AIDAN O'ROURKE Coach Photographer

Photo walks - one-to-one tuition - classes - workshops - Liverpool Manchester Stockport

Portfolio of sketches by Aidan O’Rourke – Dublin, Liverpool, Manchester, Salzburg, Berlin and other locations

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In this post I present my portfolio of illustrations, done in various locations and at various times.

I was good at drawing as a child and enjoyed art at primary school. In fact I won an art competition two years running.

The first was a poster for an anti-crime campaign by the police. I designed a poster with a sports car and the slogan ‘Flashy or not, lock it!’.

I won a Kodak Brownie camera, which I remember picking up as a very excited 8 year old from the police station in Stockport.

The second year I did a drawing of Tom Thumb standing on a giant hand. For that I won a Kodak Instamatic camera, which I also collected from the duty desk at the police station.

Both works were exhibited at Stockport Art Gallery.

Unfortunately, I don’t have these pictures today.

At grammar school I wasn’t able to study Art due to a timetable clash with Music. I drew from time to time and finally started to experiment with photography more seriously at university in Dublin. I turned to photography as I had grown impatient when doing drawings and found it difficult to draw faces.

For me, photography and art are complimentary. I’ve done mostly photography but occasionally, when I’m in the mood, I’ve done drawings.

I attend life drawing classes, but drawing the human figure is difficult. The face is even more difficult. But with sketches of buildings, it doesn’t seem to matter if the proportions are not quite accurate. My style is sketchy and scribbly but it seems to work.

When I do quick drawings, the results are often good. People seem to rate art higher than photography due to the talent and skill that goes into a drawing or painting, although photography also requires lots of talent and skill.

I prefer drawing to painting and I especially like to do line drawings.

I’m inspired by art and often go to art galleries such as the Walker in Liverpool, Manchester Art Gallery and the Tate Britain in London.

I love Japanese woodblock ukuyo-e prints by artists including Hiroshige (1797-1858) , Hokusai (1760-1849) and Utamaro (1753-1806).

I’m very interested in fashion illustration from around 1900s to the 1920s, which was actually quite Japanese-influenced.

I love the illustrations of Georges Barbier (1882-1932), the Russian emigré fashion illustrator Erté (1892-1990) and the Czech artist Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939), all three part of the Art Deco movement.

David Hockney’s (b. 1937) line drawings are fantastic and some are quite risqué!

Talking of risqué, Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898) is another artist I like.

I really appreciate the illustrations of Patrick Nagel (1945-1984) who designed that famous album cover for Duran Duran.

The drawings of Swedish artist Carl Larsson (1853-1919) are amazing.

I have lots of ideas, which I intend to explore and I’ll share my work my on Facebook and social media.

Many thanks to my friends on Facebook for their positive feedback and encouragement.

Cadishead Bridge on the Manchester Ship Canal. Copied from a photograph. 28 Nov 2015
Media City, Salford Quays
The Champs Elysées, Paris, drawn at the location, July 1977
The former Smiths Arms, shortly before demolition, Ancoats, Manchester 31 Aug 2016
The Fernsehturm or TV tower, built in the former East Berlin 1973. My drawing 7 June 1980
Drawn at the location on a visit to Salzburg Austria, 1980
Test image made in Photoshop copied from photos. 1 Jan 2010
The Brandenburg Gate, das Brandeburger Tor – Berlin 27.03.2017
Salzburg, drawn at the location on a visit to Salzburg, Austria / Österreich 21.09.2019
Illustration of an orange VW Beetle on Blackpool Promenade
Test cityscape illustration made in Photoshop. With the towers of Manchester town hall and Royal Exchange, looking towards Winter Hill. 31 Dec 2009
Douglas DC3 Dakota, copied from a photograph. Watercolour drawing 11.07.1988
Rapid sketch of the LIver Building drawn at the location. It had to be rapid as the temperature was freezing! 18.12.2011
Levenshulme Baths – traced from a photograph 17.01.2015
Copy of artwork from the opening credits of The Untouchables tv series, made in the 1950s. The buildings are in downtown Chicago. When I visited Chicago, I saw this location. The viewpoint is at the southern end of North Michigan Avenue. Drawn around 1988
Copy of a postcard. I lived in a flat which overlooked a courtyard – Hinterhof – like this one. Drawn 1980.
A very rough sketch of the east facade of Manchester town hall in rain. The viewpoint is the window on the first floor of Manchester Art Gallery. 09.11.2016
Fantasy cityscape image of New York, drawn first on paper from a 1930s photograph, then scanned and built up using Photoshop layers. 27.12.2017
Facades on the Landwehrkanal, Kreuzberg, Berlin. drawn around 15.05.1980 during my year spent in West Berlin
The Custom House, Dublin, drawn at the location. 21.05.1977
Cityscape of Liverpool, drawn in around five minutes from my photograph taken from the top of the Liver Building 22.06.2019. I was surprised and happy to receive lots of positive feedback on Facebook.

