Category Archives: Belfast

World Politics – In Belfast

Political graffiti in the university quarter of Belfast – and why you don’t always need humans to document human interest.

An interesting aspect of documentary photography is that human influence and interaction can be implied, rather than overt.

Even if people are not actually in the photo, the human element is still present and the human story is still told.

This gable wall in Belfast points us to events on the other side of the world, and indicates the desire of locals here to show solidarity with their fellow students there.  There is a significant Chinese community in South Belfast, many of whom are students at the university, and many of them would have Hong Kong origins.

Fujifilm X-T30 shot in Acros film simulation.

F=22mm, f/11 at 1/60th sec on ISO400.

Eleventh July at Ballybeen.

Eleventh July at Ballybeen!

Ballybeen is a large housing development close to our studio location in Dundonald.  The majority of people who live there are the decent Protestant working class people of Ulster – my own background.  For centuries July has been a special month for them – the annual celebration of victory of William of Orange at the Battle of the Boyne, which ushered in the Glorious Revolution, enshrined the Constitutional Monarchy in the British Isles, dethroned the despotic Stuart kings, and guaranteed civil and religious liberty for all.

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William of Orange on a Banner

Continue reading Eleventh July at Ballybeen.

Mill Gate, Crumlin Road, Belfast.

Mill Gate, Crumlin Road, Belfast.

This old Mill Gate on the Crumlin Road Belfast is a remnant of Belfast’s industrial past, when the flax harvested in the fertile Lagan Valley was woven into the ‘Irish Linen’ cloth so valued by discerning (and wealthy) clients all over the world.

 

An interesting blend of the old and modern – a derelict factory chimney on the site, with mobile communications equipment attached!

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The mountain area protruding to the right of the chimney is known locally as ‘Napoleon’s Nose’ – part of Cave Hill Country Park.

Victoria Park, Belfast

The best way to burn off one or two of those Christmas Day calories is by taking a good walk on Boxing Day, and on this Boxing Day, 2018, the sun was shining in Belfast, and I was visiting a family in Sydenham, and where better for a walk after my visit than Victoria Park, one of Belfast’s legendary green spaces in the industrial landscape.

Vic Park 1

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