SEE MIKE'S PHOTOS OF BIRMINGHAM. CLICK THE LINKS ON THE TOP RIGHT >> My links to Birmingham are very strong. My Grandfather moved from London in the early 30’s to works manage the Machine Shops A, B and C at the GPO Telephone works in Bordesley Green (and I need to find out more about these works. It must have been of some size).  | | Mike Jemmett |
Father worked for the BMMO that is the Birmingham & Midland Motor Omnibus Company i.e. the Midland Red, for 35 years and was a very committed Union man with the T.G.W.U. I proudly have his Gold Medal, presented to him in 1970, a medal made by Fattorini and Sons, Barr Street B19. With Dad ‘On the buses’, there were very many visits on the 144 from Worcester to the Bullring and then hopefully a tram ride from Carr’s Lane to the Fox and Goose, Ward End. Also remembering many trips with my Gran to the Beaufort Cinema, Coleshill Road. From the 60’s and for most of my working life, I represented a number of companies in the Birmingham area, for 20 years with Artur Fischer, fixings division, involved with many of the developments and urban renewal in this city.  | | Selfridges detail |
Artur Fischer invented the capacitor flash gun, its circuits, although now microchips, are basically the same in all our modern cameras. He made the guns for Agfa. Also the flashcube cameras for Boots in the UK. Now we come to my photography. I started with a Coronet box camera, made in Birmingham, given to me in 1950. Progressed to joining the Worcester Camera Club and other clubs, including Smethwick, as President in 1977. Also a member of the RPS [Royal Photographic Society]. Through the 60’s I progressed from black and white to colour, 35mm mainly transparency film, using both fixed lens and SLR cameras to just three years ago, when I decided to try digital, because the quality of the images have improved and the cost of cameras became more realistic.  | | Bullring building site |
One other reason for going digital, a very important factor for me, was the speed of processing images as most of my photography is now mainly social, including charities, clubs and organisations. I send many albums of events, such as the ‘Birdman’, to Loyd Williams at Radio WM. In the Midlands area I enjoy judging other people's photographs, I find this most rewarding, making constructive comments - hopefully to improve their work, and also mine, in trying to practice what I preach. For the future, I will continue visiting Birmingham, such an ever-changing city and always something going on.  | | Birmingham birdman |
Although my days of travelling great distances and walking the mountains are curtailed by arthritis, with the latest drugs, to be positive, it is improving and perhaps, who knows, trips back to India, Namibia etc may happen. I'd also like to finally master Adobe Photoshop. Now it is your turn, you judge me by my pictures. SEE MIKE'S PHOTOS OF BIRMINGHAM. CLICK THE LINKS ON THE TOP RIGHT >> | 
