Manchester: Autumn inertia

October 19, 2025October 17, 2025 / mikeosbornphoto / 4 Comments

An endless blanket of thick grey cloud. Barely a breath of wind. Nothing moves or changes.

This is the weather we’ve had on repeat in Manchester and much of the UK recently, as a vast autumn anticyclone settled over us.

Sluggish grey skies tend to put a downer on capturing colourful, active photographs.

But it wasn’t all doom and gloom. In my Castlefield neighbourhood, the waterways were so still that reflections were solid and dynamic. Autumn leaves hadn’t been strewn about in the wind.

One morning the gloom descended deeper in the guise of fog, making the local skyscrapers shrouded and eerie.

Do you like the dull calm or prefer your weather to move faster?

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Photographer Mike Osborn flat on the pavement capturing Manchester's skyscrapers.

I lay flat on the ground to see foggy skyscrapers!

January in 15 photographs

February 2, 2025January 29, 2025 / mikeosbornphoto / 3 Comments

January is said to be the most thankless, depressing of the winter months.

The joy of Christmas has passed and we’re left with freezing temperatures and dark days.

This year I didn’t escape to warm, tropical shores. I stayed in Manchester and saw snow and thick fog come and go.

But I made the most of bright, chilly days and chased our city’s new architecture while it shone.

My only trip was to the coastal town of Morecambe, on the edge of a still, icy arm of the Irish Sea which had a captivating magic.

How has this long, cold month been for you?

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Two seasons on the reservoir

October 23, 2022October 23, 2022 / mikeosbornphoto / 4 Comments

Entwistle Reservoir in Lancashire is just a 30 minute train journey from Manchester. It’s a beauty spot that changes greatly with the seasons. Enjoy the photographs and read more below

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My first visit to Entwistle was on a chilly February morning. The area was cloaked in a ghostly blanket of fog while the reservoir’s levels were very healthy.

Fast forward to July and a summer heatwave with piercing blue skies. The waterways were noticably depleted and green blooms of algae were taking hold. It looked a very different place to the winter.

A walk to the magnificent Entwistle Viaduct on both visits was a real contrast. In winter it reflected perfectly in plump waters. By summer the scene was drought-ridden and tainted by algae.

No matter what the season is, Entwistle and the adjacent Wayoh reservoir is a popular place for walkers and their dogs, with the calm waterways and surrounding tranquil forests.

Back in the heat of July, I had to stop for a refreshing drink and hearty pub lunch at the Strawbury Duck before heading back to Manchester.

Entwistle Reservoir is a place I’d go back to for a good walk with my camera and to observe the changing seasons.

Chasing fog

January 23, 2022January 22, 2022 / mikeosbornphoto / 4 Comments

We’re in the grip of winter in the UK, including thick fog which occasionally shrouds our cities and countryside.

I woke up to this one recent Sunday morning, quickly got dressed, grabbed my camera and went out into the cold.

It was swirling around the modern skyscrapers of my Manchester neighbourhood but seemed to be moving away with unexpected speed. But I could still see it creeping in the distance.

So I chased it over to our twin city of Salford, where it lay very deep by the Irwell river and an area called The Meadow. Wandering back into Manchester, I noticed the mist was having a second wave around the high rises.

Photographing the ghostly pall of fog isn’t always easy – have you tried? Please leave your comments below

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Sculpted landscape

February 26, 2017February 25, 2017 / mikeosbornphoto / 12 Comments

I’ve taken my first trip across the Pennines, from the urban might of Manchester to the open countryside of Yorkshire. The piece of landscape I chose is an unusual wonder – a park peppered with beautiful and beguiling sculptures. Work from the greats including Henry Moore and Antony Gormley appear around every corner.

That morning at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, the ground was covered in frost and a mist hung in the hills and trees, and the park’s lake was delicately frozen. The sun eventually cut through the eery gloom to create some delightful scenes. For a lad from the urban heart of a great northern city, it’s heartening to be able to escape to the wilderness with ease.