A joyous thing happened on the last day of November 2024, I finally made it to a Mersey Meet photo walk in Liverpool. I have wanted to attend a photo walk for a couple of years, but after missing a few through crippling anxiety I feared it would never happen for me. However, with some effort and a sleepless night, I pulled up my big boys pants and travelled to the city of my birth to enjoy a day of photography with like minded friends.
The Mersey Meet Photo Walk happens twice a year and is organised by Steve Starr, a.k.a Stig. Steve plans a route and takes a small party of friends around the city centre to visit interesting places and photograph them. It's a simple idea that many of us have either seen online or attended in person and this was my first photo walk with a group.
In the past the thought of wandering around in a group filled me with angst. I signed up for a couple of them over the last couple of years and the anxiety I had led me to miss them. I was determined to attend at least one Mersey Meet and managed to fight off the angst and met up with everyone outside the Open Eye Gallery at Mann Island near the famous "Three Graces" on Liverpool waterfront.
Our fearless and intrepid leader Stig had planned a route that took us around some famous pubs and down the lesser trodden streets of Liverpool, and we didn't have any beer in all of them. Stig said the route would be around 4 miles and we would have a stop for lunch along the way. With our cameras at the ready we set off to see what Stig had found for us to gawp at.
Along the way I got talking to Gaynor who was also attending her first Mersey Meet, it was good for us both that we were not the only newbie on the walk and oddly enough we were both using an Olympus OM-1n. I was using my favourite Zuiko 28mm f/3.5 lens, the bargain bucket lens of the Zuiko OM range that punches way above it's class, and had loaded a roll of Double X shot at 250 iso.
Our first port of call was a memorial garden dedicated to mariners lost at sea including the crew of the MV Derbyshire, a bulk carrier lost in a storm in the south china sea, and the crew of the Atlantic Conveyor, lost during the Falklands War. Many of those lost on both ships were Liverpool folk, born and bred in the city who chose a life at sea. Liverpool's historic status as one of the major ports here in the UK has seen many a Scouser go to sea and inevitably some have never returned to the docks on Liverpool Waterfront.
One of the pubs on our route was said to have hosted a certain Adolf Hitler during a visit to relatives he had in the City between the wars, thus it is known as Adolf's. Many of the pubs on our route had connections with the sea or with various local celebrities. Mathew Street was also on our route and, as you can imagine, it was heaving with people wanting to visit the spiritual home of The Beatles. We still managed a few photos there and one or two of us even used our phone cameras to capture the colourful vibe that brightened up Mathew Street.
We made our way towards the main shopping streets to find somewhere that we could all sit down for a rest and some lunch and we chose the café at The Bluecoat arts centre. There was a fine selection of artisan food on offer and I had to have a cup of tea and some cake. Should you ever visit there I recommend the Bakewell Slice *chef's kiss!* I was glad of the chance to rest and we spent some time there before continuing on our walk.
Before the second leg, Andrew Bartram took a Tryptych of us all with his Pentax 17. We were all intrigued about that particular camera and it is rather compact and very well made. Pentax are the first of the big names in camera manufacturing to take advantage of the resurgence of film photography and 35mm Half Frame was definitely the right choice of format for their first all new film camera this century. Andrew is having a lot of fun with it.
On the second leg we made our way up to St Lukes, the bombed out church at the top of Renshaw St, between the twin cathedrals that Liverpool is known for. The various pubs we stopped at also gave us a chance to capture some of the architecture and street life at each location. I was sad to see the former home of Rapid Hardware, with half of it standing derelict and unloved. Rapid Hardware once took up a whole row on Renshaw St and sold everything you could need for your DIY and home improvements, from building materials to furnishings. It's demise in 2017 was a shock that is still felt in the city today.
From there we made our way along Hope street and eventually down to the entertainment hub of the city before finishing our day at another café for a well earned coffee. I needed one as I was really feeling my aching bones by that time and was glad to sit down for half an hour. Overall it was a grand day out, despite the clouds that blocked the sun, but nobody minded as the rain that threatened stayed away. It was with a smile and a genuine feeling of accomplishment that I said my goodbyes to everyone and made my way to Lime Street Station to catch my train back home to Wigan.
A few days later I got down to developing the film that I shot on the Mersey Meet Photo Walk. My roll of Kodak Double-X was developed in Kodak HC110 dilution B, for 6 minutes at 20 celcius and I soon had it hanging to dry. Once dry I digitised it with my Nikon D700, Tamron Adaptall 2 90mm f/2.5 macro lens, Valoi 35mm film holder, Pixl-Latr and A5 sized led light pad. I processed the RAW files with Affinity Photo 2.
Dearest Kodak Double-X, oh how I missed thee. It's been a while since my last roll and it never ceases to amaze me with its dynamic range. The day started sunny, but soon went dull as we made our way between the tall buildings in Liverpool city centre. Double-X handled it with aplomb and to make sure I checked the built in meter on my OM-1n with my trusted Gossen Trisix. I wondered on the day if I should have rated it a 400 iso, but you can see for yourself how Kodak Double-X shot at 250 iso turned out. There's lots of contrast, which I quite like to be honest.
I had a great time at the Mersey Meet photo walk, even though it wore me out. I haven't walked that far for many a year and was still feeling it days later, but it was worth it. Thanks to Steve for organising it and going at a pace where I could keep up with everyone. It was good to meet folks I have been following on social media and make a couple of new friends too. I can't wait for the next one in warmer weather in 2025. I will be keeping an eye on the photo walk website you can visit using the link below.
Here's a few favourites from the walk and, as always, I have placed them and more in an album on Flickr you can visit using the link below. I hope you enjoy them.
Photo Walk
Mersey Meet Photo Walk - Liverpool
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