Tag Archives: Photography

Jan 05 2021
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Liverpool Blues

Blue is the colour

I teach Journalism in the heart of Liverpool’s Georgian Quarter. Nothing makes me happier than slipping out of the staff room at lunch to wander the cobbled streets, and day dream about living in one of those amazing houses. Especially in December, when they’re bestowed with baubles and wreaths. It’s like a scene from the original 101 Dalmatians animation.

The Georgian Quarter offers up so many visual gems. Hope Street is crowned at either end by an architectural delight. Not one, but two cathedrals. St. Brides Church is another personal favourite landmark, towering up from the pavement with it’s Parisian, Madeleine-esque columns. What I love most is the huge expanse of sky from Gambia Terrace, Hope Street, looking out to Liverpool Cathedral, especially on a clear day. Similarly, the wet paving stones on Percy Street offer up beautiful reflections after a downpour.

My lunchtime strolling had led to an accidental Twitter series of pictures. My Liverpool Blues features whatever I come across on my Georgian Quarter walks which includes a shade of blue. Usually it’s the sky, sometimes its a front door, railings, anything. I just always seem drawn to the colour and can’t resist taking a pic.

It’s not at all grim up north, sometimes you’ve just got to dig a little deeper, or take more time to appreciate what’s around you. What better time to invest in your surroundings that during lockdown 3.0? We’re allowed to get in some exercise outside with members of our own household, so why not charge your phone, pick a colour and see what looks good in your neighbourhood?

Send me your colours on Twitter, @katereillyjames and I’ll share the hell outta them.

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Jul 20 2020
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Love Not Fear – Visions of the Future

Looking back through a huge catalogue of 17,000 images, I rediscovered a photo I took of my daughter, three days before lockdown. 

One good thing to come out of lockdown (aside from the incredible rosemary fries at Honest Burger, Bold St) is time to reflect. I don’t mean philosophically, although I’ve done a bit of that too. But through the massive haul of images I’ve taken over the last year, and one really stood out.

Now, I don’t profess to be anything other than a hobby photographer. Three years on I’m still only just getting to grips with my Canon 1300D (see, total amateur), but I’ve honed a skill for capturing absolutely ANYTHING that catches my eye. This has become a way of life now and just walking around the estate to the shop, throws up endless snap opportunities (it also adds an additional 10 mins on to what should be ‘nipping’ to the shop).

My daughter, Cleo is my willing subject. When she’s not throwing the peace sign at me and touching her nose with her tongue (eww) she genuinely loves setting up shots, looking at the light and how it affects the picture, and she’s nailed the ‘vacant eyes’ look which encourages the viewer to take in the entire scene, rather than just her little frame.

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I took this picture in Stockbridge Village, Liverpool. We’d been to a friend’s birthday party at the swimming pool. It was bedlam, full of fun and laughter and friends and good times. On the way home, we took a shortcut behind the housing estate and along the side of the primary school. Through a gate designed to stop people on quad or motorbikes avoiding police detection and along a path of broken paving stones.

The route was like a post-apocalyptic Total Wipeout course. Littered with broken glass, mattresses, small fire debris, kid’s plastic toys, laughing gas canisters, and household waste. There’s always dirty nappies, isn’t there?

On approaching the gate, we’d been full of chat, laughing about the kids having fun in the pool and playing party games. Walking along the path, each step felt like the party colours faded away. A modern-day Wizard of Oz scene.

I took the picture and we quickly moved along through the end gate. Far from an out of body or time travelling experience, the two minute stretch of wasteland was just plain eerie.

Love Not Fear (www.lovenotfear.co.uk) is a citywide collaboration uniting our communities through a digital vision board with people’s hopes and visions of the new world. It’s a place to plant the seeds and spread the message of the positive changes we want to see in our future through all creative mediums.

I have added my photo to the Love Not Fear vision board as a reminder that if we don’t take action to look after our community land and spaces now, the dirty nappies, mattresses and broken glass will be all that’s left for our kids. I’ve named the photo ‘Economy Class’. Investing love in our communities will help us to not fear the future for the generations to come.

You can add your Love Not Fear artwork here.

 

 

 

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Oct 08 2017
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Like It or Lump It

I did something really scary today, way scarier than when a mahoosive house spider dropped on my daughters leg mid-shower the other morning before school…..

I took some pics and put them on my social media. I know, it sounds pathetic, especially because I practise the art of pic-sharing online most days thanks to Instagram and being a birrof a narcissist….no really, I am. I love a good selfie, B&W street scene, and pre-planned Insta-story as much as the next weirdo, but today’s pics were a bit different.

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About 18 months ago I mislaid my beloved Nikon DSLR after a weekend away with my arsehole of an ex. You’ve no idea how gutting it was to find I had safely stored the SD cards containing pics of him grinning at Nou Camp, but lost the sodding camera.

Anyway, I finally replaced the camera this week (I know, I rock at procrastination) with a base model Canon instead, and its freaking awesome. I’ve not got much idea what I’m doing other than point and shoot at this stage, but taking a wander around the docks, Liverpool today while eldest curly kid was at a party, was pretty awesome.

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I took a fashion illustration class earlier this month over at Unit 51, Baltic Triangle and spent a blissful Saturday afternoon re-learning how to draw figures (in various sassy poses) under the expert watchful eye of Pro Illustrator and Photographer, Kitty Fuller.

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After much scribbling, hatching, shading (and me generally mumbling ffs), Kitty (also known as Sarah) noticed that I had an affinity for a long, straight line and that linear was my design style. It struck a chord with me and I was determined to find a subject for my first shoot with the Canon, that offered up the same look and feel.

Imagine my delight at being able to freely photograph Stanley Dock on a grey, drab Sunday afternoon! No really, I was totally chuffed. Some of the warehouse buildings as well as the old Heritage Market and Ten Streets earmarked site are symmetrical heaven! Typically I had filled a SD card within a few minutes, but these are the four images I really quite like.

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The scary part in all this? Is actually sharing the pictures. Art is such a personal thing. One person may rave about a pic which can be quite easily labelled shite by another, so I’ve made a conscious decision to shoot and share the scenes, people, events and things I love, and not what’s commercially ‘In’ to impress the digital masses.

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If you’re an experienced tog and want to share some tips on how to get the best from your Canon, please do drop me a line, you’ll find me on katereillyjames@gmail.com equally if you want to send some constructive criticism or a high five my way, that’s cool too.

Here’s to many weeks and months of taking pics and finding my ‘style’. Apologies in advance for being a camera bore, but I faffing love this city and sharing it with the tinterweb might just be my new favourite thing. (Apart from collecting Nikes of course)…..(and those processo freezies from Aldi)…….(and Maoam).

x

 

 

 

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