Part 4 (and final) of Monica’s Birmingham portrait photography session (check out Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3) took us to Edmund Street that connected Church Street Square with Chamberlain Square.
Just a few meters away was a Grade 2 listed building built ca 1900 with four distinctive curved arches. As an urban portrait setting, to me it is both rewarding and frustrating – the challenge is to showcase the best historical features but downplay insensitive modern additions. Unfortunately, at a closer look the original windows and doors behind the lovely arches weer replaced by crude 80s(?) equivalents and the glass covered with prominent company logos so I had to photograph Monica along the building’s facade to showcase weathered sandstone ground floor textures and ornate Victorian metalwork.
Photographers have a love affair with backlighting and I am not an exception – I love the magic of lens flare, , the soft haze and warm sunshine colours.
Of course I took images without flare as well.
And to finish – some black and whites:
