Every year in November the Christmas Markets come to Manchester. Here we see the zippy look-a-like Father Christmas with the gothic Manchester Town Hall in the background. I was worried how dark the foreground would turn out with it being late in the afternoon and the sun in the wrong place, but the iPhone in HDR mode seemed to handle this scene very impressively. It was another test shot for the new camera / phone. Don’t worry though, I won’t be giving my DSLR camera up any time soon!

The Bridgewater Hall is a large, modern concert venue in Manchester city centre. Opened in 1996, not only is it the home to The Halle orchestra but it is where I had my university graduation back in 2009. Strangely this is the first photograph I have published of the Hall and this was not only taken at night but taken back in 2007, how it never made it onto the site I do not know.

Liverpool is home to the oldest Chinese community in Europe and this arch is located at the gateway. It is also the largest, multiple-span arch of its kind outside China. I have been wanting to get a photograph of the arch for a long time, but with the cars parked on the street below the arch it makes it very difficult to get the picture I would like to capture without including cars. Maybe next time I need to get to Liverpool very early on a Sunday morning.

On a recent day trip to Liverpool with Ben and Liz we went to the Tate art gallery at the Albert Docks. Although I have photographed Planet before I thought it was worth capturing this big red boat in Dukes Dock again. I still have little idea of what it is doing. I haven’t ever been on board, but it has been there for years. I realise that it was probably once a light house boat but not sure what it does now. Is it really a bar as it says on the side?