half an hour to drive along the road next to Highfields. Something we can usually do in about five minutes.

I Can See Clearly Now

A quick update as to the progress of the demolition of the old Odeon cinema.

The demolition workers have had a final push and have removed the front of the building over the past few days.

They put fencing up to stop any debris falling onto the pavement. But there are gaps, and so I popped my camera through and took a few shots.

You can now see all the way through to Maid Marian Way. Something that no one has been able to do since the 1930s. So this is could be quite an historic documentary photograph in a few years time. And you saw it here first.

The Writing's On The Wall

A return to the delights of Light Night, as it was a bit of a slow day in town today, and could find nothing worth shooting during my lunch time walkabout.

Gail and I missed this, when we arrived at the castle, but I noticed that some writing had appeared on the wall of the castle entranceway. A chap with a laptop or iPad was standing near the Robin Hood statue and he was using some gizmo to beam writing and shapes on the building.

Sometimes the software itself would find itself shown to everyone. I don't know what the software they were using was called, but it looked fun to use.

Geisha Look

Another shot from the Chinese New Year celebrations in Beeston Square.

The giant Geisha was walking around and waving at people. The person on the stilts must have had a very good sense of balance, as they didn't wobble once.

The Year Of The Snake

The local Chinese community got together today to celebrate their new year. This time it is the snake's turn.

According to the Chinese, the snake is meant to represent steady progress and attention to detail. Which I think everyone needs at the moment with the economy being in such a poor state that it is.

There was quite a bit on offer, including the classic dragon dance, a martial arts demonstration, some music and some dancing from this young lady, who twirled around with her long sleeves flapping in the air.

The weather wasn't very good, but still the large audience enjoyed it and enthusiastically clapped at the end of each performance.

There is some more celebrations tomorrow over at Highfields, including some dragon boat racing. So I think Gail and I will be popping over to see what else is on offer there.

Lighting Up Time

Tonight saw Nottingham city centre lit up once again, as it was the annual Light Night festival. The yearly event where buildings are used as cinema screens, strange things pop up in all sorts of places and it is generally very cold.

Well this year was no different. The castle was tonight's backdrop, where a group calling themselves 'Elemental Force' projected a show containing animation, photos and pyrotechnics. It seemed to relay the history of Nottingham, and included of course Robin Hood, lace making and Raleigh bikes.

I was pleased to see that the Daleks and the Tardis were making a return visit. They looked very good last year standing next to the Robin Hood statue, where they were trying to terrify the fabled outlaw. This year they were placed outside the Theatre Royal. I must admit it didn't look so good. Possibly because where they were was quite bright, and so they lost some of their impact, as where they were before was quite atmospheric and darker, so they all stood out more.

Still I suppose I shouldn't complain, as we were lucky to get anything with the continuing cuts in finances and relative poor state of the economy, as it is funding for the arts that always seemed to get trimmed first, rather than say sport.

Feeling Old

A slightly alternative view of Wollaton Hall for a change. A bit different from the usual full frontal shot that you usually see in books, postcards etc.

It certainly has become very well known now through last year's Batman film. And it is indeed a striking building with all sorts of architecturally interesting nooks and crannies on both the inside and the outside.

The Blue Period

Today has been very cold and windy. The snow that the weather people had predicted didn't turn up. Although some parts of the country did get a few flakes.

So there wasn't very much happening in the city centre today, but coming home, I noticed that the sky wasn't completely black yet. It was what they call the blue period, or dusk. So I stopped along the canal and took this photo of the sky and lights reflected in the water.

That's Not The Sort Of Mouse I Was Thinking Of!

I was amused to see this cat with a computer mouse in its mouth as part of a window display for a city centre fashion shop, on the fashionable Bridalsmithgate.

I think it is quite creative, although I am not too sure what it has to do with women's clothing though. At least its eye-catching, so maybe that is the point. Stop to look at the cat, and then realise what the shop is. Sex might sell, but obviously so does eccentric window displays

Smile, As You Are On The Radio

Last week a professional photographer friend of ours called Michael Lau announced that he was going to shoot a couple of local radio presenters, and that he was going to invite one of his friends to act as an assistant.

Of course I and 30 odd others applied, but there was only one winner. But as I work in town and Michael's studio is only a ten minute walk away, I sent him a message to ask if it was alright to go along to see what was happening. Happily he said yes, so I popped over this lunchtime for a short period.

