After a spectacular recce in May, we were scuppered by flat hazy light one evening in June. But that wasn't bad enough; an unfortunate cyclist was killed and the police had closed the main Macclesfield routes to the site. Despite these setbacks, intrepid members of Stockport Photographic Society found alternative routes, down windy single-track roads, and got there eventually.
Ten of us met on a quiet cloudy evening in Stockport town centre, armed with cameras and tripods.
The challenge was to see what would make a good photograph, given the available light, which wasn't great. Most subjects were poorly or unevenly lit, and the lights themselves were much brighter than their surroundings.
Recently, the society arranged a photo shoot in the centre of Manchester. We met at Piccadily and 8 of our members ventured up Tib Street on foot, into The Northern Quarter.
There we split into smaller groups and spread out around the back streets. There were various areas of interest, some very run down and showing signs of severe wear and tear, others were were very new and shiny. Some parts were streets of bars and restaurants, with a very nice friendly atmosphere.
The street art was very striking, with quite large buildings painted with murals and other parts had smaller works of art that were more like mosaics.
There were several building worth a revisit in better lighting conditions. Most people were working hand held.
People who had brought tripods benefited as the light levels dropped very quickly as the sun went down and cast shadows in narrow streets.
This area is worth a visit, particularly for anyone interested in street photography.
At the end on the evening, the light finally failed and we retired to a bar for refreshments.
