What happened in 2023?? Part I
It has been a while since writing my last post, I am in the mist of writing my last part to how I got into photography which is all based around the wonderful world of Disney. In this new blog I am going to be writing about what happened in 2023. This will be split into two parts. This first part will be the first half of the year and the second part will be the last part of the year. This part will include visiting a new European destination and of course visiting London a few times in the year. So lets begin shall we…
A New Year
At the beginning of 2023 I had what I thought a month off due to starting my new job it then turned into 3 months due to background checks and other important things that needed to happen. In that time I didn’t do too much photography. Near the beginning of the year I visited London Heathrow (the place I was about to start my new job) and captured some aircraft on my Sigma 150-600mm lens. I visited London once to see a theatre show so I captured only a small bit while I was up there. I then had to go and get my car’s windscreen fixed in Croydon so I was able to capture another TFL roundel to go alongside the other London Underground roundels.
Date-3rd Januray 2023
Date-3rd January 2023
Date-3rd January 2023
The iconic Airbus A380 in the beautiful Qatar livery as it lands into London Heathrow. As it was a colder and wetter day the moisture will come off the wings in such a fantatsic fashion.
Date-3rd January 2023
The mighty Boeing 777-200 in the Oneworld livery, was able to slow down the shutter speed to have the motion effect.
Date-3rd January 2023
At the end of January I visited London to see the theatre show/play, The Play that Goes Wrong. It was very funny and would highly recommend it to anyone who likes a bit of slapstick humour. Before the show me and my partner at the time visited The London Eye and also the Churchill War rooms (it was a very full day). While on the London Eye I was able to capture the city from above which hasn’t happened for a while so I was excited. Sadly the weather to begin with was very grey and gloomy but then it did get a little sunnier closer to the evening.
It’s a photo you’ve probably seen throughout my other blog posts but it’s always one the first I take when I get to London as I arrive into London Waterloo train station. I was learning new techniques through Lightroom by using the masking tool which I was able to bring up the main parliament building to be a bit more lighter and having the sky a little darker so your eyes are more focused on the main subject.
Date-29th January 2023
As we moved slowly up on the Eye I love trying to find small gaps to find the subject like this one above with the main tower at the Houses of Parliament. I am teaching myself more and more the different focuses that the camera has, this means that i could focus on the single subject.
Date-29th January 2023
Like the tower at the Houses of Parliament I then moved to the iconic Queen Elizebeth Tower aka Big Ben. When it came to editing I decided to de-saturate the background and make Big Ben the subject of the photo even more than the original RAW photo.
Date-29th January
Looking down on one of London mainline stations, Charing-Cross takes passengers from the city centre down to the south east to places in Kent such as Canterbury. It was nice being able to capture the movement of trains going in and out of the station. This isn’t the busiest train station in London but definalty transports a fair few people everyday.
Date-29th January 2023
It used to hold the title of busiest station in the UK but has been overthrown by London Liverpool Street, London Waterloo is the biggest train station by floor space with holding 22 platforms. Transporting passengers to the south west from the suburbs like i.e Kingston to Exeter located in the county of Devon. As we was visiting on a Sunday there wasn’t as many trains due to engineering works that usually take place on a weekend, so there wasn’t much movement on the station.
Date-29th January 2023
Date-29th January 2023
Fun fact-There are 32 pods located on the London Eye which represents the 32 London Boroughs. There is no pod 13 as they claim it is bad luck so the numbers go from 1-33 instead.
Date-29th January 2023
In the late afternoon we walked around Trafalgar square where we came across some old cars all lined up next to each other including also an old fashioned Red Routemaster bus. Turns out they were filming for an upcoming film (which we wasn’t too sure what film it was).
I have always had a love for cars both old and new. When it comes to car photography I love getting down lower to the ground.
Date-29th January 2023
What reminds me of the car from Harry Potter that the Wesley’s have. I should mention the building behind the cars is the Canadian Embassy. This adds a bit more a vibrant colour to the photo with that red.
