Uploads from tj.blackwell, tagged westyorkshire

Quoth The Raven

nobody@flickr.com (tj.blackwell) — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 14:24:49 -0800

"Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
`Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,' I said, `art sure no craven.
Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the nightly shore -
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'"
- Edgar Allen Poe (The Raven; 1845)

Forgive me for the repetition but I couldn't help but post one more shot of Bradford City Hall. This picture shows the very tip of the clock tower, abuzz with the shrieks of crows and ravens. I find the building's baroque architectural style to be quite gothic in appearance, and the birds were a perfect complement to this mood!

Click here for a satellite view of where this picture was taken.

Bradford City Hall (Creative Commons)

nobody@flickr.com (tj.blackwell) — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 14:56:51 -0800

tj.blackwell posted a photo:

I've been building a stock image portfolio for use in council reports, regional NHS documents and other such publications that require pictures to liven up their content or provide a sense of the locality.

Not all of the images can be published as they were funded and copyrighted by my employers, but there's usually a bunch of good material left over that doesn't get used.

Quality, high-resolution pictures of Bradford city centre seem to be quite a rarity on the web at present. As such, I'm now on a mission to shoot a bit more coverage of the city and upload it to the web for free! My Flickr statistics indicate that search engines direct up to a thousand visitors to this photostream each day, so hopefully some of the Bradford content will be Googled in due course.

Photos like this one are released under a Creative Commons BY-NC license, which means you can use it for any noncommercial purpose as long as you credit me somewhere in the smallprint.

To find out if the shot you like is a Creative Commons one, just look for the licensing information at the bottom of the right hand sidebar on its Flickr page. Occasionally my images are withdrawn from Creative Commons when an agency purchases their sales and licensing rights, but if you use the photo in a project *before* such a time then it's all above board.

Commercial clients can purchase a license anytime via Getty Images or negotiate a deal via my sales website. Thanks for your interest!

Ninety Degrees of Bradford

nobody@flickr.com (tj.blackwell) — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 16:11:35 -0800

tj.blackwell posted a photo:

Some of my current design work in the Bradford area involves using stock images of the city to spruce up official documents, like council or third-sector reports. As such there's always a big demand for fresh iconic photos of the city centre that haven't appeared in any previous publications. After a meeting in town earlier today, I took the opportunity to head for the rooftops and shoot a bit of new material! Check out this HDR panorama in its original resolution :-)

Harewood Castle

nobody@flickr.com (tj.blackwell) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 19:57:39 -0700

tj.blackwell posted a photo:

Shrouded in a thick blanket of fog at the break of dawn, this is Harewood Castle: an ancient medieval fort which was built in the 14th century. The structure is an impressive one. Although large parts of it have suffered from roof collapse and quarrying over the centuries, the remaining sections have stood the test of time admirably.

It's a very atmospheric, almost eerie place to visit on a morning like this one. Situated in the dense woodland of the Harewood estate, this hitherto-forgotten gem has recently undergone maintainence work in order to arrest its state of decay. The estate is planning to open this area up to the public at some point in the near future.

Click here for an aerial view of where this picture was taken.

Derelict Castle Rooftop

nobody@flickr.com (tj.blackwell) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 19:55:10 -0700

tj.blackwell posted a photo:

Brambles, dandelions and grasses have all climbed their way to the top of the medieval structure, lining its uppermost fringes with verdant decoration.

See for an aerial view of where this picture was taken.

Ruined Fortress Walls

nobody@flickr.com (tj.blackwell) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 19:52:44 -0700

tj.blackwell posted a photo:

This castle was founded by Sir William De Aldeburgh; a British nobleman who was granted a licence to fortify the structure in 1366. This photograph was taken through a broken section of wall adjoining one of the stairways. It depicts the castle's former centrepiece, a great hall where many feasts and gatherings would have taken place. Today it lies in brooding silence...

Top Floor Stairway

nobody@flickr.com (tj.blackwell) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 19:41:49 -0700

tj.blackwell posted a photo:

Although some parts of the castle have been rendered inaccessible with the passage of time, many of the old spiral stairways are still in good condition and lead you right up to the rooftop. The steps are well worn with grooves - a signature of mankind's trails across this stonework throughout hundreds of years.

Old Vaulted Basement

nobody@flickr.com (tj.blackwell) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 19:47:43 -0700

tj.blackwell posted a photo:

The kitchen wing to the west of the castle's tower house had a barrel-vaulted basement. On the right side of this shot you can see the curvature of stonework which once formed a part of this arched rooftop. A kitchen used to be located immediately above at the level of the great hall in addition to two upper floors that were as dormitories for the servants.

