The virtual scaffolding has arrived and the Ironbridge Images website is being prepared for a makeover. It reminds me of the time in the 1990's, as the internet started to take off, when 'under construction' signs were put as placeholders on domain names by people savvy enough to realise that they needed a website, but not so much so that they knew how to build one.

Although this look like an over-saturated photograph, it is a true representation of the sky last night, as seen from my office window. It was taken with my camera phone and although I took a number of shots, I prefer this particular one because the border of the red sky follows the contour of the trees and factory building, creating a series of layers.

© Tracey Hallett | iPhone I make no excuses in that the featured image on this post was not taken by me. It was actually taken by my wife on her way to work, using her iPhone. I posted in on social media, and it has accumulated more 'likes' and 'comments' than my last 10 social media posts when added together.

The Northwick cinema in Worcester was opened in 1938. A privately-owned cinema, it had 800 seats in the stalls and a further 300 in the upper circle, and it has classic art-deco styling throughout. Sadly it closed as a cinema in 1966 and, like many others, became bingo hall until 1982. It had a brief resurgence as a live music venue, and is now an antique furniture shop, although its future is uncertain as they are currently trying to find smaller premises.

Yesterday we spent the morning in the city of Worcester and I made a considered effort to take some photographs with my phone camera, on the basis that my mission for the New Year is to (a) use it more often, and (b) learn how to use its various functions. There is clearly much to be done. Apart from the fact that I was clumsily touching the screen and randomly turning the camera off whilst I was trying to use it, I was also struggling to come to grips with the new 'camera control' button, that I didn't have on my previous iPhone, which, apart from activating the shutter, also has various functions that I didn't know about and (again) my stubby fingers were changing settings without me realising.

Yesterday I was viewing the factory roof at TCL Packaging from a rather large scissor-lift, some 15 metres in the air, whilst contractors explained some work they are going to be doing next week. I took some record shots with my iPhone 17 Pro Max and, when viewing them later, couldn't help noticing the superb image quality, particularly of the distant Shropshire countryside.

Black bryony is a poisonous, climbing perennial plant with heart-shaped, glossy leaves and red berries in autumn. It can be found in British woodlands and hedgerows, and all parts of the plant, especially the berries and tubers, are toxic and can cause severe skin irritation, so consumption and contact should be avoided. In English folklore, Black Bryony was seen as a plant of entanglement and deceit.

Another studio lighting trial, this time with a simple cross light from a soft box, together with a back-lit projection. In hindsight, maybe the projected image is a bit too much - perhaps I should have toned it down a bit (or omitted it altogether). So here is another version, this time with just a red backlight from a snoot: Which one do you prefer?

I make no excuses when I state that this is a heavily-edited image of the Merrythought teddy-bear factory in Dale End, Ironbridge - now more commonly known as the Co-Op. Taking a memorable photograph of this building now is virtually impossible due to the multitude of signs and road markings that adorn the exterior. I started my post-processing by removing some of the signage and people, but as I progressed, it seemed that the final image was going to work far better if it became more of a re-creation of the building in its heyday.

With a new studio and and an additional projector lens for one of my strobe lights, I have changed direction back to still life photography, which should keep me occupied throughout the winter months. Here is one of my initial trial shots using the afore-mentioned projector lens, which I think will provide a multitude of ideas moving forward. Hanging grass

Situated right opposite my best friends house, I spent many teenage evenings in this hostelry. Banks' mild was 70p a pint and a beef burger in a bun was 50p - so you could have a decent night out for less than a fiver! As you can guess, this was a fair few years ago. I haven't set foot inside for decades now, but the outside looks much the same as I remember it.

The Bedlam Furnaces are situated a short distance from Ironbridge Town, downstream of the Iron Bridge. The furnace ruins have been disfigured by a large metal canopy installed by Historic England to protect it, and so I have 'recreated' how it used to look in the image below. It is believed that these furnaces were given the name by a couple of artists in the early 1800's who thought that the site resembled a lunatic asylum (presumably because it appeared so chaotic and dangerous).

It has been some time since I started this project of photographing water droplets on glass - and thus far I have only managed one image. Until now. Here is the second image and, with an upgraded photography studio, I now have much more control over the process which will hopefully produce some interesting results. beta β (AKA: Tears of Love)

In the early 1800's there was no mains water supply in Ironbridge and so many just used the water from the river Severn for drinking and cooking. Bartlett Fountain, Ironbridge Profit from sales of this image will go to the 'Return Bartlett Fountain to Ironbridge square' GoFundMe page Unfortunately, there was no sewage system either - and that just flowed straight into the same river.

Silver Web After a 5 month respite whilst I concentrated on some non-photography projects, I'm back & ready to dust the cobwebs off my camera and to update this blog on a more regular basis. So what's happened in the photography world whilst I've been away? Cameras: There have been numerous new, or face-lifted, cameras launched, but only one that really intrigued me; the…