Reposts: Glasses

Alan was waiting at a bus stop to drive the #6 bus which runs along the project section of the Stratford Road and connects Birmingham to Solihull. Despite having a London accent he’s been in Birmingham since 1961 and explained why the fleet swapped to single-deckers a few years ago; to stop unruly youths causing problems upstairs. [-38]

Celia was on the Stratford Road today walking Ziggy, one of her three show dogs. She has some reservations when it comes to how the suburb’s demographic has changed over the decades but still loves living in Hall Green. [1256]

Michael has always lived in Birmingham and began his career as a solicitor in the city centre during the 1980s. Although living in Moseley, he now works in Hall Green specialising property and was on his way to a near-by bank. [1144]

Terry is originally from just outside the north-west of Birmingham but would like to live in the countryside one day. [1110]

Rushabh was in India until eight or nine years ago and is currently studying computer science at Birmingham City University. He lives locally and was on his way to the bus stop going into Birmingham. [1080]

Mark has lived in many Birmingham districts over his ninety-odd years but now resides in Hall Green. He served in two wars and spent forty-four years at Birmingham City Council in an administrative role. Mark had a stroke more recently but luckily he is still able to get out and about relatively independently. [1061]

Breagon was out with his dog today and had just bought a newspaper. He’s originally from Ireland and worked as a skilled labourer before retirement. [805]

Khan worked at Rover for 25 years until the company collapsed and has struggled to find work since, partly due to literacy issues. He spoke about his frustrations with the Job Centre but was still able to take a positive spin on the situation saying he’d had a reasonable life of work and jobs should go to the younger unemployed. [644]

Yousafzai is from Holland but came to Birmingham for his retirement, sitting with Hassan, Arif and Salim. [567]

Ali came to the UK recently from Pakistan and is studying business at college whilst looking for a job. [512]

Reposts: Baseball Caps

Tariq is currently training as a courier driver and was excited about moving in with girlfriend, Catrina, despite unease about her work aspirations. [40]

Craig is living at a hostel in Sparkbrook but was in Afghanistan as a paratrooper until 2008. He finished during his second tour after getting shot in the hip and is finding civilian life back in the UK significantly less exciting. [145]

Mr Khan is from West Bromwich but had come to Birmingham to collect a friend being released on probation. [263]

Isaac and Jen are students studying in Solihull. Isaac is currently doing a Photography BTEC and was under pressure with coursework deadlines. [1531]

Paul has been working with Birmingham City Council since 1986 and was mowing the central reservation of a dual carriageway section of the Stratford Road today. He lives in south-west Birmingham and spoke about the merits of early-start early-finish shifts. [1410]

Robert and Peter are bus drivers who came to England from Poland around six years ago to find more lucrative work. [-40]

Adam is a roofer by trade but has been working as a part-time postman and supermarket driver since losing his job last year. He had a positive outlook on life but had to dash to make a delivery. [-260]

Update – May 2012

It’s almost been two months since the last post here so here’s an update to share what’s next.

Since finishing the project in March 2012 I’ve been busy starting a new job and another blog over at England-Is about urban and rural English landscapes. It’s a kind of guide to England’s mundane and picturesque sights with a bit of culture on top.

In the week between jobs I starting making a book of the project for myself. It’s turned out to be quite a nice way to present the pictures so I’ll try and integrate this with the blog in future. As part of the finalisation I went through the entire set of portraits trying to make the processing, composition and style of the photos consistent, including turning a few landscape orientation shots around (I plan to post about these changes). I’ve also been making [very] slow progress in the possibility of having the project exhibited somewhere in Birmingham but funding could be a hurdle. If you have experience of this please tell!

Many people viewing this project have probably only seen the latter half of the hundred portraits so I’ve a planned series of posts focusing on themes and motifs within the greater set. Initial ideas are hats, glasses, stories, couples so stay tuned for those.

In the meantime check out the work Talk About Local do for hyperlocal bloggers (they were also kind enough to ‘award’ this blog with the Best Photography 2012 title which was a nice surprise last week).

Rob

All one-hundred portraits ordered in the location they were taken from near Birmingham city centre outwards.

Hall Green – 23/03/12

Yasin was on his way to shops in Springfield from Hall Green today. He’s studying internal design at college and looks forward to joining the family business of property development afterwards. [1080]

Annie was late for a salon appointment but hadn’t had to travel far from her Hall Green house. She moved in eight years ago thinking it would be a home for life and beneficial to her late son but the changes to the local parade since warrant a change of scene for her. Annie works for the NHS Stop Smoking Service and visits schools to give advice on how to lead a healthy lifestyle – something the numerous local fast-food outlets don’t help. [1130]

Mark has lived in many Birmingham districts over his 90-odd years but now resides in Hall Green. He served in two wars, having kept getting called up again, and spent 44 years at Birmingham City Council in an administrative role. Mark had a stroke more recently but luckily he is still able to get out and about relatively independently. [1061]

Shiraz was picking up one of his sports cars from a Hall Green garage today to return to his home near-by. I’d noticed it around for years and he also owns another unusual car – one the same as mine. For work, Mark has been running Carpet Elite in Dudley and seemed to be enjoying success with it. [1191]

Rob graduated as a Civil Engineer in 2008 but was made redundant two years into his first job. He was fortunate enough to find another role quickly and being able to work from home, found time to start a photographic project. Rob moved to Hall Green in 1998 but hasn’t stayed in anywhere for long in the last eight years. He’s currently enjoying the community spirit in Stirchley and is due to start a new job soon. [1205]

So that concludes this phase of the project; 100 people on the Stratford Road photographed and told. I’m planning a few best-of, analytical and written posts over the coming months so stay tuned and thanks for looking. Photos also on flickr.

Hall Green and Shirley – 02/03/12

Michael has always lived in Birmingham and started his career as a solicitor in the city centre during the 1980s. Although living in Moseley, he now works in Hall Green specialising property and was on his way to a near-by bank. [1144]

Nikki was heading to her sister’s house in Shirley after a day at college training to become a security guard. She said she’d always tended towards typically male jobs based on the theory that they’ll be easier to get as a woman. Nikki lives in Winston Green and doesn’t travel on much of the Stratford Road, sticking to the Hall Green and Shirley areas when possible. [-134]

Steve (and Amy, below) were on the Stratford Road today with their baby girl. Steve has lived all over Birmingham following various jobs but originates from the Hall Green area. He’s just got a new band going so keep an eye out for FEA. [-231]

Amy (with Steve, above) is a full-time mother said things were going well with her first child. She’s originally from Leicester but came to Birmingham when she was 11. Amy and Steve have just settled into Hall Green primarily because of the good value home they found. [-231]

Also on flickr.

Shirley (Environment)

The Shirley length of the Stratford Road is dominated by shops in a similar way to Springfield, Sparkhill and Sparkbrook. These however reflect the different demographic of a large retired population who are predominantly white. Grocery, fast food and textile outlets are replaced with charity shops, supermarkets and restaurants. The parade appears to have suffered slightly worse than other areas in the on-going recession with some premises remaining empty rather than being resold to the next business-person. There are plans to add a new shopping centre and supermarket to the area but it remains to be seen if this can draw people from the Birmingham and Solihull shopping centres.

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Also on flickr.

Hall Green (Environment)

Hall Green is perhaps the most residential stretch of the Stratford Road with a couple of miles of semi-detached houses, flats and retirement complexes. Businesses are still scattered throughout but are concentrated on Hall Green parade, near it’s station, and Robin Hood Island, near Shirley Tesco. These photos briefly profile the mix of business and residencies found in the area.

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Also on flickr.