Date-29th January 2023
It makes me laugh when seeing the old police cars compared to the police cars we have now or even what you see in other countries such as the USA. When I came to editing this photo I wanted to add a bit more of a 60s vibe with the colours and other editing tweaking.
Date-29th January 2023
To end the day in London before the theatre show I took this photo of the iconic Nelson’s Column against the sunset backdrop which is a contrast from the grey gloomy skies we had in the morning. During the London trip I was using my favourite lens the 24-105mm ƒ4 which is my go to lens for any street photography.
Date-29th January 2023
At the beginning of February I took a trip to Croydon on the tram which I haven’t used for such a long time, so I decided to take my camera with me to capture a couple of photos on my little journey.
The tram roundel which ticked off another one in my quest to get pictures of the different roundels in London. It is a slightly lighter coloured green compared to the District Line.
Date-1st February 2023
Compared to other transports you would have to walk over a bridge or tunnel to get to other platforms but with the tram you can walk over the designated walking paths. This means you can stand in the middle and capture a centre on image. I did realise when I came to editing it was I wasnt slap bang in the middle (There will be a next time)
Date-1st February 2023
This was taken early morning when I was about to head into Croydon, due to it being winter the sun doesn’t come up until about 7:30-8:00 so you get this nice winter sunrise.
Date-1st February 2023
I decided to combine most of the roundels that I have taken photos of throughout the London TFL network. The Emirates Air line has now changed under a different name so that photo is a bit more unique. There are still a few others I think I am missing/I have pictures of but didn’t include it in the collage.
Visiting a new place
In February I got to visit a new place in the UK both in beauty and also in history. First off I visited a beautiful area of the UK called Malvern which is located just south of the city of Birmingham. Took a beautiful walk over the Malvern hills, it defiantly felt like a very winter walk as it was very cold and windy, but it genuinely very breathtaking to see so much when your at the top. Alongside the beautiful Malvern Hills I visited the Cadburys factory which made me feel like I was in Charlie in the Chocolate Factory.
The big logo of Cadbury’s, it’s nothing over the top as this factory has been around for a very long time, Cadbury’s has been around for 200 years which is incredible. I love the exterior of the factory I just love the industrial stuff that is going on around.
Date-4th February 2023
Date-4th February 2023
Date- 4th February 2023
Date-4th February 2023
Date-4th February 2023
The Malvern Hills stretched for a nice long distance which you can see the beautiful county all around. I can imagine when it’s sunny it would be even more picturesque. This was taken on my 24-105mm ƒ4 but I thought this was taken on my 16-35mm ƒ4 because of the wider angle, no this was at 24mm.
Date-4th February 2023
Date-4th February 2023
There is a pathway that leads along most of the hills which people can follow. You can see in the change in shape of the terrain as you get closer to the top of one of the hills. Plenty of walkers with dogs which I met (all very friendly). I used an earthy-tone preset for the photo so it feels a bit more gloomy.
Date-4th February 2023
Slowing down
As I started my new job at British Airways in March my photography started to take a slower turn this is due to working 7 days and having a few days off and as you can imagine I just want to relax. In the times that I was off or finished early due to training for the first month I went on a couple of nature walks and even just capturing the beautiful blossom which grows on a tree outside my house. I used my hefty 150-600mm lens for my nature photos.
I took a nice walk in one of my local country parks which is a nice area. Horton Country Park has so much beauty around it when you walk around its woodland. Located in the park is this newer housing estate but this tower also reminds me of the house that the Wesley’s live in Harry Potter.
Date-2nd April 2023
You can come across some very beautiful animals when walking around the park. This horse was just minding its own business in its very red coat. This was shot nearer the 600mm focal length when it came to editing I wanted to highlight the red coat and bring it out the vibrance.
Date-2nd April 2023
Further around the park you’ll come across Hobbledown Farm. You will walk along the fence line of the farm, you come across some furry animals like this cute Alpacas.
Date-2nd April 2023
Near the end of my circle route of the park I came across this random plane just sitting on this stone stool. I think It was sitting in tin foil so i’m not 100% sure who left this. I shot this at 600mm with an aperture of ƒ8. The editing I decided to make the image a bit cooler but also keeping the vibrance and satruation of the plant.
