The Amazing Curve In The Heart Of Leicesters Cultural Quarter.

The Curve is a major producing theatre, creating exceptional and compelling experiences. We use our unique home and talent to entertain, inspire and engage with a modern diverse audience and play a leading role in the development of our industry, our city and our global community.

If you would like to find out more about Curve Leicester then you can visit the website [CLICK HERE] or to see some more images of Curve have a look at my HDR Gallery [CLICK HERE]

Equipment:

• Camera
• Macro lens
• Tripod
• Lighting (your choice) I used a speedlight
• A piece of flat clear glass (i used an old coffee table lid)
• Glass Cleaner
• Rain-X
• A water sprayer or syringe
• A round white plate (this ensures your backdrop always stays round no matter what prop you use
• Some props – Smarties, flags, marble etc
• A clothor kitchen towel for the Rain-X & spills

(Set up photos courtesy of my iPhone.)

The Set Up Shot For Water Drops

Rain-X From Halfords

Instructions:

• Firstly head down to Halfords and buy some Rain-X (£6.99), this is how you create those droplets; nothing else will work as good.
• Clean your piece of glass with normal glass cleaner.
• Now follow the instructions on the Rain-X bottle and treat the glass as instructed.
• Now set up your shoot to look something like mine (see my set up shot)
• Now experiment spraying the glass and syringing the glass with water to create various sizes of water drops.
• Now put your props on the plate and the plate under the glass on the floor and enjoy the shoot.
• Rememebr that you need to focus through the water droplets
• My camera settings are as follows: ISO100/F8/1/125 – Using a speedlight -
  

Here are some practice shots that didn’t work (the bloopers).

Please remember the images have been compressed to save server space and there is some quality loss because of this.

I Didnt Like The Big EmptyWater Drop In This Shot

The Water Drops Just Didnt Seem Right In This Shot

I Tried To Photograph The Microsoft Logo But I Couldnt Get It Right

Out Of Focus Shot Of The Union Jack

And here are some of the better shots.

I Like The Way I Have Managed To CapTure Small Bubbles In This Shot

My Final Image For The Smarties

I have Saved The Best Till Last.

To be honest my Macro lens is not very good and I could do with a better one as mine just isn’t sharp enough, this is the next thing on my shopping list.

Update: I now have a better Macro Lens: Sigma 105mm f2.8 OS EX DG Macro Lens – Nikon AF – Once i get the chance i will reshoot these images and show you the results.

If you enjoyed this article then why not stop by at the Leicester Peoples Photography Gallery (LPPG) to find out what events are going on this month [CLICK HERE]

This dedicated space houses around 168 photographs and boasts to be the second largest single collection of photographic works outside of London. The gallery which is the first of its kind provides a mixed array of spaces for photographers to display their work. The nice thing about The LPPG is that all photographers are welcome to show their work, from the most dedicated amateur to more talented professional.

The Leicester Peoples Photography Gallery (Image Courtesy of Ian Davies)

The LPPG has two main exhibition spaces, the Main Gallery and the Long Gallery.

On the mezzanine level of the building the Main Gallery is housed. Images are displayed in the original lending library shelves making an unusual backdrop to host each photograph. The expanse of space is actually a continuous circulating balcony gives viewers the chance to not only view images at a first-hand level but also glance across the entire space at the whole collection with a bird’s eye view. The Long Gallery with both wall and floor space is a more traditional setting which houses photographic exhibitions and can be hired by private individuals to show their work.

The Leicester People’s Photographic Gallery is seen as a fantastic way of encouraging creative local talented individuals to showcase their work and is supported by a number of professional photographers and local businesses including John e Wright the printers. For more information on how you can be part of this unique concept why not visit the LPPG website (CLICK HERE)

Senior police officers advised the city council that a march would be easier to contain than a “static protest,” which they cannot prevent from taking place even if a march was banned.

A counter demonstration was also planned by opposition group Leicester Unite Against Fascism (LUAF).

It too had been offered a set route for a march and its response is also awaited.

The English Defence League Marching in Leicester

Both marches begin outside the city centre but would allow both groups to march past landmarks – the Clock Tower, in the EDL’s case the march started at St Margaret’s Pastures, while the LUAF march took place around the Town Hall.

After the 2010 protest which degenerated into many locals where concerned about even more violent outbursts.

Up to 2,000 police officers, drawn from more than a dozen forces, where in the city centre on Saturday.

The marchers where surrounded on all sides as they made their way through the city. The protests passed through the city centre between around 2pm.

