Category: Uncategorized

The subject for September is the brand spanking new… Library of Birmingham.

As with Subject #8: Birmingham’s Central Library, you’d have to have been living under a rock for the past few months to not notice that a new library has popped up in Birmingham. And with it opening it’s doors to the general public on 3rd September, it was an obvious choice for this month.

Whether you’re for or against a new library, you can’t argue that the new building isn’t interesting and that there’s not a photo to be taken at pretty much every point of the structure. So grab your DSLR, compact, mobile phone or any other device that can capture a moment in time, and point it in the direction of the Library of Birmingham.

You have until the 30th September to take your photo. As per usual, only one photo can be submitted per person and please ensure that the image is less than 2MB in size, with the smallest edge being a min of 670px. Click here to submit your image.

So, I think this months subject may push a few of you out of your comfort zones…

Having lived in Birmingham for a couple of years now, one thing I have noticed is that there is such a diverse range of people living in Birmingham, and I thought it would be a good challenge to try and capture the People of Birmingham in one image.

I also think it will be really interesting to see how you all approach this subject – whether you’ll get up close and personal with a stranger who catches your eye; whether you’ll take it from afar; whether you’ll try to capture more than one person… There’s no right or wrong way of doing it, but I’m really looking forward to seeing the mixture of submissions that this photography project never fails to provide.

As always, please keep your submissions to one image per person and please ensure that your photo is less than 2MB (with the shortest side being bigger than 670px). It’s great to see familiar names pop up in the Birmingham {Viewpoint} inbox, but it would also be great to continue to grow the project, so please spread the word. Don’t forget we’re on Twitter and Facebook!

Thanks and good luck!

Unless you’re very new to Birmingham, or you’ve been living under a rock for the past 12 months, you will be more than aware that there is a new library in Birmingham – the Library of Birmingham no less.

But sadly, it really is a case of ‘out with the old and in with the new‘ as the old library (Central Library) opened its doors for the last time on Saturday 29th June 2013. Once the Library of Birmingham opens (currently planned for Tuesday 3rd September 2013) the plans are in place to demolish Central Library as part of the regeneration of Paradise Circus Scheme.

Therefore, I thought it would be good to have Birmingham’s Central Library (the old one) as the subject for July.

No points for guessing what the subject will be in September!

Birmingham {Viewpoint} is all about highlighting some of the great areas of Birmingham. So far we’ve covered buildings, canals, bridges, regeneration – even making sure the word ‘Birmingham’ was included in your shot.

One thing I’ve noticed about Birmingham during my time here is the great opportunity the city provides to highlight local talent. And this is why I’ve chosen Birmingham Made Me as this month’s subject.

I visited the Design EXPO last year, and it was great to see so many local companies, artists etc… contributing. One thing that I also noticed is that its a great opportunity to get some awesome photographs.

About the Design EXPO, Birmingham Made Me says:

The Birmingham Made Me Design Expo is taking over Millennium Point from 6th-21st June with a giant, interactive exhibition showcasing the best products, design and innovation produced in Birmingham and the Midlands.

So head on over to Millennium Point between 6th-21st June and get involved! The timeline on this months subject has been set to the same dates as Birmingham Made Me – but submissions will be accepted until 30th June 2013. Subject #8 may get released a little early!

Please note: This subject is in no way linked with Birmingham Made Me. Please make sure you get the permission to take your photographs before taking them. Thank you.

With all the canals, roads, footpaths and railway lines, one thing Birmingham isn’t short of is Bridges.

So go grab your DSLR, SLR, phone, disposable or even pinhole camera and point it at a bridge in Birmingham! As with previous ‘open’ subjects, please can you include the location of your bridge – just in case people want to go walk / drive / photograph it too!

Please remember, its only ONE photo that is to be submitted and please try to keep the size of the image to no bigger than 2MB – thanks.