The presenters he was going to photograph were Amy Voce and Sam Pankham from Gem 106's breakfast show. To be honest, I had no idea who they were, as I don't listen to the radio very much, and when I do, it tends to be BBC Radio Nottingham or Planet Rock. Still I wasn't there for the celebrity, but for observing the action.


Alas when I got there, they were still setting up and Sam & Amy were having their make up done. So I chatted with Michael and the others while everyone was getting ready.

At last they were ready and Michael started shooting the two presenters. I also started shooting with my OMD.  Although my camera wasn't attached to the soft boxes, I was using my 45mm f1.8 lens,  and this is one of the results.

If you want to hear what Amy & Sam sound like, then here's a LINK to their website.

You Rang M'Lord

Gail and I travelled to Grantham today, to have a look at a big superstore called Downtown.

It sells all sorts of things from furniture to clothes and gardening supplies.

We had a look around and I saw a wooden office chair, similar in style to one you would see on an old sailing ship. So I just had to sit in it, as I like the sea and maritime nick-nacks. Although I dislike being in the water. Which is an odd thing to say, being a Pisces.

It was very comfortable. And so I just sat there, whilst Gail had a look at some sofas and tables.

On the lovely wooden desk was this replica telephone, that probably someone under the age of 30 wouldn't recognise.

Although it looked like it was made of metal, it was actually very light and so only had a metal coating. To look really good, it should have been made out of Bakelite.

A Mirrored Life

This is the new E-on building that is now open and occupied after a lengthy build last year.

For those that don't know, E-on is one of the UK's main power supply companies, and I think that this is their main HQ for the region, where most of the admin goes on.

Strangely enough, last weekend, a friend of mine was cajoled by one of the building's security staff for taking photos of the building, and was told that he needed a permit form the company to be able to take pictures of it. My friend Pete told the 'jobsworth' that he was perfectly entitled to photograph the building, as he was on public land, i.e, the pavement.
Pete wrote a formal complaint to the company about his treatment, and has since received an apology.

Fortunately or unfortunately I was not approached whilst I was taking my photographs. Probably because they didn't notice me.

February Theme Day: Under My Umbrella, Ella

Typical, the one day that I wished it would rain, it didn't.

I was hoping that there would be a shower or two today, so people would be walking around with their umbrellas up.

Alas it wasn't to be, so I have had to find one out of my archive and have given it a bit of a tweak, so it looks a little different.

Down And Out

We return to the demolition of the old Odeon Cinema today, as the final section of this once popular entertainment centre is removed.

The frontage is the last bit to go. It wasn't very exciting to look at, but it did have the word ODEON as a ghost sign. But it is all gone now. Just a pile of rubble.

Yummy In Yellow

This is Beverley, a model that I had the pleasure of photographing in Wollaton Park on a sunny day during the Autumn.

I think she looks a real princess in her lemon dress and tiara.

I hope you agree.

Never Hurry A Curry

Gail and I went to The Curry Lounge tonight, as they were celebrating their sixth birthday and launching their new menu for the year.

And as an act of generosity and philanthropy, Raz the owner and head chef was doing a special 50% discount on the cost of the food and also doing a special donation to charity.

The restaurant was heaving with people enjoying some top quality nosh and getting to meet the main man himself.

The food was of course delicious. So it's no wonder that the place had won a number of awards for it's cuisine.

If you do live in Nottingham, or are planning to visit the city and fancy a delicious ruby. Then you know where to go.

Here's a LINK to their website.

A Sepia Moment

A bit of a grey day today. Although the snow has completely disappeared now, the sun hasn't replaced it. But the wind has. It was a bit of a struggle cycling to and from work today. Headwind all the way on bot journeys.

I was hoping to show a photo or two of a demonstration that took place at lunchtime in the Old Market Square. But there were only about six people there. So it wasn't worth it.

I have therefore nothing new today. So it's a quick raid on the archive, and thought I'd show this from a foggy ride through Highfields a couple of weeks ago.

Red Alert

Well the snow has all gone now & I don't think it is expected to come back.

I was pottering around at home today, so didn't take any photos. So I thought you might like to see this multi-storey car park fire hydrant.

It looks like a bit of abstract art to me. An installation they call it in museums and art galleries.

