On the 16th of March 2025, I joined Birmingham-based photographer Martin F Tierney for a photography walk in Birmingham with Nicola @nii_cola55, Teresa @teresaphoto_, Pete @fineartstreetuk, Mark @elwick_photography and a few more enthusiasts who joined on the occasion of the St Patrick’s parade in Digbeth. Unfortunately, the parade was cancelled. Nevertheless, we walked along New Street and through the Bullring to Digbeth, finding interesting subjects to capture.

Starting from Snow Hill Station, my attention was caught by the Great Western Arcade, which celebrates its history through a display of images spanning nearly 150 years.

The buildings next to Snow Hill Station caught my eye due to their geometrical shapes.

I made a stop at 200 Degrees Coffee on 21-23 Colmore Row to enjoy a great long coffee and a cheese and tomato toastie. The red brick wall and the alignment of lights created an interesting lighting effect on the customers.

Next, I joined the group and we walked along New Street looking for interesting characters. I took a few pictures of the people walking by and seated in a cafe.

I was drawn to a singer, @jonathanFrancisMusic, performing in the middle of the street. He had a strong voice and a great falsetto. I really enjoyed taking pictures of him while listening to his songs.

We continued our walk towards Digbeth, where we met an interesting man who was fundraising for Birmingham Children’s Hospital and two young women dressed up for St Patrick’s celebrations, who kindly paused for a moment to get their portraits done.

We also came across some murals on Allison Street that I had not seen before.

Taking a peek into a courtyard, I found this chair and table that caught my attention.

Within two hours, I took 76 pictures and kept 22 decent ones. I particularly enjoyed meeting the other members of the walk and using both my digital and film cameras (I will update the post when the film is developed). The downside was the temperature and the freezing wind, which chilled my body. A warm meal and drink afterward were a welcome respite to warm up.

If you are interested in doing photography workshops with Martin F Tierney, please visit https://www.facebook.com/birminghamphoto/