7 Hours, 72 Photographs and 25977 steps.

On Easter Sunday 2023, I set myself a little challenge. I would zip about Glasgow with my trusty (if occasionally temperamental) Olympus OM-20 and try and photograph 2 spools’ worth of images during the daylight hours to use as an example of the images I would be capturing during my ‘Scenes From Strathclyde‘ Masters Project.

I personally feel that that challenge was successfully fulfilled, but you can be the judge of that. Below are a selection of images from that day, in what I’ve dubbed

All images processed by Gulabi Photo Lab, Glasgow

Spool 1: City Centre & South Side

Mitchell Lane

Buchanan Street

A view down Mitchell Lane from Buchanan Street on a Sunday morning

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

South Portland St Bridge (1)

North bank of River Clyde

View southwards from underneath the north tower of the S.Portland Street bridge

Lens: G.Zuiko 50mm

South Portland St Bridge (2)

South Bank Of River Clyde

View northwards from past the south tower of the S.Portland Street bridge

Lens: G.Zuiko 50mm

78 Carlton Place

Carlton Place

Entranceway to 78 Carlton Place complete with columns and fancy lamps

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

the laurieston

(Corner Of) Bridge Street

The famous 1960s & 70s aesthetic bar captured before opening time at the junction of Bridge St. & Norfolk St.

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

glasgow central signalling centre

Eglinton Street

The now closed 1960s ediface which greets train passengers before their arrival into Central, viewed through trees on Eglinton Street.

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

Literal Corner

Union Street // Gordon Street

What’s on the tin – sitting right by the 4 ways junction of Union Street & Gordon Street. A Greggs is right behind me on the opposite side of the junction. Classy

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

Cathc-architecture

Clarkston Road

Peering down an alleyway by the ‘Romeo & Juliet’ restaurant towards Cathcart Station

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

Marjory’s wool shop

Holmlea Road

Proper old-school aesthetic to the shop front of this now-closed wool store as I headed towards Battlefield Rd/Mount Florida

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

High-Rise living

Mount Florida Station // Battlefield Road

The tower block is a dying breed in Glasgow. Wonder if there’s a good view of Hampden on match days from the top floor?

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

the home of scottish football

Kinghorn Drive

Big Hampden Stadium. Lesser Hampden is off to the left.

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

Battlefield Rest-aurant

Battlefield Road

Former tramstop turned eatery. A violin case wielding hipster tried to have their main character moment when I went to take this shot. Sadly for them I have the fastest shutter finger in the west.

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

Battle of langside monument

By Queens Park

Big monument stands to commemorate the Battle of Langside that Mary, Queen Of Scots fought and lost.

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

X Marks the spot

Queens Park

The location of buried treasure or a target? You decide, viewer.

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

no mean city

Queens Park

The south-Glasgow skyline viewed from a big hill in Queens Park

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

Scene of a BBQ

Queens Park

Some locals engaged in some Iron-Age living at the ‘Queen’s Park Iron Age Earthwork’

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

Gulabi Photo Lab

Torrisdale Street

Hey, that’s where I got these photos developed!

Slight edit in post to remove the licence plate from the parked Suzuki

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

Low-Key Entrance

Queens Park Station

Snapped before heading on a train back to the city centre

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

Spool 2: City West & City East

Not-So Sunny Govan

Govan Subway Station

The 1970s concrete slab renewed after Subway Upgrade works

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

Mary Barbour Statue, Detailed

Govan Subway Station

Statue placed in memory of the legend who lead the Glasgow rent strikes in 1915

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

Kelvinhall Subway

Partick Cross

Quaint little Subway station entrance through a tenement close by the busy Partick Cross (also the former name of the subway stop). Is that the Rizla font on the West Side Tavern?

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

gallus cantina bar mural

Corner of Church St.

Put my life on the line to snap the Gallus mural due to roadworks closing off the path opposite the bar. Later had a pit stop here en-route back to the city centre. Nice pour of Tennent’s here.

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

Glasgow Uni Skyline

Partick Bridge, Argyle St.

A quintessential West End photograph of the Glasgow university tower breaking a very grey skyline

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

MCMXCIV

Argyle St., by Kelvingrove

The branding of the long-defunct Strathclyde Regional Council is proudly mounted to a number of lamp posts in the West End. The Roman Numerals translate to 1994, 2 years before the Council ceased to exist.

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

ANOTHER BAR

Argyle St., by Kelvingrove

Brewdog is a controversial brand. What’s more interesting (or worrying) is that the window above the door appears to be held together with some wooden cross beams.

I swore I took this one perpendicular to the bar entrance

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

Kelvingrove, 1

Argyle St.

Kelvingrove, a jewel in the crown of the west end

I should have stood a little more to the left to be precisely in the middle of the entranceway’s central arch to get a perfectly centred shot. The Olympus was having a tantrum and I had to move for a group of American tourists. I almost got hit by a tram in Edinburgh doing the same once.

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

Kelvingrove, 2

Argyle St.

Stood on one of the raised stone borders between the pavement and the grass. Almost fell backwards taking this shot but it was worth it. Admire the architecture, not the fact that trip seemed to be a health and safety nightmare.

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

west end alleyway

Regent Moray St.

Peered down a wee alleyway that was part of some tenements on this side street. Aesthetic.

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

Duke’s’s 3-point Perspective

Old Dumbarton Road

Looking back at the photo now, I’ve realised I’ve done a good job of catching both sides of the tenement block that this nice establishment is hosted in, like a wee 3-point perspective drawing you’d have to do in Graphics at school. Nice pour of Tennent’s here too.

Slight edit in post to obscure the VW’s licence plate.

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

Round 4 – fight

Osbourne Street

To the back of Mono, along the arches of the old approach tracks to St. Enoch Station, there’s this mural of a kung-fu artist going to kick a virus cell. That or the cell is in fact a funny looking attack Tribble

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

Glasgow Cross

Saltmarket

A view that replicates a few older photographs that, instead of featuring a bit of a void between where I’m standing & GuitarGuitar, has the old Glasgow Cross station with big Barr’s advert on the side.

You can tell this was after 5 on a Sunday, it’s pretty deserted compared to how it normally is!

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

mercat building

Between Gallowgate & London Rd.

Continuing my penchant for pointing my camera up a facing of a building, here’s a snap of the Mercat building that sits behind the Mercat Cross at Glasgow Cross.

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

Barras album pathway

Between Gallowgate & London Rd.

It’s stood the test of time well – a little path with album-esque segments outlining all the bands and gigs that had occured at the nearby Barras’ Venue

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

“How I’m Feeling Now – Lost”

Off Gallowgate

Advertising board for Lewis Capaldi’s documentary “How I’m Feeling Now” by the legendary Barrowland Ballroom

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm

Discarded Tonic, A Study

Gallowgate

The individual who left this sitting here must’ve felt they were suitably imbibed by the tonic borne from Buckfastleigh Abbey. Cue some middle class metropolitan types making comments about a bottle of Bucky being spotted in the east side.

Lens: G.Zuiko 28mm