G'day

Today is Australia Day. That great, sunny continent 12,000 miles away from here.

I have two, half brothers and several nieces and nephews. Gail and I got married at the Chinese Gardens in Sydney, almost seven years ago now.

As part of the City Daily Photo sub theme day, I am participating with this Australian themed bar sited in central Nottingham.

It's on St James' Street. It's not a pub I have been in, as I tend to go to The Roebuck, which is a bit further down. Especially on a Thursday, when it's Curry Night.

Guessing Game

Here's a little picture puzzle for you. What links the above photo with the significance of today?

Any ideas?

Need a clue?

Ready to give up?

Well the answer is of course Burn's Night. A Scottish celebration of their national poet Robert Burns, on his official birthday.

Now the big question is why doesn't England celebrate the birthday of our greatest wordsmith; William Shakespeare?

The 26th of April is his day, and it would be great if we could do something in a similar style to celebrate his life and work.

Instead of haggis and potatoes, we could have roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, and for afters, apple pie and custard. Or maybe the other classic English dish of fish and chips.

Two Sugars In Mine

I went to see a local fashion designer yesterday regarding doing a photoshoot for her latest clothing line.
Alas, due to the snowy weather and the lack of a make-up artist, it had to be cancelled.

But I did manage to take a photo in the form of this slightly surreal scene.

Just the sort of thing that turns up in the Tate Modern and sells for millions.

Letting Off A Little Steam

I was planning to spin one of my fantastical yarns about these two photographs. Of how a team of Nottingham University scientists have discovered a way into the centre of the Earth and that molten lava is slowly seeping to the surface. But I don't think you'd fall for it, right!

So the truth is that one of the main roads into the city centre is presently closed to traffic whilst repairs are being undertaken to mend the pipes that pump steam to buildings connected to the district heating scheme. Reality is a bit boring eh.

The Sun Has Got His Wooly Hat On

Well, what do you know, the sun came out today. It was still 0 degrees C though. It was certainly nice to see, even though it wasn't doing anything to melt the snow on the ground.

So I took a trundle through Highfields for a change, as the snow along University Boulevard has become quite bad to cycle through. I try to stay within the rut created by other cyclists, but it's not always possible. Especially with the construction works that are going on at the moment.

Couple of arty shots here. I did take a couple of photos of the Trent Building, but thought you might like to see these trees and this park bench with the icicles twinkling between the two planks of wood.

It's Snow Time

Well we had a little dusting of snow last night, so work up to more whiteness, as it had settled on the compacted snow from the last couple of days.

So here's a couple more photos taken today. Above is the castle. I'm not sure if it the front, back or one of the sides, as the building has no clear demarcation of what side is what. But this is the side that has the cafe in it and the main viewing area towards the west of the city.

Below is a bit of the canal towpath, not far from the Broad Marsh shopping centre. It runs parallel to the road above, although more in line with the castle itself.

Who's Who?

Hello, what's going on here then?

Seems like Colin Baker's Doctor isn't too happy about being turned into a Gallifreyian snowball.

Matt Smith's and Sylvester McCoy's Doctors are certainly up to mischief with their former self. No doubt William Hartnell's version of the time lord will have something to say!

Cold As The Grave

No more snow today, but the snow from yesterday still remains. So as usual, I went into Beeston to do some food shopping and to have a look around. I also went on the hunt for some snowy pics.

And what better than Beeston's parish church. I often have a wander there when there is a wedding going on. Remember the buses from last year?

So here are a couple of shots; one of the church itself, and one of some of the old gravestones that date from the 1800s.

Bet He Wishes He Had A Scarf

The weather people said that we were in for a snowstorm today. I and a few friends at work sat and waited for it to come. It seemed to be ages and ages before we saw the first flakes.

Darryl, one of my co-workers kept looking on the Internet for weather updates.

Then at around Noon, it began. Not much to start with. Only tiny flakes, which I called dandruff.

The flakes slowly got bigger into what I would call proper flakes and lasted for an hour or so.

It was still lightly snowing on my way home. I took care on my bike, as it was quite thick in places and possibly slippery.

I stopped at a few places and took some photos for Twitter. I also decided to take some for my blog. Above is the bust of Jesse Boot at Highfields, and below is the sandstone rock that the castle was built on.

A Blot On The Landscape

This building site in Beeston used to be where a multi-storey car park and a small row of shops used to stand.

