Manchester: November in 15 images

November 23, 2025November 23, 2025 / mikeosbornphoto / Leave a comment

November in the north of England. Is it all cold, miserable and wet weather as the dark nights take hold?

Here in Manchester I spend most days capturing the city’s architectural growth and how weather shifts from one day to the next.

I’m armed with my trusty 12-year-old Fuji or Samsung mobile, now a handy mainstay after a reluctance to use it as a camera.

They produce different results, but my eye often looks upwards and maybe doesn’t see the Manchester that many people expect.

Here’s November through my lens. I’m heading to warmer climes as it draws to a close – more on that next time.

Tap/click first image to see gallery

Mike Osborn on a Manchester photo walk with his Fuji X-E1 camera.

A November photo walk in Manchester with my trusty old Fuji X-E1 camera

2023: Eight memorable photos

December 31, 2023December 31, 2023 / mikeosbornphoto / 6 Comments

It’s time to bid farewell to another year. 2023 was very memorable after I resumed overseas travel after a three-year break caused by the pandemic.

As usual it’s photography that marks the moments that count, and here are just eight of them.

How was it for you?

1. THE COLOURS OF MINDELO

My first trip abroad in three years was an island-hopping tour of Cape Verde. The colourful, vibrant and sun-kissed city of Mindelo was a favourite place and reignited my zest to see the world. It was a joy to explore and photograph.

Explore the Cape Verde islands here

2. BEAUTIFULLY GILDED

In August I had a weekend away in Birmingham to explore and capture the city’s impressive and varied architecture, including its showcase library. I’d studied in Birmingham many moons ago, so the visit evoked a whole host of memories.

Tour of Birmingham’s buildings here

3. SERIFOS BLUE AND WHITE

In May I visited three of the lesser known Cyclades islands of Greece, namely Tinos, Syros and Serifos. Bold colours, beautiful old clifftop towns and the azure of the Aegean Sea all made photography a joy. Who doesn’t love the famed architecture of these islands?

Visit a stunning trio of Greek isles here

4. MOODY LINES

There was great excitement just a stone’s throw away from my Manchester home with the opening of Aviva Studios, a new arts centre with huge ambitions and a distinctive and aesthetically pleasing building. It’s a place I love to visit often.

Find out more about Aviva Studios here

5. PINK OF THE PIER

In all honesty the UK’s summer in 2023 wasn’t a scorcher. So on a rare fine day I visited Colwyn Bay on the north Wales coast for the first time. A beautiful beach and harbour made this a great place to enjoy with my camera in tow.

Take a trip to the Welsh seaside here

6. CHEEK BY JOWL

My home city of Manchester continued its upward growth in 2023 and was the backbone of my local photography. Two nearby residential skyscrapers became accessible and looked stunning against blue skies.

See more of Manchester’s new skyscrapers here

7. SAMUEL

Travel is about the people you meet. On my Cape Verde trip, my guide on the lush, rugged island of Santo Antão was Sam. Enthusiastic, cheerful and proud of his home, he enriched my stay.

Visit beautiful Santo Antão here

8. TOWER ON BLUE

I’ve had mixed feelings about the brash seaside resort of Blackpool, but an October day that was unusually warm with sunshine and stunning blue skies changed my perspective. It was a day at the coast to remember.

Visit this coast on a sun-kissed day here

Winter sunshine, Manchester

December 3, 2023December 12, 2023 / mikeosbornphoto / Leave a comment

Winter. Howling winds, driving rain and slate grey skies are no fun.

But when it’s freezing cold and the sun is shining, walks are bracing and photographs shimmer.

Here are the fruits of recent walks around Manchester when the light was beautiful.

Autumn leaves radiated, canals dazzled with reflections and new buildings were stellar against crisp blue backdrops. What a time to be alive with a camera…

Tap/click first image to view gallery

Lancaster: City of the past

September 24, 2023September 21, 2023 / mikeosbornphoto / 4 Comments

My home city of Manchester is a heady mix of historical architecture and shiny new skyscrapers.

Travel north by train for an hour and you’ll reach Lancaster, a historic city that owes a great deal to its past… CONTINUE READING BELOW

Tap/click first image to view gallery

From Lancaster train station it’s just a short walk to the city’s imposing castle, which was also a prison until as late as 2011.

Dark walls and deep crenellations give way to charming old houses around Castle Hill, some of them quaintly crooked, others with vine-covered porches.

As I wandered around the city centre on a sunny day, the dark sandstone of historical buildings persisted. There wasn’t a whiff of any new architecture, let alone the lofty glass and steel we have here in Manchester.

Lancaster may have an old shell, but it’s a thriving place filled with coffee shops, food stalls and everything needed by modern city dwellers. There was a pleasant hum of life walking around its historic streets.

Lancaster is also blessed with an old waterway and it’s well worth a diversion to wander along its towpath and under some low-slung bridges – they’ve been there some time too!

Fifty shades of blue

August 13, 2023August 9, 2023 / mikeosbornphoto / 2 Comments

July has been a month of grey clouds and heavy rain here in the UK. There’s been little blue sky and that invigorating, electrifying colour.

I’ve combed back over five years of photographs to bring you this true blue gallery from travels near and far.

The Croatian coast produced a post dedicated to blue back in 2017, while Salford – just a walk away from my Manchester home – can dazzle on a bright day.

Do the blues put you in a good mood? Please share your thoughts below!