Mysterious Morning

nobody@flickr.com (tj.blackwell) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 19:49:46 -0700

tj.blackwell posted a photo:

The heavy fog clung to the forest floor in a thick haze before the sun's rays began to heat the air at daybreak. A monochrome colour treatment seemed the best way to emphasise the sense of enigma and mystery that permeated the mood of this morning explore.

Rural Explorer

nobody@flickr.com (tj.blackwell) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 19:44:45 -0700

tj.blackwell posted a photo:

A photographic comrade lines up a shot of the castle's northeastern interior, which affords views of the structure's ancient walls from roof to basement.

The Great Hall

nobody@flickr.com (tj.blackwell) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 19:31:57 -0700

tj.blackwell posted a photo:

At the heart of Harewood Castle was this primary central hall - a large space which accommodates the remains of a great fireplace and a richly decorated recess, probably used as a sideboard or buffet for the display of plates.

Portcullis

nobody@flickr.com (tj.blackwell) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 19:38:57 -0700

tj.blackwell posted a photo:

This wooden barrier was recently installed by the Harewood Estate in order to illustrate some of the former grandeur which once adorned the main castle entrance.

Best of British

nobody@flickr.com (tj.blackwell) — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 14:54:59 -0800

tj.blackwell posted a photo:

The flagpoles in Centenary Square carry the flag of Wales on Saint David's Day and the flag of Australia on Australia Day. Flag use in response to major world disasters is made according to Government guidelines. They are also used to reflect national or royal events, such as coronations and weddings.

Grand Yorkshire Architecture

nobody@flickr.com (tj.blackwell) — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 14:56:00 -0800

tj.blackwell posted a photo:

Built by local merchants John Ives & Son of Shipley, this beautiful baroque structure was opened in 1873 and took three years to construct at a cost of £100,000. The bell tower was inspired by Palazzo Vecchio in Florence and contains 13 bells which ring out across the city every 15 minutes.

Click here for a satellite view of where this picture was taken.

Bradford City Hall

nobody@flickr.com (tj.blackwell) — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 14:03:03 -0800

tj.blackwell posted a photo:

Bradford City Hall takes on a whole new appearance after nightfall, when the glow of artificial lighting casts intriguing shadows and patterns across its old sandstone masonry.

Click here for a satellite view of where this picture was taken.

Northern Girls

nobody@flickr.com (tj.blackwell) — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 14:01:51 -0800

tj.blackwell posted a photo:

I saw these two young ladies relaxing on a patch of green grass atop the small bit of parkland that overlooks the city centre. They were obligingly happy to pose for a photograph, with Bradford's iconic city hall forming the background.

Click here for a satellite view of where this picture was taken.

Transition to Winter

nobody@flickr.com (tj.blackwell) — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 14:01:06 -0800

tj.blackwell posted a photo:

The trees in Bradford city centre, having shed their leaves for winter, are swiftly festooned with glowing Christmas lights as temperatures drop and the world segues to a new season.

Sundown in Centenary Square

nobody@flickr.com (tj.blackwell) — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 14:05:07 -0800

tj.blackwell posted a photo:

A glowing sunset, framed with tangerine rainclouds, illuminates skies over the old Odeon Cinema as residents pause to admire the spectacle...

Click here for a satellite view of where this picture was taken.

The Reflecting Pool

nobody@flickr.com (tj.blackwell) — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 14:04:00 -0800

tj.blackwell posted a photo:

Bradford's new fountain and mirror pool at the heart of City Park is reportedly the UK's largest water feature. I think it was a worthwhile investment, as seems to add a striking sense of dynamism and aesthetic to the area.

Click here for a satellite view of where this picture was taken.

Harewood Castle: Video Tour

nobody@flickr.com (tj.blackwell) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 14:53:23 -0700

tj.blackwell posted a video:

This video is composed from a few clips that I shot when exploring Harewood Castle on a recent dawn visit. Normally conditions of thick fog are not ideal for photography, but this magnificent old derelict building looked fantastic under a cloudy cloak.

Archaelogical evidence shows that this area has been occupied since the 12th century, although the castle itself was built in the 14th century by William de Aldburgh. After Aldburgh's death in 1390, the Manor of Harewood passed to his daughters, Elizabeth and Sybil. They married into the Ryther and Redman families who lived here for the next two centuries. The castle was still in habitable condition in 1630 but had become ruined by the time of the English Civil War.

In the mid-17th century, in Strafford ownership, it seems to have been abandoned and rapidly decayed thereafter, subsequently serving as a source of stone for the nearby village.

(Thanks go to the Harewood Estate's Conservation Team for this information. More detail is also available on Wikipedia.)