Layout Image
  • Home
  • Events Diary
  • Sample Pictures – Birmingham and more…
  • ***NEW*** 2021 Calendars ***NEW***
  • Bespoke Art – Just for You
  • How to Order
  • Canvas Print Sizes
  • Blog
  • Contact

Pictures of the Month – June 2018

by peter · Comments (0)
14 Jun

I’m a little bit late with this instalment of Pictures of the Month.

First up, we have a picture from my childhood; I lived in the Old Rectory, Scotton from the age of one until we left just before my ninth birthday.

Old Rectory, Scotton                                                      © Photo Digital Art 2017

Although we only moved a mile to the village of Scotter this was the first time in about 50 years that I’d actually set foot in the village (I’d been past in the car many times, but not actually walked through the village in all that time!)

This was as part of my trip to the north-east to retrace some of my childhood memories and I actually got more than I bargained for. My first port of call was the Church of St Genwys (I had completely forgotten the name). It was about 4:30 pm on a Saturday and the church was having an open day and for a fiver, you were allowed up the church tower. I declined, but on chatting to the two women in the church I discovered that Michael Llewellyn, who was conducting the tower trips, is the current owner of the Old Rectory – what a coincidence!

Once he’d locked the church tower, we had a good chat about the history of the Old Rectory and the Allen family (many things I hadn’t thought of in a long, long time) and he filled me in with what had happened since we left in 1967. As we strolled down to the house, it really struck home how short the walk was with adult legs compared to the last time I’d made that journey as an eight-year-old. Michael was a history teacher and was working on a project to record the history of the Old Rectory.

I did write to Michael with more details gleaned from my father and brother, but I haven’t heard back from him.

The second of my Pictures of the Month is The Mailbox; a building with a shorter history than the Old Rectory, but still quite fascinating.

The Mailbox, Birmingham                                                ©Photo Digital Art 2016

Previously it was the location of a railway goods yard with canal wharves off the Worcester & Birmingham Canal leading to Gas Street Basin. The site was the location of the Royal Mail’s main sorting office building for Birmingham (hence its current name) which was completed in 1970, replacing the Victorian head post office in Victoria Square. When the main sorting office moved to Aston/Newtown the building was redeveloped into The Mailbox which houses BBC Midlands, Harvey Nichols and Malmaison amongst other high-end retailers. It underwent further refurbishment and reopened fully in 2015.

The vantage point for this picture is the Town Hall multi-storey car park (colloquially known as ‘The Cage’)

Comments (0)
Categories : Photo Digital Art
Tags : BBC Midlands, Birmingham, Canals, England, Harvey Nichols, Malmaison, Old Rectory, Photo Digital Ar, Saint Genwys, Scotter, Scotton, The Mailbox, Town Hall, Worcester and Birmingham Canal

Pictures of the Month – May 2018

by peter · Comments (0)
04 May

The Pictures of the Month for May are very different from each other in many ways but demonstrate what Photo Digital Art is all about.

Wood End Lock – Trent & Mersey Canal                                  © Photo Digital Art 2017

This first picture is one that I’ve been trying to get for as long as I’ve been producing Photo Digital Art images. The sight of a 70 ft narrowboat emerging from a bridge that looks way too small is a classic canal scene, but not oft viewed these days. Finally, lady luck was on my side.

It was mid-August 2017 and we were almost back at the mooring for Peggy Ellen. I was steering the boat and William was operating the lock. As often happens at Wood End Lock there was a bit of a queue, so I tied Peggy Ellen to the bollard and waited for this magnificent boat to emerge from the lock and under the bridge. The light was perfect and I managed to get the shot just as I intended (also a rare occurrence!). Then it was back to steering duties.

The second of my Pictures of the Month is a scene from Central Birmingham that many will drive past, but not really notice. (I know I didn’t for many years!)

Bristol Street                                                                                      © Photo Digital Art 2017

Back in 2014 more than £2.4 million was invested by The Gooch Estate to create student accommodation above the locally-listed buildings as well as new retail spaces, which has helped to regenerate part of the city’s flourishing Southside district. According to the Daily Telegraph, Quarter Horse (next to AceFace) is one of the Top 30 Coffee Shops in Britain.

Like many people who live on the south-west side of Birmingham, I’ve often been stuck in traffic along here, but not really noticed how wonderful the buildings are following the restoration. Another reminder to keep observing what’s around me as there are many ‘unseen’ gems to behold if I look in the right place (at the right time).

