chris-hill.co.uk

More images available on my Flickr pages in the ‘Newcastle Continental Market 2009‘ set.

The area around Greys Monument in Newcastle is host to two Christmas markets each year. We had a wander around the first of the two today; the continental market, at which stall holders from countries such as Germany, Belgium, Holland, France and Spain offer a huge variety of jewellery, ornaments, clothing and most commonly, mouthwatering food.

The market is of course always very popular and busy, especially on a Saturday, so photos have to be snapped quickly and with respect to the stall holders so as not to block the way of any shoppers and cause a nuisance. As long as you’re wary of the people around you though, there are some great opportunities.

Had I more time and a little more courage I might have turned the camera the other way and turned my attention to the shoppers, perhaps that’s something to work in to the Christmas market when it arrives in mid December.

Long exposure over the Tyne Bridge

We wandered on the beach at Alnmouth for a while with pretty cloudy weather overhead, then the sun finally began to break through and I got off a few shots in to the light.

Heading back to the car after an afternoon in Newcastle and I met a group of skateboarders near 55 Degrees.

They were more than happy to do a few tricks for the camera and seemed pretty much fearless despite their age – you’d not catch me flying off a concrete ledge on to solid ground with only a short plank of birch and some wheels to save me!

I only managed to get a few decent shots before I filled the memory-card.  Must take a secondary next time.

I think is my favourite, I really like how his arms mirror the wing logos on his shoes.

Quite obviously, the entrance to the Baltic center for contemporary art in Gateshead. Somewhere thats usually welcoming and vibrant, but looks pretty sinister at night.