Manchester UK GTG next weekend (21-23 Apr)?

04/13/2006 10:16:36 PM · #1

Hey I am going to Manchester next weekend (21 - 23)
I was wondering it would be fun too see some of you if there is anyone here in Manchester?

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

04/14/2006 09:38:20 AM · #2

So I guess that means nobody ? :/

Message edited by author 2006-04-14 09:38:29.

Konador

Canon EOS-500D Rebel T1i

04/14/2006 09:47:03 AM · #3

Are you only going to be in Manchester or are you planning to visit anywhere else? :)

04/14/2006 09:56:36 AM · #4

just manchester :S
I thought many people lived there
I gues nobody there likes photography :)

Gordon

RIM BlackBerry Curve

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

04/14/2006 10:09:03 AM · #5

I used to live there - 6 years ago I would have met up with you and gone shoot ;)

You could try going about 30 minutes drive, or a quick train ride, west to Chester. Pretty unusual city, still has the original Roman wall around it, great old cathedral, narrow, winding streets, tudor black wood/white plaster architecture for the whole city center, river running through it, little bridges etc. Great opportunities for interesting shots. I actually lived in that little city for a couple of years.

Wikipedia:Chester

Quite a bit more photogenic than Manchester

Message edited by author 2006-04-14 10:12:19.

Sigma 18-125mm f/3.5-5.6 DC for Canon

04/14/2006 10:10:54 AM · #6

lets rewind back in time 6 years ago then and go shoot :D

Gordon

RIM BlackBerry Curve

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

04/14/2006 10:13:27 AM · #7

Originally posted by heida:

lets rewind back in time 6 years ago then and go shoot :D

I'd love to go back ;) A bit too far away for a weekend trip for me, though.

Kavey

Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi

04/14/2006 10:37:46 AM · #8

Sorry Heida! Wrong city - but if you come down to London give me a shout!

BobsterLobster

Fujifilm FinePix S3 Pro

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

04/14/2006 12:13:43 PM · #9

Hey I'd love to meet up... I live a short distance away in Huddersfield. What kind of stuff would you like to photograph, urban or countryside?

Edit: I may be busy on some of the evenings: On 21st I may be photographing Westlife (!)
on 22nd I'm definitely photographing a rock band called 'Engerica' in Leeds, I'll probably be able to get you a pass if you're interested.
on 23rd I may be photographing Take That.
Westlife and Take That are only provisional at the moment though.

Message edited by author 2006-04-14 12:16:33.

MAK

Leica CL

Leica 18-56mm f/3.5-5.6 Vario Elmar-T ASPH

04/14/2006 12:27:31 PM · #10

It would be worth the drive up from London just to have the pleasure of shooting with Heida but unfortunately I do not have the funds to get up there.. WAH BOO HOO HOO another wasted oppertunity to add to my collection. IF you hit London look us up we would love to show you around.

Enjoy ... errr... Manchester

Gordon

RIM BlackBerry Curve

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

04/14/2006 01:04:07 PM · #11

Originally posted by BobsterLobster:

Westlife and Take That

Wow. I don't know if I should congratulate you or commiserate with you on your achievement. I'm all confused.

Message edited by author 2006-04-14 13:04:24.

Loweese

04/14/2006 02:39:26 PM · #12

i live an hour or so train journey away from Manchester.
i live in halifax so about 20 minutes away from bobster...

cool

so.. yeh i'll keep checking this thread for the next few days to see whats happening.

ps, i've never been to manchester so have no idea what ive just let myself in for

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM

04/14/2006 03:23:04 PM · #13

Hey so there is 2 here bobster and loweese :D
Any cool things to see there?
Are thoose conserts in manchester bobster?

Falc

Canon EOS-1D Mark III

04/14/2006 03:26:17 PM · #14

I'd love to come to Manchester, in fact I will be in Manchester on the Saturday, but unfortunately only to fly out to Barcelona.

Have a great time.

Message edited by author 2006-04-14 15:26:40.

Mr_Pants

SiPix Blink

04/14/2006 03:43:00 PM · #15

Originally posted by BobsterLobster:

Now, Bob, if you had said that you were to be 'shooting' Take That and Westlife, I could choose to deliberately misconstrue what you were saying and really feel happy.

Seriously, though, congratulations on getting those jobs. Should get your shots pretty good exposure.

WaysOfSeeing

Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

04/15/2006 10:21:18 AM · #16

I'm from Manchester, but will be sadly stuck in Liverpool for the most of that weekend :( I might (Only a very slim chance though) be able to make it on the Sunday. Here's a couple of places anyway that you might want to visit whilst here.

I'm guessing you will be visiting the town centre area of Manchester rather than places like Moston, Salford and Wythenshawe ;) Piccadilly gardens (The top end of Market Street next to the bus station) is normally host to a great variety of eccentrics and shouty people throughout the weekend. From bible bashers to the Special brew crew. It can be a great place for candid photography. There is a water fountain display type thingy here too which I suppose can provide a couple of good shots.

Take a stroll along Market street and you'll see all of the main shops and such if you want to part with plenty of your money. Midway on Market street is the Arndale centre, which is like your typical American Shopping mall I guess. I'm unsure of the photography policy in there - best take a compact digi to get some sneaky shots :) Throughout Market street you'll also find a number of street performers (Depending on what the weather is like) from old Saxophone players to Blind guitarists with a dog called Burt to keep them company.