Comments (0)
Categories : Photo Digital Art
Tags : art, Birmingham, Birmingham Southside, Canals, Daily Telegraph, digital art, England, Narrowboat, Peggy Ellen, Photo Digital Art, Quarter Horse Coffee, Trent and Mersey Canal, Wood End Lock

Pictures of the Month – April 2018

by peter · Comments (0)
12 Apr

The pictures of the month for April are both from the West Midlands, but very different in outlook.

The first is of the Bull & Bladder pub (official name The VIne) which is the brewery tap for Batham’s Brewery.

Bull & Bladder (aka The Vine)                                            ©Photo Digital Art 2017

A few years ago we spent a fantastic evening in the bar of the Bull & Bladder, supping the nectar that is Batham’s Bitter, scoffing pork pies and chatting all evening to the locals (and, amazingly, the more we drank the more we understood of the Black Country dialect!).

This picture was taken last summer, but the place doesn’t appear to have changed at all in the meantime.

The next of my Pictures of the Month is from central Birmingham and, in contrast to the Batham’s Brewery, this scene is no longer visible and never will be again.

Symphony Hall & Statue                                                     © Photo Digital Art 2016

This scene is actually from 2016 and since then, the statue has been removed (to make way for the new tram line from New Street Station to Five Ways along Broad Street) and will be re-sited somewhere nearby when the work has been completed.

Across Broad Street, in front of Symphony Hall, Centenary Square is now being completely redeveloped and all of the visible trees have been cut down. Last time I was there it looked as though there are still many months worth of work before the new Centenary Square is open.

Comments (0)
Categories : Photo Digital Art
Tags : Batham's, Batham's Bitter, Batham's Brewery, Birmingham, Black Country, Boulton Watt and Murdoch, Bull and Bladder, Centenary Square, digital art, England, Five Ways, Library of Birmingham, New Street Station, Photo Digital Art, Symphony Hall, The Vine

Pictures of the Month – March 2018

by peter · Comments (0)
05 Mar

This time the Pictures of the Month will give you some inkling as to how I produce my pictures and the time some of them can take. Back in May 2017, I took a road trip to the North East to find some childhood haunts and places that I’d not been to before. Whitby Abbey is one such place that I don’t remember visiting previously and this is the picture I created.

Whitby Abbey                                                            © Photo Digital Art 2017

That is the view you get if you don’t pay to get onto the site which is now run by English Heritage. This looks to be a quite straightforward view, but this was my third attempt to generate a picture that I was happy with. I’ll show you how it went!

Whitby Abbey (Original)

This is the actual view I had from my exterior vantage point. You may notice that there are no sheep, but we’ll come on to that later! The history and background of Whitby Abbey almost demanded a brooding, grey sky. I wanted to produce an image of foreboding that would befit the Dracula story. This was my first attempt.

Whitby Abbey 1

Well, I managed to get a dark, brooding sky, but then the Abbey gets a bit lost in it and I certainly wasn’t happy with the grass in the foreground.  I thought that I could, maybe, rectify this by removing some of the foreground and creating a mini-panorama style picture.

Whitby Abbey Mini Panorama

That was a bit better, but I still wasn’t happy with it. I decided that the Abbey doesn’t stand out enough from the sky and, also, because the idea of the dark, brooding sky is somewhat of a cliché. My next move was to substitute the dark sky for something a little more colourful.

Whitby Abbey 2

I really do like the colourful sunset, but there is still the problem of the vast expanse of grass which is somewhat devoid of interest. At this stage, I was somewhat stumped.

On occasions like this, I’ve found it best to put the picture aside for a while and return to it with a fresh eye. This time, inspiration just appeared out of the ether! On one of our canal trips, I’d taken photos of fields of cows and sheep and I realised that a flock of grazing animals would be the perfect solution for a boring foreground. I also imported a more interesting summer sky to give the much more satisfying image you see at the top of the page.

Comments (0)
Categories : Photo Digital Art
Tags : art, Canals, digital art, Dracula, England, English Heritage, May 2017, Photo Digital Art, Pictures of the Month, Whitby Abbey

Pictures of the Month – February 2018

by peter · Comments (0)
05 Feb

The long, dark month of January is finally over and we move into February with the evenings starting to become lighter again…but still with the cold air and threats of snow.

The first of the Pictures of the Month for February is of one of the new trams on Corporation Street.

New Tram on Corporation Street 2017                                    © Photo Digital Art 2017

The view up Corporation Street from the New Street end is a classic Birmingham vista with the tower of Central Hall in the distance. I’d been waiting for the new trams to finally make their way to New Street Station so that I could take this picture of that classic ‘old’ vista, but with the new twist of a new tram being highlighted.