Unfortunately nothing can be done with it until the tram works that we are unfortunately getting are completed and running. Which might not be for another two years.

So for now there's this big empty space that's doing nothing and making the town untidy.

You maybe interested to know a little bit of television history regarding The Star Inn. It appeared in the TV series called Boon, but was renamed 'The Drum'.

Strangers In The Night

The fog began to close in, as I was cycling home tonight. It was quite eerie riding along the canal towpath. Fortunately there wasn't much snow around, so I didn't have to worry about skidding and falling in the freezing water.

I thought I would stop for a little while and see if I could take a few atmospheric photos of the narrowboats, lights and reflections through the light mist.

I quite like this one of two people walking by, their mirrored in the still canal.

Arty Shot - 'Cause I have Nothing Else!

Today has been fairly non descript. Busy at work as usual, but the weather wasn't doing anything exciting.

It was cold, and during the night yesterday's snowfall froze to a grey, but very dangerous slippery mess. Fortunately my cycle ride into town passed without incident. I walked, rather than rode in some of the more icier spots encountered on my journey.

Nothing worth photographing either. So here's a shot from yesterday. The Trip To Jerusalem pub looking as black and white as the snow and the trees.

More snow is predicted. So my camera might get another outing very soon.

Snowly Does It

Well it's arrived, Nottingham's first proper snowfall of the year.

It wasn't that thick to start with, so it didn't stop me cycling to work. Of course I just had to make a detour through Highfields. I must have spent over twenty minutes snapping away at the various wintery scenes on offer.

Here's the lake surrounded by snow dusted  trees. While below is a shot of the castle, which I took at lunchtime when the snow began to fall at a decent rate. I couldn't go into the grounds as they are closed on a Monday, which is good in a way, as the snow hadn't been disturbed by tourists.

Is There A Doctor In The House?

We've had our first bit of snow today. Not much. Just a sprinkle. I missed most of it, as I had a bit of a Sunday morning lie-in.

I bought a full set of Doctor Who figures the other day, as they were in a shop sale, and I have been wondering how I can use them in a photograph.

As there are eleven of them altogether, I thought the photo might be a bit crowded, so I have just chosen Doctor numbers 3, 4, 5 and 11.

I chose them because, Jon Pertwee was the first one I saw on TV. Tom Baker is my favourite. I met Peter Davison in real life and Matt Smith is the current one.

As much as I like the new style of show, I don't think it is a patch on the old style stories with character development and plot pacing. They seem to try and cover so much in 45 minutes now, which before used to be 90, or 150 minutes. Yes, there used to be a bit of padding, but having to wait until the following Saturday to see the next instalment, was exciting.

If only the old show had the budget and available special effects that the modern version has, then it would have been incredible. But the production team did well with their imagination, trying to show great effects with a small amount of money.

The Wheels On The Bus Go Round And Round

There's a photographic exhibition on at the moment in the city centre about the Co-operative Society, which was one of the largest supermarket chains in the country; now unfortunately it is one of the smallest, with the onslaught of Tesco's, Sainsbury's and ASDA.

What makes this exhibition different is that it is outside and the photographs are film poster size. There are quite a number, and they tell the story of the Co-op from the early years to the present day and their involvement in helping third world countries through the Fairtrade scheme etc.

I think most people remember going to the Co-op and getting the 'divi'; blue stamps that you saved in a book, and when it was full, you used to get money off your shopping. It was similar in a way to the Green Shield Stamps scheme. You got these from petrol stations and when you had enough you could go to their catalogue shop and exchange them for goods.

Both schemes finished in the early 1980s, as people got fed up with saving them and prices rose, which meant you have to save even more stamps for an item.

The society looked after its employees, as you can see here, as members of staff are taken to the seaside by charabanc.

Day For Night

Here's another of my 'compare and contrast' shots. This time it's the Lakeside Arts Centre in Highfields.

Above was yesterday morning. Below was taken tonight. I like the way that the roof section, which looks like the upturned hull of a boat glows with a blue aura, and the building itself looks alive now that the lights have been switched on.

The Lakeside Arts Centre is actually made up of two buildings, a theatre and an exhibition space. The building here is called the D.H Lawrence Pavilion, and hosts many drama, music and dance productions. If you want to see what sort of things go on there here is a LINK to their website.