Date-2nd April 2023
While out on a walk with my family in the local park Nonsuch Park I took my Sigma 150-600mm lens. I was able to capture this stunning and beautiful robin that was sitting on the branch of this tree. I love the colours of the robin head and part of its body. What has a sentimental value to me with this photo is that this is my Dads favourite photo. I am defiantly keeping this as a contender for the Countryfile calendar.
Date-3rd April 2023
You can’t deny that this is one happy squirrel. My dad was feeding him with some nuts and he was just enjoying the moment. Luckily I was able to capture this quite quickly of him in is element.
Date-3rd April 2023
Located outside of my house is this beautiful tree that around March/April time will have blossom on it. I had to grab a picture of the blossom blooming. I was using my Sigma 150-600mm lens so I was able to get up close and highlighting the beautiful detail.
Date-22nd April 2023
I remember when I came to looking and editing some of these photos that this looked like it was taken against a white background in a studio but actually this was taken when a cloud was behind it. I quite liked how arty it came out when I finished it in post processing.
Date-22nd April 2023
A big day coming in London
In May a certain small event was happening in London. King Charles the Third was going to be coronated in the capital. A few days before the event I decided to take a trip to London to see all the amazing preparations. It was very patriotic and colourful with so many flags leading down the Mall toward Buckingham Palace and around Parliament Square. I decided to be a bit adventures and take my Sigma 150-600mm which I was able to capture some very up close photos around London.
To see what I could do with this massive lens I started with Big Ben. I was standing by the London Eye when I was taking this photo. You can see all the beautiful architecture details in the building. I did two copies of this photo, one was in colour but I preferred the one in black and white.
Date-4th May 2023
Date-4th May 2023
I love the focal length of this lens and how far you can stand away to get up and close photos. Yes I know this lens is more designed for landscape but hey I wanted to try something more unique.
Date-4th May 2023
Date-4th May 2023
Standing in Parliament square I was looking around with what I could capture, I looked up at the building at the Houses of Parliament and saw the Union Flag flying in the breeze. It makes me very patriotic to be British to see the flag flying high.
Date-4th May 2023
Walking around this part of London and seeing all the Pomp and Circumstance was quite exciting as we was getting closer the big day. I wish they kept them up after the Coranation because it really adds more colour to the capital.
Date-4th May 2023
Date-4th May 2023
Date-4th May 2023
I did swap out my lens to my favourite 24-105mm ƒ4 to capture this photo. The timing was amazing as there was police on horses patrolling through the streets as they were trotting around Parliament Square.
Date-4th May 2023
While I was walking down the Mall I should have counted how many flags there was around this part of the capital. I did swap back to the 150-600mm lens while I was walking down towards Buckingham Palace. I really wanted to bring more vibrance into the photo highlighting the reds in the flag.
Date-4th May 2023
Date-4th May 2023
It is back, the ‘hint of colour’ down the Mall. I just knew when I took this photo and looking back on it while sitting in the park I wanted to make this one of my favourite style of edits. A lot of the Commenwealth flags have a lot of red so I know that would be my subject colour in the photo.
Date-4th May 2023
I got down to the end of the Mall and stood outside Buckingham Palace. Now don’t get me wrong I wasn’t sure if I was going to get questioned with the size of the lens by this prestigious building. I took this opportunity to capture the military soldiers that were standing on guard at the palace.
Date-4th May 2023
Date-4th May 2023
Date-4th May 2023
I didn’t spend too much time in London as I only wanted to see how the Mall looked with all the decor. I was walking back towards Parliament Square and noticed a gap where you could see Big Ben peaking through.
Date-4th May 2023
Date-4th May 2023
Date-4th May 2023
The final photo from the day was this Bagpiping player outside the Houses of Parliament. I love the sound of Bagpipes as it always gives me goosebumps either played solo or as a group. When I looked at this photo during the post processing I noticed that the bagpiper may have clocked me when I was taking this photo. I was standing on the other side of the road and at a focal length of 600mm.
