Summer Walk No. 1 – Architectural Abstracts in Coventry

On Wednesday 3rd June at 7pm, members gathered for the first summer walk of the season, kindly organised and led by Martyn and Robert. The walk was open to both members and non-members, although on this occasion it was club members who took advantage of the opportunity. With 12 photographers attending, including Martyn and Robert, it was a well-supported and enthusiastic group.

 The evening's theme was Architectural Abstracts, a style that many of us do not shoot regularly, making Martyn's guidance particularly valuable. Before we set off, he shared a number of tips and ideas inspired by the work of photographer Angi McMonigal. Her approach to finding patterns, shapes and visual stories within architecture provided excellent inspiration for the evening, and anyone interested in exploring the genre further is encouraged to visit her website and take a look at her impressive portfolio.

 Starting from Gosford Street Car Park, which looked rather cold and forbidding at first glance, we gathered in good spirits before heading off beneath the ring road. Martyn encouraged us to look for strong geometric shapes, leading lines and abstract details that are often overlooked. We were challenged to get closer to our subjects, simplify compositions and train our eyes to see familiar surroundings in a completely different way.

 From the car park we made our way under the ring road, past the Sports Centre Elephant and onwards towards the Cathedral. Along the route there was no shortage of photographic opportunities. The weather kept us guessing throughout the evening, with occasional spots of rain sending us sheltering beneath the overpass. Naturally, we maintained that we were only there because it offered some excellent photographic opportunities and not because we were avoiding the raindrops.

 Fortunately, the clouds also brought rewards. Every so often the sun would break through, filling the spaces between buildings with beautiful golden-hour light that transformed the urban landscape and provided some wonderful shooting conditions.

 As always, photographers being photographers, maintaining a single direction of travel proved challenging at times. Martyn did an admirable job of herding what occasionally resembled a collection of highly distracted cats, while still giving everyone complete freedom to explore subjects that caught their eye.

 Near the Elephant, a bed of wildflowers growing in what could best be described as orderly chaos proved particularly distracting for Catherine and Robert, both of whom found themselves drawn away from the architecture for a while. Lee discovered a creative composition by shooting through the opening of a steel bin, producing an image with excellent framing that looks very promising. Andy K took a more adventurous approach by climbing a nearby bank to gain a different perspective, while Alex was spotted standing directly against the Elephant itself, pointing his camera straight upwards in search of a unique composition

 Penny and Catherine independently spotted the same potential image beneath one of the underpasses and both set up to capture the architecture with a passing car in the frame. Their shared hope was for a bright red car to appear and complete the composition perfectly. Unfortunately, the local motorists failed to cooperate, and no suitable red vehicle appeared, despite several hopeful waits.

 One of the highlights of the evening came near the Cathedral, where we had the pleasure of meeting a couple of lovely members of the public who showed a genuine interest in what the group was doing. Not only did they stop to chat, but they also kindly volunteered to pose for photographs. Our thanks go to them all for their generosity and enthusiasm.

 The walk concluded with a well-earned stop at Wetherspoons, where some members enjoyed coffee while one or two rebels opted for a cheeky beer or cider instead. It provided a great opportunity to compare notes, share experiences from the evening and discuss some of the images captured along the way.

 For those who attended, the walk was a thoroughly enjoyable mixture of learning, experimentation and socialising. It also provided a timely opportunity to gather images that could potentially be entered into the Coventry exhibition taking place later this summer as part of the Coventry Festival. Members are encouraged to review their images from the evening and consider submitting their favourites for inclusion.

 A huge thank you to Martyn and Robert for organising the event and sharing his knowledge. We look forward to seeing the images produced and hope even more members will join us for future summer walks.