At the other end of Market street is Exchange square. There are a couple of good things to photograph here. This is where the Manchester eye is located (See a pic in my profile) which looks stunning at night when it is all lit up. You can normally bump into couples making cheesy marriage proposals here if that is your type of thing to photograph :) Right near the Manchester Eye is Manchester Cathedral . You can normally just walk in and explore the building without too much hassle. There is some interesting rooms and hiddden places you might want to photograph.

Right next to both the Cathedral and the Manchester Eye is the Urbis Building . The building looks like a blue mirrored ski slope, that at night, again, looks pretty cool when it is all lit up in a neon blue. The building on the inside is quite good as well with loads of photo ops to take. It is free to get inside and explore the main floors, though you will have to pay a fee to look at the art exhibitions. Outside Urbis, especially at the weekend, you'll normally have all of the Goth/Skate kiddies hanging around who may be willing to pose...if life isn't too unbeareable for them that is ;)

Just around the corner is Afflecks Palace . Its like a multi-floored warehouse full of stall holders that sell Alternative goods. If bongs, Rubber clothing, Band T-shirts, Sex toys, Piercings, tattoos, Spells and potions, weapons, traditional gothic clothing, Nu-gothic clothing are all your type of thing, then this could be the place for you. There used to be a cafe in there as well but I'm unsure if that is still there. I haven't been in Afflecks for quite some time so many things may have changed. Afflecks palace has a big sign on the outside of the building saying 'On the Seventh day God created Manchester'...so you can't really miss it. You can also normally hear Nine Inch nails pumping out of the sound system from miles away, so just follow the music :) To get to afflecks palace just go up Tib Street (Just off midway Market street) or just ask any young mopey looking person for directions, they'll certainly know where it is :)

At the end of Market street (Near to Exchange Square) you'll find Deansgate. Its full of various "Coffee bars" with comfy sofas and black polo necked wearing chin scratching philosophy students. It might be your type of place if you want to put your feet up for an hour. You'll also find Jessops on Deansgate (I think this branch is the biggest one in Manchester) if you have a need to look at and play with camera gear.

At the top of Deansgate is Manchester Town hall. It can be a nice place to photograph with various statues and such. The building on the outside is quite stunning with a gothic looking architecture. Around the corner from the Town hall is the Peace gardens. There are a couple of nice buildings in the area, especially the Manchester Library Building. The library is a huge white pillared domed shaped building with passageways and such. My yellow ribbon was shot in this area. If you ask the security guard inside the building if you can take a couple of shots he shouldn't mind. I've never had any problems taking pictures here, just try not to get in the way of people or bellow out like an American tourist "WOW! LOOK AT ALL THE BOOKS!" - like I once witnessed.

If you want to take Librodo type pictures in Manchester (What are the odds eh?) then you might want to pay a visit to the Manchester Buddhist Centre . You can gurantee that there is normally an Orange robbed (White middle-class+pony tailed) monk or student nearby.

The Gay village is another nice place to visit. It is just off canal street, about 10 minutes walk from Piccadilly gardens. Here you'll find a variety of clubs, pubs and bars. You are virtually guaranteed a hassle free night here, although the prices can be a little steep. I've yet to have any trouble from anybody here, its a really chilled out atmosphere. There are cafes as well if you want to grab some dinner/tea.

There are loads of other night clubs that suit a variety of tastes such as Rock world, Satans hollow, Fab Cafe, The Printworks. Just pick up a guide from any information centre whilst on your travels.

On the outskirts of Manchester city Centre there are loads of things to see and do. In Castlefield (Just up the road) there is the Science and Industry museum, that I'm sure will provide a variety of photo ops. There is also China Town which is about 5 mins away from the main Town centre (Just ask somebody for directions) China town is quite a cool place to go and photograph, with its colourful shop fronts, resurants, and gritty looking back alleys. Go into the shops, browse around, take photos. If you explore the side streets and alleys around Manchester you'll see some of the buildings from the Industrial revolution period.

Finally, if you want to visit the Holy land of Manchester (Otherwise known as THE COMS) just follow the signs to Sport City ;) Its about a 15-20 minute walk from Piccadilly gardens. I'm guessing It might not be your type of thing though ;)

The only place that I recommend you avoid is a place called the Theatre of Dreams . Full of bad uns and misguided fools. Stay away...STAY WELL AWAY ;)

The places I've mentioned are only a couple of minutes/seconds from each other and are really easy to find. There is far more to see and do in Manchester, just keep your eyes open. There are plenty of train stations if you want to venture out further upto the Peak District and such, although you're probably sick of seeing that type of thing in Iceland. Just explore and a have fun.

Hope you have a good time in Manchester and the weather stays plesant.

Fraser

Manic

DJI Mini 3 Pro

Kamlan 28mm F1.4 MF for APS-C

04/15/2006 11:20:50 AM · #17

I'm still in Florida, so I won't be able to get to Manchester very easily... so I've just updated the thread's title to make it easier for the Mancs to spot :o)

BobsterLobster

Fujifilm FinePix S3 Pro

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

04/18/2006 02:34:39 PM · #18

Erm yes, not terribly excited about Westlife and Take That, but I'm hoping they'll sell.
I am shooting a lot of bands at the moment, and I'm now becoming fashionably cynical every time I head off to a concert.
The gig on Saturday may be cancelled, so that would be a good day to meet up! I could drive us out into the Peak District... somewhere around Buxton could be quite nice. Depending on weather! I don't think it can compete with Icelandic landscapes though, so maybe urban shots in Manchester would be better... I don't know Manc that well though, anyone local coming?
Speaking of Manchester, I'm shooting Morrissey tonight in Manchester... I'm very much not a fan but lots of people should be interested in the photos.