Here’s a gallery of recent moments here in Manchester, from walks, passing the time of day and appreciating this vibrant city.
On a warm summer’s morning I laid down in the shadow of Deansgate Square, our tallest buildings.
There was a dusk walk along the Manchester Ship Canal when the sky was dramatic and reflections pristine. A stunning, vibrant sunset and capturing a city centre robin complete the set.
Do you think the best things in life are free?
I look at the summer skies over my home in Shepherds Bush, west London, every day. Clouds fly across cobalt blue and rich dusky sunsets happen on even bad weather days.
My aim was to capture some of this movement, using a tripod and a neutral density (ND) filter. This keeps out most of the light and enables you to lengthen exposures even in bright conditions. This was just a stuttering start to show some of the motion of the clouds. The result appears milky and quite blurry, while foreground objects – such as a pigeon graciously sitting on an aerial mast – retain their clarity.
I haven’t decided whether I like the motion blur effect, or if it would be more impressive with a much bigger sky and very long exposures. Time to experiment further, I think…
The photo below was a regular exposure, but sky porn too good not to include, with its smoky pink puffs of cloud and aircraft trails picked out by a blazing evening sun.
I spotted an impressive evening sky from my west London window, with clouds catching the sun’s rays just before it began to slip away. The bonus was an aircraft crossing the frame on its way to Heathrow Airport.
The cloud has a delightful pink tinge and the sky above is bright and pure cyan. The bottom of the cloud looks moody, but a simple switch to monochrome alters the story dramatically. The plane suddenly looks like it is escaping from peril.
The use of monochrome can have such power in a photograph. It can soften the mood, make the story more wistful. And yet it can inject a sense of danger and moodiness when it wasn’t there. The same photo can tell two different stories…
See also: Sumptuous sunset
