One of the biggest surprises that I found in Stockholm was it's amazingly elaborate underground system. Often called 'Europe's longest art gallery' many of the stations are decorated in emotive scenes that carry a mix of historic and political references. Many are simply colourful places that breathe fresh life into what can often be dull and drab places. Each station has it's own 'personality' with different themes. I would have loved the chances to have shot these late at night with fewer people around and had more time to explore all of the stations, but unfortunately, time was not on my side, but you get the idea...
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Just one of those shots...
I am very lucky to live in (what I believe to be) one of the prettier parts of Birmingham City Centre, St Paul's Square. Last week we had an incredible sunset that turn the whole sky a mix of Purple's, Pink's and Red's - so I ran and got my camera and managed to get this shot away before I missed it. It has had minor PP and the sky really was this colour. I was also fortunate enough to have it shared on the 'Birmingham Updates' Facebook page, a local news outlet - that got the shot well over a thousand 'likes' - not bad for a 'snap'...
Stockholm, Sweden...
I recently spent a few days in Stockholm. Firstly, I have to say what an amazing place it is and if you're ever fortunate enough to get the chance to visit it, you really should! The people were incredibly friendly and I was blown away by how clean and pretty the place is! At this time of year, the sun rises at 8.30am and sets at 3.00pm! So there wasn't much time to go shooting, however, I think the shots I did get represent just what a wonderful place it is... P.S. the first couple of shots are clearly London, but I didn't think anybody would mind...
A few Long Exposures around Birmingham
Over the past couple of weeks, I've had chance to get out and about around Birmingham City Centre and do a bit of 'Long exposure' work. This basically mean leaving the shutter open as long as needed to get those great looking light trails that really show the motion of passing traffic, clouds and basically anything that's moving...
Saturday Sunshine...
It's rare at this time of year to get a really nice, sunny day that isn't too cold. So when I saw the sun bursting through my window I couldn't resist running out with my camera and I wasn't disappointed. I did however, fall into the 'tourist' kind of shots and take a walk down to the Bullring Shopping centre, with it's love it or hate it facade, it has become a bit of an icon and therefore a slightly cliched shot. However, it looked so good in the winter sun that I couldn't resist. My favourite shot of the day was taken in the markets, it was just a typical scene with two guys setting up their stalls, but the light was perfect and it looked almost cinematic. As ever, don't forget to 'Like' my facebook page for further updates...
http://www.facebook.com/rossjukesphotography
The Classic Motorshow: Birmingham NEC
I was lucky enough to attend the Classic Motorshow at the Birmingham NEC last weekend. There was a great display of cars from all era's on display. Though, a particular favourite was Jaguar's latest concept, such a beautiful car, one that I would certainly love to shoot in a proper location away from the crowds.
You can see more of my photos from the day on MotorVerso, click the following link...
The Frankfurt German Market (Part 1)
Every year, Birmingham plays host to the Franfurt German Market. It's a great mixture of craft, food and of course, beer! However, probably most enjoyable for myself is the opportunity to wondered around and take photos. The atmosphere is brilliant, everybody is having fun and even though it's generally pretty busy, it's good to just slip through the crowds and snap away., Though I must say, I do tend to get hooked in to taking long exposures of the 'Big Wheel' - expect to see more market shots throughout the Christmas period...
Sunny Sunday Afternoon
I couldn't resist a little wonder around Birmingham City centre in the sun and it looked great. I took advantage of the nice weather to look upwards and get a few architectural shots. It wasn't long before I found my way back to the Library of Birmingham and enjoyed a great sunset. I will certainly be going back for more...
More Classic Cars...
The BBC were filming in Birmingham again today so I popped alon and shot some of the classic seventies cars that were on show. I also made some great new contact and would like to thank Norm, Nial and Syd for their help...
An Autumnal walk...
Here are a few photos from a nice, sunny walk around Birmingham's Jewelry Quarter. Don't forget you can keep up to date with my goings on by 'Liking' my Facebook page...
Cinderpath Run 2013
Yesterday, I was very fortunate to be invited to shoot the Cinderpath Run in Sutton Coldfield. The run is held Annually and raises money for the Norman Laud Association, which supports children and adults with learning difficulties. Here are a few sneak shots from a great day, but check out the website for more information. Hope to see you there next year!
Birmingham Half Marathon 2013
I'm usually pretty proud of the fact that I was born and raised in Birmingham, but events like this fill me with pride. The Birmingham Half Marathon is an annual event that raises millions of pounds for charity. This years event saw over twenty thousand entrants running for a host of good causes. Seeing as the start point was a five-minute walk from my house, it would have been rude not to of gone out and photographed the day.
The event itself is exceptionally well organised. Teams work throughout the night and day to lay out the course, help the runners and keep an eye on security. Apart from the minor disruption of closing half the city off, the day itself went amazingly well. Though no new course record was set this year, I'll bet there were thousands that felt amazing as they reached the finish line (though with incredibly achy legs!).
From a photography point of view, it was a pretty difficult day but I did manage to get a few shots that I liked, though I think my panning shots need a bit of work and it would have been nice to have had the 70-200mm lens. Other than that, it was a great day and may even be tempted to go back next year, maybe even take part!
