THE OLD ROCK FACTORY

First I have to apologies for the lengthy photo post but I really couldn't cut any from the series as they all bought the story of The Old Rock Factory to life!
Some of you may or may not know the studio space but here it is. A place for creatives to be..well creative! As you can see Robin Ross the owner has his own printing studio located on the first floor and it is filled with lots of interesting things from the actual screen prints, paint pots, work areas and all with the back drop of a beautiful old factory setting.
Robin holds many printing sessions here for people of all ages and on a daily basis is there to make his own art work in which he exhibits all over the world.
The annual event 'Sand, Sea and Spray' that features Robin (and who has also curated it!) will be held in Blackpool on the 16th June this year. Over three days the town will be 'sprayed' by various artists in various urban locations. Want to know more? Click here.

I think its great that Blackpool finally has studio spaces for creatives to work in and I urge anyone who is passing to pop into the factory!

INSTAGRAM BLACKPOOL

This week I decided that while walking to work each day I would try to get a shot of a part of Blackpool that I have never seen or photographed before.
My journey usually takes me along the back streets and near the back of the Winter Gardens. I soon realised that there are lots of old signs that I have no idea what they mean but are faded or painted onto the walls.
The Instagram app and my iphone make it so easy to snap these up and as you can see the effects are quite 'urban decay' looking and bring out the colours brilliantly.
If your looking for an app for your phone I would highly recommend Instagram!

CULTURE SHOPS FINAL ROUND

The Culture Shops programme is supported by Blackpool Council and enables artists to exhibit their work in an empty shop in the centre of Blackpool. During this time of recession the project aims to make otherwise empty and dull spaces vibrant and interesting.
Friday 13th saw the final round of this programme and included artists such as Garth Gratrix, Michael Cassidy, John Mark Allen and the Langdale photography group. After a brief introduction at FYCreatives we all walked down to the space located at the old Bar Red site to listen to the artists talk about the theory behind the artwork.

Click here to find out more about the artists and the Culture Shops programme.

MANCHESTER

Over the bank holiday weekend I managed a trip to Manchester. As I was a passenger it was easy to snap up the great architecture from the window when we stopped at the lights or in traffic.
As you can see there are many unique buildings in the city and sadly most are boarded up including the Salford Cinema building.
The last few shots were taken at the Manchester Art Gallery. I love the interior and almost everywhere you look there is details or something interesting.
The photography exhibition on at the moment by Roger Ballan is very thought provoking and I recommend you go and see it if in the area. Click here for details.

Lytham

A few weeks ago I managed to get a few snaps of the quirky and quaint Lytham on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I love the unique doorways, cobbled stone paths and the old cheese shop on the high street. I am planning on going back the week of the queens Diamond Jubilee as the village usually 'dresses up' the high street according and will look very British (whatever that means nowadays!)

CONFERENCE ROOM 7

Welcome to conference Room 7 at Progress House. I had a morning meeting there and I am always interested in the building as it has literally had no maintenance or updated furniture since it was opened. It feels so retro and I couldn't help snapping up some of its features while waiting on my client.
The Langdale centre photography group are having an exhibition and I have been asked to advise on how to do this. I am so excited to get this show up as they have a massive amount of images that have never been shown in a public place. Watch this space for the opening night in a few weeks!

NYC Buildings

Todays photo was taken outside my hotel room in NYC. I love the tones and vibrant feel I have achieved in processing the image. I am not usually a fan of over processing but before this image lacked any excitement and now I feel it has come to life!

Pleasure Beach

Following on from yesterdays bright and breezy post this of a tunnel is quite a contrast. The Pleasure Beach Blackpool had a passage that leads through to the promenade and still has the original brick work dating back to the opening of the theme park.
The bright sunlight illuminates the features inside the dark concrete and draws our eyes to the lines and structure.

St.Marys

Recently I have been shooting various weddings around the Stockport area. This church in particular was so beautiful inside and outside, this window especially being a main feature.
Although I have cropped in tightly to the window panes the overall structure was huge and towered over the car park on the approach to the wedding.
I haven't done any post processing except to lighten the overall tones as it was an overcast day when it was shot.

Cheeky!

As part of my last blog about the art event at the weekend, I decided to blog another shot that was in the same location. Again I think the artist has chosen the space well and compliments the work.
The space is in the corner of a car park and not that visible when driving. When you do get a glimpse of the work and realise its a face there is a sense of fun like he is popping up with it a cheeky grin.
I really like the way it has been applied, almost like it was always there and blends quite well also.

Sand, Sea and Spray

Sand, Sea and Spray was an art show held in Blackpool over the weekend. As I was away I have only just been able to go and snap up some of the art that has literally over night covered the ugly faces of brick walls around the town.
I was really struck by this piece as the setting and expressions held by the women have a real emotional connection to the viewer.
We see these faces in the news in the papers and usually in a setting as derelict and neglected as this one. The artist really has chosen the space well and bought out such a beautiful piece quite simply.

Winter Gardens Dome

Blackpool Winter Gardens has just been refurbished and restored to a former glory. I happened to find this image from a while back of how the dome used to look. I don't think you can get a sense of the size of the dome until you see the lights dangling from the edges.
The blue and yellow cloth cast a warm colour into the space but it now has all the windows and dome uncovered giving the natural light.

Let me know what you think!

Central Library

Usually I like to shoot buildings at night to really bring out their details, especially when they are under construction. After a shoot for the Council I thought I would get a few shots in the day of Central Library in Blackpool. I did not realize it has such a beautiful structure and great detail in the stone work.
After experimenting on Photoshop I came to this cross processing effect and thought it made the stone work stand out but gave it a modern twist.

Let me know what you think of this photo.

This Time Last Year

This time last year I was asked to take a shot of Manchester United's football grounds 'Theater of Dreams'. I was surprised at the results as I wasn't sure how it would be lit or with a long exposure what it would turn out like. The results were quite nice and after a few attempts I got some good light trails from cars passing by.

Let me know what you think of this photo.