Date-4th May 2023
Exploring a new Country🇳🇱
I am very fortunate that I can travel more with my job and visit new countries and cities around the world. I started this by traveling to a city I have always wanted to visit which is the city of Amsterdam. I took the earliest flight from London Heathrow to Amsterdam Schiphol and came back on the latest flight that same day. It was going to be a relaxing walking day around the city. I was just going to start walking and see where it takes me. I would highly recommend Amsterdam to anyone who hasn’t visited, there is so much to see and do.
One of the first photos I took when I made it outside of Amsterdam main train station is one of the things that the city is know for is there tram system.
Date-15th May 2023
The other item of transport that is known in Amsterdam is bicycles. You will see them everywhere, every corner you will see a bike either being ridden or connected to a railing by the canal. I think while I was walking around I saw more bikes connected to the railings that probably being ridden around the city.
Date-15th May 2023
The main train station located in the centre of Amsterdam. The best thing about this station is that you can catch a quick train to the airport which only takes around 15-20 mins and the prices are reasonable for a return. I loved the architecture of the building with the darker brick and the hint of gold weaving throughout the beautiful train station.
Date-15th May 2023
Walking across the bridge from the train station into the main part of the city and to the left of me was this beautiful gothic church. The architecture around the city was breathtaking.
Date-15th May 2023
Date-15th May 2023
Most part of the city is on the water/has waterways so you will find a lot of houses and accommodations located on the canals around the city. I love the varied different heights and colours of the buildings as they aren’t all the same colour and shape. Both in wideness and tallness the houses are different.
Date-15th May 2023
Here is another example of the variety of looks with the houses in this part of the city. Not all houses are straight either as if you look at it some of them are slanted and that due to overtime it has shifted. At a glance you think is there something wrong with the photo as it doens’t look straight but its just due to the shape of the buildings
Date-15th May 2023
Date-15th May 2023
Here are the beginning of the canals in the city. When I came to editing the many photos I took throughout the day some of the canals looked very similar so I didn’t include too many of the canals. Going in the month of May was a nice time to go as it was very green with flowers and trees. I loved the feel of the canals and walking along was very peaceful.
Heads up if your travelling alone is maybe don’t wear headphones as cyclists are riding everywhere and they will come from anywhere so always be prepared.
Date-15th May 2023
Probably one of my favourite photos from the day was walking across a nice bridge and noticed this gap where I saw the back end of a bike. I think to me that this screams Amsterdam, it shows a couple of things it’s known for which are bikes and canals. I took a couple of pictures through this gap and one was in black and white which I felt like wasn’t the better of the two.
Date-15th May 2023
I would say the best way to visit the city is to jump on a boat and go through the canals and seeing it from the water.
Date-15th May 2023
Well I couldn’t edit all photos without having at least one ‘hint of colour’ in there. I walked passed this nice blue bike which I felt like it was more of an art piece but it was soemone’s bike. It was another one of those photos where I knew I would edit it to be a ‘hint of colour’
Date-15th May 2023
When adding the photos into this blog I realised how many of the photos I edited into black and white. I was standing above the water and caught this boat rolling down the river. In the editing process I wanted to add more texture and clarity so you can see more of the ripples in the water.
Date-15th May 2023
Date-15th May 2023
I made my way into the heart of the city where you would find the shopping district and where you would find a lot of the tourists. I came out of McDonald’s, noticed this really beautiful clock tower. I stood in the middle of the tram line (I made sure there was no tram to run me over)
Date-15th May 2023
I realised how much I do love the black and white in a lot of these photos. This was taken by a famous hotel in the city with I think was a party canal boat which you do see for events like hen do’s or celebrating birthdays.
Date-15th May 2023
Date-15th May 2023
Later on the day I decided to jump onto the boat (to save my feet a little bit after walking a while). The best thing to happen was that the sunshine was just peaking through the clouds so I could get some sunnier pictures. Before we set off I noticed this singular bike along the railings.