The EDL’s purpose for demonstratng in Leicester was the criminal justice system’s treatment of four Somali women who were given suspended sentences after an attack on a white woman in the city.

The EDL was angry the women who assaulted 22-year-old Rhea Page were not charged with racially aggravated assault, but the Crown Prosecution Service said it had no grounds to treat the case as racist because the victim had said only one of the women – who could not be identified – had made a racist comment.

Thankfully on this occasion there were no arrests and no outbursts of violence and after the marches and speeches protesters from both the UAF and the EDL dispersed quickly and headed home.

You can see my photographs of the weekend’s events by visiting here (CLICK HERE)

The Hare Krishna temple will now be based on Granby Street and it is planned to open during 2012.

Pradyumna Das, who is the president of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), said agreeing to move into this building was a “dream come true”.He went on to say, “We are very excited with this news,” he said. “This is a great opportunity for us to bring back into use a fantastic building right at the heart of the city.”

But he also stressed that their plans to develop the historic building were in the early stages and plans where still unclear as to how the building would be used.

The old HSBC Bank Vault is converted into a mandir

The former Hare Krishna temple was left unusable by the blast. Events and weekly congregations have had to be held in rented spaces around the city for the past 15 months and so the whole Harry Krishna community ishoping to move into the former bank on Granby Street as soon as possible.

I managed to get exclusive access to the building with the help of Ian Davies at the Leicester Peoples Photgraphy Galler (LPPG) and Pradyumna Das president of International Society for Krishna Consciousness – If you would like to see some exclusive shots of the building, the vaults and some other interesting parts of this amazing structure then why not visit my gallery (CLICK HERE)

This year’s main event took place on Sunday, November 13, and as expected to attract about 3,500 people, including veterans, civic dignitaries and members of the public turned out to pay their respects.

Remembrance Weekend Leicester

The parade of veterans and contingents left De Montfort Hall at 10.20pm and made its way through the park to the nearby War Memorial.

Leicester Lord Mayor, Councillor Robert Wann, lead the procession of local dignitaries to their seats at 10.45am, shortly before the Lord Bishop of Leicester, the Right Reverend Tim Stevens, began the remembrance service.

Colonel F A H Swallow OBE, of the Royal Leicestershire Regiment, will gave the exhortation just before the Last Post was played, prior to the two-minute silence. Maroons then sounded to mark the beginning of the silence.

Wreaths were then laid at the War Memorial, and a selection of prayers was said by faith leaders from the city.
At the end of the service, the Seaforth Highlanders lead the Lord Mayor, the Lord-Lieutenant’s representative and the Commanding Officer of the 3rd Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment to take a salute at the march-past of contingents on neighbouring Peace Walk.

The service also feature the City of Leicester Singers and the Salvation Army Band, and was broadcast live on BBC Radio Leicester.

You can see my photographs of the weekend’s events by visiting here (CLICK HERE)

On the 26th of April 1986 at 1:23 GMT one of the most tragic accidents in the history of mankind occurred. A huge explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant occurred followed by a meltdown of the ill fated number 4 reactor.

It was by far the worst ever nuclear accident to ever occur and it immediately sent a radioactive cloud across neighbouring Byelorussia, Poland and the Baltic Republics towards Scandinavia and went as far as the United Kingdom.

The impending nuclear wave that thrashed its way across Europe and was a modern day equivalent of the Black Death engulfed generations of people in only a matters of days. As the radioactive cloud seeped invisibly into the people who had been exposed to it, it would change the lives of generations to come.

The initial explosion resulted in the death of two workers. Twenty-eight of the firemen and emergency clean-up workers died in the first three months after the explosion from Acute Radiation Sickness and one of cardiac arrest.  Since then it is predicted that thousands of people have suffered at the hands of the disaster.

26 years later the meltdown and the area has now been declared safe to visit. Although some of the radioactive isotopes released into the atmosphere still linger, they are at tolerable exposure levels for limited periods of time.

The Now Derelict Wolsey Site Near Abbey Lane Leicester

Many of these empty buildings lie derelict and unnoticed for years, many are vandalised or demolished when deemed too decayed to warrant repair. Amongst them are some architectural gems, some fine examples of type and some unusual buildings as well as many showing how buildings decay, and the perils and pitfalls awaiting these former hives of activity.

Here are a list of some of Leicesters best derelict and abandoned buildings: (more to follow)

• The Donisthorpe Factory, Woodgate, Leicester.
• The old CO-OP shoe factory of the Welford Road, Leicester.
• The Former Wolsey Site at the back of Abbey Park Road Leicester.

You can see some of these hidden gems by visitng my page here (CLICK HERE)