"One of my best shoots was at 3am underneath the Birkenhead flyover"

This week, we’re looking at Barry Brown’s favourite photographs and hearing about his passion for photography.

Barry, who lives in Greasby, loves getting up early to photograph the sunrise and travelling to new destinations with his DSLR and drone.

If you would like to appear in Behind the Lens, email heidi.summerfield@newsquest.co.uk

Click here to join Wirral Globe Camera Club.

Wirral Globe Camera Club member Barry Brown

When and why did you take up photography?

Having lived and worked overseas most of my life, my last position was working for four years in the Oman desert and living in Spain. I moved back to the UK in 2018 from Spain and found that retirement wasn’t for me - I needed something to keep me occupied. I decided to take up photography so I bought a DSLR Canon Camera and a DJI Drone to take aerial photography as well as landscape photography. The aerial photography I find very interesting using the drone, but you are governed by the weather, more so the wind and rain. It's no different from landscape photography though as the best time is early morning and late evening to catch the sunrise and sunsets as we get to see all those amazing colours. I now have three small businesses in Wirral - Dronebiz, Wirral Gallery and Property-Shoots - the latter being property photography so I’m not so bored these days!

Birkenhead Girls School

What do you love about taking pictures?

I love getting up early morning and travelling to a shoot somewhere that I have heard of but never been before taking images with the DSLR and the drone. You have to plan your shoot, bearing in mind the time of day because light is the main ingredient. Then it’s time to go home and edit them, to show others what is really out there. Your imagination runs wild sometimes when editing and you can overdo it but it’s crucial to keep it simple.

Eastham Ferry

READ MORE:

Behind the Lens: ‘Photography has been my passion since I was a child’

Hay bailing in Wirral

Where is your favourite place to take pictures and why?

I take pictures all around Wirral as there are so many interesting places to see with our amazing coastline and beautiful beaches. New Brighton is one of my best places along with West Kirby and Hoylake, taking pictures looking across to North Wales. One other place I love to photograph is not in Wirral but over in Liverpool at the Pier Head, photographing the Three Graces.

Hoylake Station

What is your favourite subject matter and why?

I enjoy taking landscape pictures with the DSLR but my favourite is aerial photography and video. Not so much video but more still images. I like taking images of buildings and infrastructure. One of the best shoots I did was at 3am underneath the Birkenhead flyover. It sounds weird but I knew I had to take those images with them getting demolished in the not too distant future.

Iconic Liverpool waterfront

READ MORE:

“I have always had a camera in my hand, ever since I was a little girl”

New Brighton lighthouse

What do you enjoy about being part of our Camera Club on Facebook?

I like the Camera Club and meeting the like-minded people who also take fantastic pictures of the many various things in and around Wirral – they’re a friendly bunch of people. The camera club also gives me a chance to show others not only my photography but what others could achieve if they decided to take up photography. It gets you out of the house and is great for your mental health.

Arrowe Park in the snow

If you could photograph anyone/any place/anything, who/what would it be?

A hard question to answer as there are so many people and places to photograph. I personally would love to photograph Kate Middleton as I think she is very photogenic. A place I would love to go back to in Brazil is Christ the Redeemer, Sugar Loaf Mountain and the Rio Janeiro coastline - just fabulous.

Bidston Hill windmill