Date-15th May 2023
I did no research before I went to Amsterdam, everything was just me exploring and finding new things, what I didn’t realise was how many towers have clock faces on them. I compare it to London and I think we only have one massive tower with it. With Amsterdam I think I came across three or four of these towers
Date-15th May 2023
It took a while till I saw a Dutch flag or I may have seen one earlier on in the day but I didn’t like any of the angles I saw. This one on the other hand which was better, it was blowing in the breeze which showed the three colours of the flag. It is not to be confused with Luxembourg as they look very similar but the blue is lighter.
Date-15th May 2023
Going back to when I mentioned how peaceful it is to walk around the city, to be on the waterway was even more peaceful. Doesn’t matter where you are in the world a top tip is to always look up as you can find things like this…
Date-15th May 2023
This is the famous bridge located in Amsterdam called The Magere Brug (The Skinny Bridge). It has been said if you kiss when you go under the bridge it’ll bring you good fortune and also you will be with them for the rest of your life. Well I was on a solo trip so I didn’t kiss anyone.
Date-15th May 2023
Getting nearer to the end of the boat trip around the waterways we went passed this historic building and located ontop was a huge Dutch flag. I think this put some of our Union Flags to shame in the sense of size. This was one of the other photos that I decided edit into a ‘hint of colour’
Date-15th May 2023
Something I wasn’t expecting was this massive ship. The first thing that came into my mind was music from Pirates of the Caribbean. I was expecting to see Jack Sparrow pop out, anyway this ship, This was a replica of a famous ship that made Amsterdam for what it is today.
Date-15th May 2023
Date-15th May 2023
Before I headed back to the airport I wanted to grab some pictures inside this beautiful station. This makes any train station in the UK look dull. The beautiful archways that lead all the way down the platform with leading sunlight coming through. Yes you can’t see the sunlight as this in black and white. I have come to realise that I don’t have set theme with my photos but I do love my ‘hint of colour’
Date-15th May 2023
Welcome to the UK
We now enter the last section of this part of the blog. June has arrived which means one thing… summer is upon us. I remember June being quite a warm month and especially working at the airport it can get very hot. On my day off I found this really cool place to watch aircraft landing into London Heathrow so I wanted to visit and take some pictures. I took my Sigma 150-600mm lens with me to capture the late afternoon and into the sunset.
Date-14th June 2023
Date-14th June 2023
Date-14th June 2023
The iconic Airbus A380 in the British Airways livery.
Date-14th June 2023
Date-14th June 2023
Date-14th June 2023
Zooming in to this Airbus A320 landing on runway 9L, I think this wasn’t at the full focal length of 600mm but it was close to it.
Date-14th June 2023
The airline that has the most operating Airbus A380 as it arrives from Dubai on a frequent flight that happens everyday.
Date-14th June 2023
I was so happy to see the Queen of the Skies landing into Heathrow. I thought this would have landed on the other runway as this is a cargo aircraft. This is always a beautiful sight to see anytime of the day.
Date-14th June 2023
This is my favourite photo of the afternoon while I was there. Having that beautiful sunset light from the west hitting the iconic British Airways livery.
Date-14th June 2023
This is a sight to see when you see the short haul aircraft lining up either ready for departure or some will be departing and some will be pulling into stands. Seeing this I had the Top Gun theme playing in my head.
Date-14th June 2023
Date-14th June 2023
This concludes the end for the first part to this blog talking about what happened in 2023. We covered the first 6 months and the exciting photography that happened. Yes it did start off slow but it then gradually picked up. We have a lot to cover in the next part where we talk about the months from July-December.
Thank you for being really patient between the pause with blogs. I do want to keep this updated as best as I can for everyone. I do update my portfolio as best as I can with photos I take. If you haven’t followed already but feel free to follow my Instagram account to see my posts, I try and post a photo at least everyday.
Instagram- mr_agh_photography
I look forward to seeing you all in the next blog post and like I said I still have one writing about Disney which is in the middle as there is a lot to cover but that should be coming out soon.
Thank you and I will see you next time
Adam
