model - BAB ABOUT TOWN

I have lived in Birmingham my whole life and even when I am out with my camera, I still manage to find spots that I have never come across before that are great for all kinds of photography. The great thing about photography in Birmingham is that it is never ending, and it’s getting bigger! A creative and colourful city that is always sparking our creativity and is always supportive of fellow creatives. It really is great to be a photographer in this city. It has given me such confidence and the ability to grow and not be afraid to be open with my style. From Visit_Birmingham to BHAMGRAM social media photography platforms driving beginners to experienced photographers to showcase their vision of Birmingham and to be rewarded with credit on social media platforms to drive more recognition to the photographer. The photography community is growing every day in Birmingham, making Brum one of the best cities out there to point your camera in and why not? Have you seen our city?! There is so much on offer here! There are so many endless possibilities to photograph in Birmingham and I want to show you my favourite spots!

DIGBETH

Home of the future creatives, an ultimate favourite of mine and I bet of so many other photographers as well. It’s like the upside down of Birmingham, endless possible shots to take in this colourful area full of talented street artists work, with exciting possibilities for all creatives. I have done a variety of photoshoots here with Bloggers, Models, couples and families. The Nightowl pink and white wall seems to be a favourite with bloggers/models, so I like using this backdrop a lot and it gives my photos a retro tone which is great as I’m a retro vintage Gal.

SNOW HILL

I am quite surprised with many of you who don’t recognise where this is. however, every time I’m on shoot here it feels like I am on a film set for a futuristic Jurassic park film. This location is very popular for model shots, but I recently did a couple shoot here and loved the results. Let’s not forget the botanical greenery walls that are perfect backdrops for all kinds of photoshoots!

COLMORE ROW

Colmore Row, Barwick St and New hall St are perfect for blogger shoots, you have the great independent coffee shops such as 200 Degrees and vibrant quirky restaurants such as Tattu. Let’s not forget the tall metropolitan office towers and Art deco features in the Birmingham Museum.

THE MAILBOX/CANALS

The view from the Cube is always spectacular to photograph and shooting from the ground floor of the cube is pretty cool aswell. The canals are very popular to photograph but you can get some pretty awesome shots if you choose your angles wisely. I would like to mention that I love photographing the Canal house as you have the beautiful high rise buildings such as HSBC and the Hyatt hotel behind it.

BRINDLEY PLACE

I went to Amsterdam back in August and fell in the love with the city. After a week after my return, with dutchy blues, I went for a walk in Brindley place. Photographing the Arena walking across the bridges I suddenly stopped “Déjà Vu” the flowers, the view of the canal, it was like I was back in Amsterdam! It sparked a few ideas for blogger and family photoshoots. Another mention is Ikon Gallery. I especially love to come here when the blossom is in full bloom in Oozells square, It makes stunning photos.

OTHER MENTIONS

The library of Birmingham- Great for views of Broad Street, The Cube, and BT Tower.

Selfridges tunnel to car park- Another great spot to take shots of the Bullring, St Martin church, and Digbeth.

Cannon hill park- A favourite for family and kids photoshoots.

The Jewellery Quarter- Great location for all kinds of photoshoots!

Great Western Arcade- Beautiful Victorian arcade, it’s like stepping back in time! perfect for portraits.

AMY ELIZA

So, I thought I would introduce you all to my photography business Amy Eliza Photography. I set my business up about a year ago now and I want to give you all a bit of an insight into my journey so far and why I chose to be a photographer.

WHEN DID YOU FIRST START GETTING INTO PHOTOGRAPHY?

I remember around the age of 13, I came across my mom’s video camera and I although the quality was not perfect (dad kept having his thumb over the lens) I thought it was so lovely to watch back, I couldn’t remember singing “Tale as old as time” on the toilet when I was 4 years old but thankfully my mom had footage of it to remind me that I was a funny little thing back then and still am now. From then I became interested in film/photography, I asked for a Canon cyber shot camera then attended college studying Media Production in which I also studied photography, however I hardly attended ( 9am class, I had to get two buses and I just couldn’t be arsed sometimes!) I did attend the one day, we were all sent out to Birmingham City Centre to take photos of the public, I came back developed my pictures and proceeded with the rest of the day. It was thanks to my photography teacher who gave me the wakeup call that I needed and to get my arse into gear, when she saw my photos she decided to give me a bollocking for not attending but then the conversation ended with ” Your photos reminded me of Sally Mann’s work, they are bloody good, what the hell are you doing?” Say no more, I got my arse into gear and started getting out there with my camera.

WHATS THE BEST THING ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY?

Being able to freeze time, look back at moments, and to share with others.

WHATS ARE THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF PHOTOGRAPHY YOU HAVE EXPERIENCE SO FAR?

Highs- I would say the support, Birmingham is a great community to live in as a creative you are supported from every angle in this great city.

Lows– I am a perfectionist, so it does get a bit stressful in the editing process, if I feel it’s not working, I will take myself way, cool off and watch a movie, it usually does the trick and sparks some creativity! Cost of equipment is a pain however its really all about the person behind the camera, you don’t just press the button and take the picture, you make the picture

HOW DID AMY ELIZA PHOTOGRAPHY COME ABOUT?

At the time I was pretty unhappy, and going out with my camera taking photos brought a lot of joy to me, Although I was “in a relationship” I found myself alone a lot of the time, it was only when my relationship at the time was starting to go downhill I decided to organise and set up Amy Eliza Photography. It was new, it was exciting, it was a long time coming and It was a great cover up to keep my mind of the break up. I started advertising free photoshoots for kids & family’s, even though I was offering my services for free, I had it in my mind I wasn’t going to get a lot of response but bloody hell, I was so wrong. My phone kept pinging, email after email and I felt the excitement and the confidence building inside of me. From then the reviews came flooding in, the more photos I posted the more recognition and the more bookings I was getting. It’s a shame because that was a time in my life where I finally felt I was going somewhere in life but then behind the scenes I knew I was going to lose someone I had in my life for nearly 7 years so it’s was a bittersweet time for me.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED SO FAR?

BE YOU! plain and simple really.
Passion is essential in this game, the more passion I have for photography, the more I learn, the more I create, and gives me strength to make the impossible, possible.
Networking, networking is essential in photography, communicating with local photographers, businesses and other creatives has really helped my business take off. The more you network, the more you are investing in your business and creating more opportunities for your business.
The more you post, the more people will know your business! Never apologise for shoving it in people’s faces, the world needs to know you are serious and they need to know your name.
It’s not all about the camera. You could have the best camera in the world and still produce rubbish photographs. I have a lot of people asking what equipment do I use? The most valuable equipment I have is my eyes and my creative mind.

WHAT IS THE FUTURE FOR AMY ELIZA PHOTOGRAPHY?

There is still so much to be done with my business. I am currently specialising in Portrait/lifestyle and event photography, I would like to explore a bit more! I would love to combine blogging and photography; travel photography would be an absolute dream, but I really want to focus on taking on photography full time and to influence others to follow their dreams. Too many people worry what other people think these days and shoot down their dreams because of them, haters are your confirmation that you are doing something right.

If you like to know more about my photography, then please ask away! I will be sharing more from my photography business- behind the scenes footage, tutorials and more!

AMY ELIZA