My second picture is part of a more personal series.

White Swan, Scotter 2017                                 © Photo Digital Art 2017

This is the view I had for many years as I walked to catch my school bus to Gainsborough each morning and as I went to do my evening paper round.

Scotter, between Scunthorpe and Gainsborough, is where I spent my childhood from the age of  8 until I came to University here in Birmingham in 1976. Following graduation in 1979, I only returned to Scotter for family visits and Christmas until my parents moved in 2010.

For a while, I’d been thinking of returning to my childhood ‘haunts’ and generating some nostalgic Photo Digital Art style pictures. So one weekend in May 2017 (when the weather forecast was good) I set out towards North Lincolnshire armed with my cameras to see what the views are like now.

Our old bungalow(s) are behind me from this view (up the hill on Kirton Road as it leaves the village); I’m standing on the bridge over the River Eau (pronounced ‘eee’) looking up the hill towards the village green where the War Memorial stands in the centre of the picture. The pub has changed somewhat over the years, adding a restaurant and some hotel rooms, but the basic building is unchanged.

Comments (0)
Categories : Photo Digital Art
Tags : Birmingham, Birmingham University, Central Hall, Christmas, Corporation Street, Gainsborough, New Street, New Street Station, North Lincolnshire, Photo Digital Art, Scotter, Scunthorpe, White Swan

Pictures of the Month – January 2018

by peter · Comments (0)
11 Jan

For too long I’ve neglected this blog and so I’m going to rectify that sad situation. I’ll be using this platform to showcase the pictures that I’ve chosen for my Birmingham Calendar (which is still available to buy!) and the calendar that I produce as a gift for friends and family.

First up is a picture I took almost exactly a year ago from the balcony of the Library of Birmingham.

Hall of Remembrance & Skyline 2017 R

Hall of Remembrance & Skyline 2017

This was intended to show how Birmingham is changing and provides a view that will not be available for (probably) another 40 – 50 years by which time the Birmingham City Council will have decided to demolish the new buildings currently being erected. I also liked the appearance of the sky in the late afternoon. I intend to return in a few days to take a picture of the scene as it is now.

The picture I chose for January in my personal calendar was this one of Stirchley Library.

01 Stirchley Library 2017 R

Stirchley Library 2017

This is a lovely building, just at the top of the road I live on, that was originally funded by Andrew Carnegie, but is now under threat of closure. It isn’t a building that I use very much, but I am a firm believer that Public Libraries are a vital part of city life and should be maintained for all. So, my little contibution has been to offer this picture to The Friends of Strichley Library Facebook group to use in whatever way they see fit. At the moment it is the Cover Photo on that page.

So, there you have it…the first two of my Pictures of the Month

Comments (0)
Categories : Photo Digital Art
Tags : Andrew Carnegie, Birmingham, Calendar, Library of Birmingham, Photo Digital Art, Pictures of the Month, Skyline, Stirchley Library

Birmingham Viewpoint to Continue in 2016

by peter · Comments (0)
08 Jan

This is great news as far as I’m concerned as Birmingham {Viewpoint} has been a major force in my development as an artist. My first submission was for the second month of the project and in the following four years I’ve only missed one month. The subjects chosen almost always make me think and push me out of my comfort zone, forcing me to try new approaches or to look at the world in a different way.

I was getting quite depressed in the later half of 2015 as none of the submissions were being published, but new subjects did emerge each month. So, here is the catch-up on my approach to some of the subjects.

Subject #7 was The Big Hoot – a fantastic city-wide art event. There were 89 big owls and several more smaller ones so there were plenty of opportunities for everyone to go at. Here are some that I didn’t submit: -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, what did I actually submit? Although I did like these pictures, this one was my favourite: -

 

Subject #9 was Look Up. This was a topic that definitely made me think. Look Up is good advice to photographers and to everyone else for that matter. I started to notice new things and look at the world in a different way.

Rotunda from Inside The Pavilions

Beginning of the End for NatWest Building

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve spent many a day in The Pavilions Shopping Centre with Bert & Gerts Markets selling prints of my pictures and, if it hadn’t been for this month’s subject I would never have noticed that the top of the Rotunda is visible through the roof of The Pavilions!

My actual submission was a combination of serendipity and the new found urge to look up!

Super Moon over The Mailbox

I’d been out for an evening with some friends who were passing through Brum on a narrowboat and, on my way back to the station got slightly lost in The Mailbox which was still being redeveloped. It was the night of the Super Moon and as I looked up, this was the sight I beheld. I was very pleased that it came out as well as it did.

Subject #10 was the newly refurbished and recently re-opened New Street Station. I did take lots of photos, but only converted two of them. This panorama of the inside of the new Grand Central was the first: -

Grand Central Panorama

Whilst this gives some idea of the vast new, open space that is the concourse at New Street Station, I prefered my other picture which, once I’d seen the shot, gave Birmingham a bit of a ‘Gaudiesque’ appearance.

Station Street & The Electric Cinema

The extra shiny cladding to the new New Street Station gives endless opportunities for interesting photos and, although I had several others, this one was my favourite.

And finally, we get to Subject #11 which was Old and New. At first, I misinterpreted the concept and took a picture of the newly refurbished Stirchley Baths. This building has stood derelict for decades and finally reopened after a multi-million pound refurb as a community centre, still called Stirchley Baths.  I was thinking, “Old building, new purpose”, but that wasn’t really the point of the subject – here’s the picture anyway: -

Stirchley Baths

After realising my mistake I went out again and discovered just how many old and new buildings there are jostling for space here in Birmingham. My first shot didn’t really do justice to the subject, but I include it here for the sake of completeness.

Baskerville House, Hall of Remembrance & Library of Birmingham

That picture was taken from the new route from New Street to Centenary Square via Fletchers walk.

For my actual submission, I returned to the scene of a previous Birmingham {Viewpoint} subject – the Central Business District.

158 Edmund Street

So, there you have it, a potted history of my last six months of Birmingham {Viewpoint}. It has provided interesting challenges and, the first subject for 2016 will certainly challenge me as it is all about Black and White pictures. As you might have guessed, I’m a big fan of bright colours, so it could provide a lot of heartache for me! Watch this space!

Comments (0)
Categories : Photo Digital Art
Tags : Baskerville House, Big Hoot, Birmingham Viewpoint, Edmund Street, Fletchers Walk, Gaudi, Grand Central, Hall of Remembrance, Library of Birmingham, NatWest Building, New Street Station, Photo Digital Art, Rotunda, Station Street, Stirchley Baths, Super Moon, The Electric Cinema, The Mailbox, The Pavilions

Views of The Rotunda

by peter · Comments (0)
27 Jul

The Rotunda is THE iconic building on Birmingham’s skyline. It was built in 1965 and refurbished in the early 21st Century. It is a Grade II Listed building and is 81 metres tall. More salient details can be found on Wikipedia. Since I started producing Photo Digital Art pictures of Birmingham I have tried to produce the definitive shot of The Rotunda – here are a couple of my attempts.

Birmingham Skyline 2014

Rotunda from High Street

So it was somewhat of a surprise that it took until halfway through the fourth year of the Birmingham {Viewpoint} project that The Rotunda was finally the subject. To a certain extent this provided a ‘kick up the arse’ for me. I thought that I’d exhausted the best possibilities for getting the definitive shot of The Rotunda, but how wrong I was!!

Unfortunately, I didn’t have a lot of time in the month of the subject and, on the day I chose, it was dull and overcast. Not ideal conditions for me as I much prefer blue skies and white, fluffy clouds! But, that’s part of the fun of this project, making the most of the conditions/restrictions and just getting on with it!

As part of the redevelopment of New Street Station a new walkway has been built which gives many visitors to Brum their first view of The Rotunda.

Rotunda from Station Walkway

Much as I liked this picture, I decided that this wasn’t going to be my submission. This left me with two others to choose from and it was probably the closest decision I’ve yet had to make for Birmingham {Viewpoint}. I hadn’t walked far before my next shot occurred to me.

Rotating Rotunda

I really like this picture and it was almost my submission…but…I wanted to submit a picture that more accurately reflects my usual style and I wanted that picture to be instantly recognisable as The Rotunda to people not overly familiar with Birmingham.

Rotunda from Bullring

I was pleased that I could frame the building in the Bullring, a shot I’d not attempted before. As usual, I’m still not sure if I submitted the right picture, but its too late now!

Comments (0)
Categories : News
Tags : Birmingham, Birmingham Viewpoint, Bullring, England, New Street Station, Photo Digital Art, Rotunda, Wikipedia

Back to the Welland Steam Rally

by peter · Comments (0)
20 Jul

Its that time of year again; the Welland Steam Rally is this weekend – 24/25/26 July. I’ll be there in the Craft Marquee with more pictures of Traction Engines, Showman’s Engines, Vintage Cars and more goodies. Last year was the 50th Anniversary and I enjoyed my time in the Craft Marquee so much so that I’m going back hoping to sell some of my new pictures.