What to do today...
I'm off out with my camera again today so look out if you are in Birmingham as I may chase you down the street trying to photograph you! I am also hoping to get out and about during the Birmingham half marathon tomorrow to get some action shots, but we'll see... Whilst I am out and about, I will also be doing my usual 'Car Spotting' (I missed an F-type by seconds yesterday, very pretty car though!) So don't forget to 'follow me' on Instagram for more, well, cars that I spot... @rossjukes
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Playing with fire...
Last night I had my first ever attempt at a form of light-painting called 'fire-painting'. Many of you that are keen about photography will have come across this before, but for those that haven't, it involves taking a long exposure of a burning object to accentuate the movement. In my case, it involved lighting some steel wool and spinning it around very quickly!
I will definitely be having another go at this so I may make a 'How to' video at some point, so I will be brief with my descriptions. I used an old camera strap with a metal whisk on the end and proceeded to fill the whisk with steel wool. Then, after lighting the steel wool, you spin it around very quickly and the sparks shoot through the air, causing the long light trails. For my first shot, I stood by a canal so that I could get some reflection in the water and so that I had somewhere to go if I accidentally caught on fire!
Now would be as good a time as any to state the incredibly obvious, the sparks are not as dangerous as they seem, however, they will still set things on fire if they are left unattended, so if you plan to try this yourself, please be careful! I took out my trusty assistant (Laura) and a few bottles of water in case things got out of hand! Remember to be very vigilant and not to walk away from an area without checking there are no sparks that could potentially start a fire.
For this reason, we moved to a viaduct that was pretty quiet and usefully, made completely from brick! Bricks don't catch fire easily but we still had to be mindful of parked cars and pedestrians, the latter of which did give us a few funny looks! The archway also provided a great location to emphasise the fire painting, though I am keen to try this out in the open to see how 'big' we can make it look.
I was doing the actual 'spinning' and a few obvious things to be mindful of are not setting yourself on fire (I did notice my trainers were going up at one point!). Wear a hat! That one is self explanatory and it is always best to take a friend as they can keep an eye out for any mini fires and watch you camera gear whilst the long exposure is happening. All-in-all though, I really enjoyed it and can't wait to get out and try it again. There are plenty of useful videos on Youtube that I would suggest you watch first but if you have any questions, feel free to comment below and I will answer so everyone can see. Thanks and be safe!
Torque Project Birmingham
It's been a while since I've posted as I'm busy working on a couple of projects. 'Oversteer Addicts' is about to go through a huge change and we've got some features to shoot before the overhaul of the site so it will be an interesting few weeks. However, I'm just writing an article for the site and thought I'd share some of the photographs with you. The article is about the Torque Project in Birmingham, which is a supercar dealership based in the heart of Birmingham City Centre by the Bullring shopping centre. Needless to say, there are some beautiful cars in there which I recently had the opportunity to photograph...
Week from Hell...
I think you can tell from the title why I have not been able to update the website this week! I've been completely distracted by one or two major projects so not really been able to get out with the camera. However, I have added a few photos to Instagram (see the feed on the right there) and don't forget add me @rossjukes
So what is in store for the future? Potentially got some decent cars to shoot, F-type, McLaren and anything else I can find in the meantime. If anybody out there would like their car 'portfolio' then let me know, I'm happy to shoot most things :)
I am also just about to arrange a few portrait sessions so keep an eye out on the site for a few new faces, again, if there are any potential models out there living in the Birmingham area, let me know and I'll happily arrange a shoot. So hopefully more regular posts next week... Thanks.
A good walk ruined....
Well my plans for a morning of walking around Birmingham with my camera came to an abrupt end when my [phone rang and something more pressing came up. Though I did have a quick mooch through the markets and grabbed a few quick snaps. It's always a very rewarding place to take photos, though I just wish I had more time...
Just me & my camera...
It feels like ages since I have had a few free hours to go out and take random pictures, but that's exactly what I will be doing this morning. Birmingham always throws up a few interesting photo opportunities with it's diverse mix of people and locations. If i'm feeling confident enough, I might even stop a few people and grab some street portraits' but we'll see if that one happens. So if you are out and about in Birmingham today, look out for a guy with a camera hiding behinds corners and looking shifty!
The New 'Library of Birmingham'
Birmingham seems to be going through a bit of a spell of redevelopment and one of the pinnacles of which is the new 'Library of Birmingham'. At £180m it has a huge reputation to live up to and I am pleased to say, I think it does! The layout, design and facilities all seem great and it has lots of little hidden gems including a 'Secret Garden' on the 7th floor with spectacular views over Birmingham. I have snapped a few pictures but I am sure that I will be returning on a regular basis to what I can imagine will turn out to be a fantastic hub for 'creative' people in Birmingham. It will also go straight to the top of 'Must see' places in Birmingham as I don't think it would look out of place in other European destinations such as Barcelona...
MotoGP at Silverstone...
Last weekend, I had my first MotoGP experience and I must say, I was blown away. It was a very early start, 4.30am on a Sunday! which may have been the contributing factor to me forgetting my long lens... Still managed to take a few shots but can't help but think that I missed a great opportunity down to my own stupidity, lesson learnt but a great day anyway...
