Manchester autumn

October 25, 2020October 25, 2020 / mikeosbornphoto / 23 Comments

Autumn. Seasons of mist and mellow fruitfulness. Beautiful leaves. Some years it’s left me cold. But this year it’s caught my eye here in Manchester. READ MORE BELOW

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My neighbourhood of Castlefield, set by the canal close to central Manchester, was an obvious place to explore. The trees are rich with colour and leaves have scattered into the water.

I contrasted this urban setting with a trip to Fletcher Moss Park, a delightful area of gardens and woodland in Didsbury, south Manchester. They didn’t disappoint.

This year, for whatever reasons, I’ve revitalised a passion for capturing autumn/fall. It might be obvious, but it’s good for the soul and absorbing, don’t you think?

Autumnal notes

October 22, 2017October 22, 2017 / mikeosbornphoto / 6 Comments

Autumn arrives every year without fail, and with it a billion photographs of warm oranges and burnt russets. It’s hard to resist, but I wonder why we do it. One year I avoided the fall altogether, another year I took some leaves indoors in an effort to do something different.

On a recent break in Wales, I found an autumnal spot and succumbed to the inevitable. Do you ever think it’s best to sail against the tide and put your camera down when everyone else is snapping away?

Sweeping leaves to one side, a seasonal moment came to me one dark afternoon as the rain lashed against the window pane and darkness had already set in. A moment when outdoor bleakness almost seeped in. This capture of mood made me want to pick up my camera.

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5 of 2015

December 31, 2015 / mikeosbornphoto / 25 Comments

Another year of photography is drawing to a close. My camera and I have found new places to capture here in London, and travelled further afield on this island and beyond. I set myself the task of selecting just five shots that have stood out during 2015. Choosing the ‘winner’ is a job I’ll leave to your better judgement – please vote at the end of this post. Here’s to a productive year – Happy 2016 to you all.

TOWER DESCENT

This photograph was taken on a memorable visit to Sweden. We had clambered up the tower of Stockholm’s imposing city hall. My friend Annakaisa was positioned beautifully in this elegant clasp of brickwork on the trip back down. The shot was strong in colour and with more gravity in monochrome.

LOW TIDE LAND

This was captured at a wedding with a touch of magic at the Kent seaside resort of Whitstable. At low tide ‘the street’ revealed itself, allowing walkers to venture far from the shore. The figures in the frame add to this composition for me.

BROWNS

A simple pile of autumn leaves. I spent some time in studio shoots capturing a range of inanimate objects from kitchenware to summer fruits. The studio becomes your world – what happens there is down to you.

TULIP CIRCLE

A piece of architectural splendour I’d been meaning to capture for some time. The Tulip Staircase is in the Queen’s House at Greenwich, which contains a rich cluster of beautiful heritage buildings.

ILIAS

A recent portrait of my Greek friend Ilias, on an urban stroll around London’s Hoxton area. This was a pivotal moment when I made a concerted effort to place people at the centre of my photography. This sparked a germ of an idea which will hopefully feature in the coming year.

Urban vegetation

November 27, 2015November 26, 2015 / mikeosbornphoto / 4 Comments

In some parts of London, greenery appears hard to come by. On a recent photo walk around Shoreditch, this is the best I did – a scattering of autumn leaves on steps at Arnold Circus, a small park set at the confluence of several streets with a small bandstand at its centre. As this city crawls into winter, fall vegetation is becoming scarcer as it is cleared up and the trees grow bare.

Not so for this upstanding pair of trees I found in the business area near Liverpool Street station, guarding a chunky office block. They look like fish out of water, trying to bring a glimmer of nature to a natureless place…

Colourfall

October 18, 2015October 2, 2019 / mikeosbornphoto / 24 Comments

Autumn brings with it a riot of colourful decay and the irresistible urge to go outdoors and take photographs of the turning leaves. Last year I chose to ignore the call, but this season tried to create some different shots by foraging for leaves in my local park in west London – and bringing them back indoors to be my willing subjects.

My well-lit living space with its white surfaces doubles up as a studio area to take photographs and arrange my own shots rather adapting to what you are confronted with. Standing on a chair proved a useful technique, while my macro lens was given another workout. Consider coming in from the cold to capture your fall…