I’ve always liked the vibe and feeling of Birmingham’s Financial District – the buildings, the people and the general hustle & bustle of the area – and that’s why I’ve chosen it as Subject #5 for Birmingham {Viewpoint}.

I’m classing the Financial District as the area around Colmore Row, Colmore Circus Queensway and Snow Hill Queensway. There’s an element of poetic licence with this subject in terms of location – so ‘go to town’ on the subject – it will be interesting to see all the Submissions, and your take on Birmingham’s Financial District.

As always, please share this with anyone who you think will be interested. And don’t forget, we’re now on Facebook – so please head over there and ‘like’ and/or ‘share’ with your friends.

The Subject for March is Birmingham Town Hall. The Grade I listed concert and meetings venue is located in Victoria Square. Since its major renovation between 2002 and 2008, it has been used to host a diverse programme of events including jazz, folk, rock, pop and classical concerts, as well as annual general meetings, product launches, conferences, dinners, fashion shows, graduation ceremonies and broadcasts.

More info can be found on their website: Birmingham Town Hall.

Please note: This months subject is Birmingham Town Hall, and does not include Symphony Hall. Sorry for any confusion caused by tweets including “@THSHBirmingham” – they use one Twitter account to cover both sites.

So, for February’s subject, I have chosen Birmingham Regeneration.

Birmingham is a city on the change – for better or for worse, I’ll leave that for you to decide – but there’s no denying that it’s hard to spend any time in Birmingham without noticing change – be it a new gateway in and out of the city with the redevelopment of New Street Station; a cultural change – out with the old and in with the new for Birmingham Library; or the regeneration of a section of the city with the changes occurring in the Eastside of the city.

The challenge for this month is to capture the regeneration that is happening during February 2013. There’s more info over here of the regeneration taking place in the city on the Birmingham City Council’s website.

As always with an ‘open’ subject, please include the location of your photograph and the regeneration taking place.

Also, please can you ensure that the shortest side of your photo is min 670 px in size and no bigger than 2MB – thanks.

So… I wanted to celebrate Birmingham {Viewpoint} being a year old by offering you the opportunity to take a photo of something that you feel sums Birmingham up.

But there’s a twist! {I warned you there’d be some challenging subjects in Year 2!}

Your photo has to be a reflection of your subject – either in a window, water, glasses, mirror – anything you can think of to see a reflection of your chosen subject. As with other previous ‘open’ subjects, please include the location of your photo when submitting.

So get your thinking caps on, get your cameras out and get snapping away!

Well, believe it or not, Birmingham {Viewpoint} is 1 year old!

And what a year it has been. From the German Christmas Market to the canals; the BT Tower to the now demolished Island House, we’ve covered some of Birmingham’s finest landmarks – and we have a great collection of viewpoints of each of the subjects covered. Not forgetting of course the brilliant ad-hoc subject of 48SHEET.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed to the ‘project’ this far. I really didn’t anticipate or expect the response it has got over these past 12 months. It’s been great to see new names being added to the list each month, as well as familiar names taking part every month. It goes without saying that this project wouldn’t be a success if people didn’t get involved, so I really appreciate the time and effort everyone has made – thank you.

I’ll be the first to admit that in the past few months I’ve let the project slip a bit, and this has understandably had an impact on the number of contributors. I’d like to express my thanks to those who have kept emailing me, and offering their support when it all went a bit quiet.

I’m hoping that 2013 will be even more of a success than 2012 was. I’ve got some great subjects already lined up, as well as some challenging ones too, so I really hope you’ll continue to get involved each month. As ever, if there’s anything that you think would make an interesting subject, then please feel free to send me an email via the contact page.

Thanks again for all the submissions over the past 12 months – I’m really looking forward to seeing the next lot come through.

Cheers,

Pete

P.S. Please continue to spread the word about Birmingham {Viewpoint}. It doesn’t go un-noticed when people retweet and is certainly never taken for granted.