Last year saw one of the largest gatherings of Showman’s Engines ever assembled and I was lucky to get this shot of them after the main show had finished.

Each year the Woodside Garage features as an old style garage showing some vintage vehicles.

There is also a short length of railway track and last year the steam engine Bellerophon was at Welland Halt.

Of course for many of us the stars of the show are the various steam powered ‘goliaths’ that parade around the show ring each afternoon of the rally.

It’s a fantastic event and I love taking pictures of the magnificent engines on show.

I hope to see lots of people there and fingers crossed that the weather is good.

Comments (0)
Categories : News
Tags : Coaster, digital art, England, Fairground, Fridge Magnet, Key Ring, Lorries, Photo Digital Art, Prints, Steam Engine, Steam Fair, Traction Engine, Tractors, Vintage Cars, Welland, Welland Steam Rally, Worcestershire

Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham

by peter · Comments (0)
29 Jun

The marketing experts say that you should blog regularly and consistently to maintain a growing readership who are interested in your products/services. It would appear that I’ve been neglecting my obligations in that regard. So, here goes with me ‘getting back on the horse’!

One of the more interesting areas of Birmingham is the Jewellery Quarter. It has the largest concentration of jewellery related businesses in Europe and produces 40% of the UK’s jewellery. (see more here)

One of my earliest Photo Digital Art pictures was of the Chamberlain Clock and Rose Villa Tavern at the heart of the Jewellery Quarter.

Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham

Chamberlain Clock & Rose Villa Tavern

Not long after producing this picture, Birmingham Viewpoint had the Jewellery Quarter as its monthly subject and so I was back with camera in hand. Ultimately I chose another pub as my subject.

Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham

Jewellers Arms

Some time later I actually visited the pub and found it to hardly have changed in style from the mid 1980′s – even the Carling pump was from that era!

The Birmingham Assay Office is the largest in the world and in 2015 will be moving to a new building on Icknield Street. The current building is in Newhall Street and dates from 1877.

Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham

Birmingham Assay Office

On the same day I took this picture I also took this one…yes, another pub!

Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham

Queens Arms

As I take part in many craft markets I get lots of suggestions about which subjects I should make a picture. St Paul’s Church in St Paul’s Square was one such suggestion.

Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham

St Paul’s Church

St Paul’s Square is a lovely area of Birmingham, which over the recent years, has become a very desirable place to live. However, from a photographic point of view it is difficult to get a clear shot because of the trees!

As time passed and as my abilities improved I decided it was time to produce new pictures of the Chamberlain Clock and the Rose Villa Tavern.

Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham

Chamberlain Clock & Rose Villa Tavern

Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham

Chamberlain Clock & Rose Villa Tavern

The catalyst for this post was a craft market that I recently attended in the Jewellery Quarter organised by Three Thinking Collective. The event went really well with live music and a relaxed crowd browsing the market and just sitting in Golden Square in the evening sunshine. In preparation for this market I also added a couple more pictures to my Jewellery Quarter collection.

Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham

Argent Centre

Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham

Old Fire Station, Jewellery Quarter

This last picture also came from a suggestion from one of my customers. I had a stall at the Harborne Carnival when someone asked me if I had a picture of the Old Fire Station. I said, “Yes” and showed them my picture of the Old Fire Station in Harborne. She replied, “Oh no, the one in the Jewellery Quarter!” And so here it is!

For more about the Jewellery Quarter, this website has all the information you might need. It is a place that is well worth a visit.

Comments (0)
Categories : Photo Digital Art
Tags : Argent Centre, art, Assay Office, Birmingham, Birmingham Viewpoint, Chamberlain Clock, Craft Fair, Craft Market, digital art, Harborne, Jewellers Arms, Jewellery Quarter, Old Fire Station, Photo Digital Art, Queens Arms, Rose Villa Tavern, St Pauls Square
Next Page »

Recent Posts

  • Pictures of the Month – June 2018
  • Pictures of the Month – May 2018
  • Pictures of the Month – April 2018
  • Pictures of the Month – March 2018
  • Pictures of the Month – February 2018

Categories

  • News
  • Photo Digital Art

Archives

  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • January 2016
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • October 2014
  • July 2014
  • May 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
Photo Digital Art
Copyright © 2021 All Rights Reserved
Website Design by Profitable Websites
This site uses cookiesFind out more