The main thing that annoys me about this shot are the fire exit warning signs. The non-parallel nature of the lines at the top is explained by the fact this building is cylindrical in shape. So ends a week spent mainly on campus in Manchester.
The period since Christmas Eve has been very relaxing, but not very photographically inspiring. Three things have not helped this. One: I’ve been mostly isolated at home. Two: it’s been gloomy and grey. Three: the Mac died on 9th December and as yet had not been replaced.
Three things then happened today: One, I left the dale, only to Manchester, but it’s a change of scene; Two: the sun came out (in the morning anyway); Three: I have a Mac back 🙂 I like this picture, first one I’ve really thought was decent since Christmas Eve.
This will be a long run of pictures from only Hebden Bridge and Manchester. These will continue to be rich seams for photography as long as the light is right, which it certainly was today. And the other astonishing, perhaps even unrepeatable feature of this shot is that there is NO TRAFFIC. Just for a moment.
Taken firstly because I liked the light (it’s been a damn good month for it) and secondly for the novelty factor of actually being able to see across Oxford Road without a bus being in the way. The tower block in the background has appeared on the blog before, by the way.
At least, after the crappy event of yesterday (the loss of my personal diary), and the tiring nature of this passage of time – which I’m only halfway through – today had the decency to be a truly glorious day. Even Oxford Road looked spectacular on this last Monday morning of the teaching term. Note the large crowd in the background – the queue for the first graduation ceremony of the season.
All the students arrive all at once, and it’s both the most hectic time of the year as well as the most optimistic, in some ways. Everyone’s fresh, we meet people for the first time and learn about their hopes and aspirations. Scary time too, for them at least. Hence the ‘Purple People’ who have dotted themselves around the campus, and they’re being used, as you see here.
Significant academic year for me too. I am on sabbatical in the second semester and from mid-December to late August will not be in Manchester at all. January – June I will be in Australia. Looking forward to it…
Told you not long ago that this place was all coming down. I like the combination of light and dust cloud on this shot.
This building has been erected since I started this blog – it wasn’t there a year ago. It stands near Oxford Road station in Manchester. I am particularly impressed with the budget accommodation visible here, but I doubt it’s very suitable for anyone worried about heights.
Looks like something’s going down in Starbucks. What is more interesting is the guy on the right striding off in the direction of ‘The Wonderful World of Waxing’. Did he have an appointment? Inquiring minds want to know.
Tomorrow (Weds 20th) is day 300 of this blog, so I’ve added some more pictures to the ‘Best of the Rest’ page to mark the occasion.
A couple of years ago the BBC moved a substantial portion of their operations up to the new Media City complex in Salford Quays. Apart from the wounded pride of a chunk of the London media set, fearful of having to deal with Northerners on a regular basis, the other casualty was the old building on Oxford Road, pictured here. Now completely empty, it is fenced off and – according to this sign – awaiting demolition.
In its place will be built an eco-friendly, natural piece of parkland, along with some discreet business premises and workshops that will ask for a peppercorn rent and be reserved for local enterprises who otherwise could not afford to be based in Manchester city centre.
Or possibly I imagined all that and it will just be turned into another supermarket.
Being 42 