The beauty of the baths captured on the Victoria Baths Photo Workshop

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Angel at Victoria Baths by Chris Currie
I’ve been running the Victoria Baths Photography Workshop for a few years now and have welcomed a large number of people, ranging from complete beginners in photography to highly experienced professional photographers. The age range is very wide as well, from teenagers to octogenarians.

Every time I run the workshop, I see something in the Baths that I’ve not seen before – not with my own eyes but through the camera viewfinders of the people on the workshop.

The aim of the workshop is to give people the opportunity to photograph this amazing building. I’m on hand to chat to people, giving tips where needed and also asking questions. There’s no formal instruction due to the widely differing levels of the participants.

I normally chat individually to each person on the workshop for ten minutes or so. There are normally between 7 and 10 people attending.

I always look through the photos on each person’s camera screen to gain an idea of what they have been photographing. I give positive feedback and suggestions for improvement. I also look at photos and say things like: ‘Wow, I wish I’d taken that!’ and ‘You’re very talented, aren’t you?’ or perhaps ‘That’s incredible, look at this everybody!’

I’ll also give them a task to complete, for instance making use of exposure compensation and asking them to do a series of bracketed shots to show me later.

The workshop that took place on Sunday 9 June followed the usual format: Start at 10am in the Turkish Baths rest area, by the magnificent stained glass window. Participants then go and explore the building. I chat to each one individually. We then meet at 12pm to go up the ‘secret’ staircase to the abandoned rooms at the top of the building. After 30-40 minutes we return to the ground floor and go to the canteen to chat.

This time I found some of the photos taken by the participants to be so impressive, I decided to do a write-up and showcase their photographs.

So here is a selection of images, sent in by people. I asked them to pick out three of their best images, particularly the ones I had praised on the day. I chose two images for each photographer who got back to me, and what follows is my critique of the photos.

Victoria Baths light switch by Emily PIckering 9.6.2019

This photo by Emily Pickering of a light switch and torn wallpaper really captures the atmosphere of the abandoned rooms on the top floor, which we always visit on the Victoria Baths Photography Workshop. She has caught the textures and details very well. She has placed the switch in the lower right of the frame, leaving room to display the wallpaper layers, patterns and colours at the top of the image.

Victoria Baths stained glass windows by Emily Pickering 9.6.2019

Emily Pickering has captured the stained glass windows superbly in this image. Very often, with stained glass, you have to underexpose the image in order to make sure the colours look saturated. The camera’s exposure meter will often photograph coloured stained glass wrongly. Often it makes the glass too light.  By making use of the Exposure Compensation setting on the camera, Emily has achieved the ideal exposure – not too dark and not too light. The viewpoint, from slightly to one side, gives a hint of spontaneity.

Victoria Baths stained glass window on the stairs by Maggie Malyszko

Maggie Malyszko took this excellent shot of the ‘sunrise’ window on the stairs. She has adopted a different viewpoint from most. She is looking from behind the staircase through the gap, giving a sense of an observer. This viewpoint creates an unusual pattern and composition in the image. The strong verticals and dark tones give a sense of mystery and atmosphere.

Victoria Baths corridor by Maggie Malyszko - 9.6.2019

Maggie Malyszko’s photo of the door and corridor is another superbly composed image. She has placed the part-open door in just the right position so that we can see through it, and so that the door at the far end of the corridor falls inside the middle pane of glass. Having a foreground element like this placed at the front gives a sense of depth. The textures of the wood, the shiny tiles and the marks on the out of focus windows give extra visual interest. She has placed the light on the wall in the upper left exactly inside the curve in the door. Great composition!

Victoria Baths abandoned rooms by Richard Waldock 6.9.2019

Richard Waldock created this very enigmatic image in the abandoned rooms at the top of the building. Eventually these rooms will be converted into apartments though at the time of writing – June 2019 – this is still a long way off. In the meantime the peeling ceilings and torn wallpaper will continue to fascinate visiting photographers on the Victoria Baths Photography Workshop. What’s disturbing about the image is that it looks almost as if there is a human form under the dark blanket. Lighting and composition are very good.

Victoria Baths bathtub by Richard Wadock 9.6.2019

Chris Currie has adopted an unusual viewpoint for this shot of the bath in the abandoned rooms. He has reduced the composition down to two areas of grey wall at the top and the white of the bath in the lower part, with taps, holes and stained sides. The wide angle lens has magnified the edges of the bath. It’s as if we are sitting in it ourselves, (though thankfully no legs are visible, unlike in those ‘me on the beach’ photos!). Of all the photos taken of that bath I’ve never seen one quite like this! All credit is due to the photographer!

Angel at Victoria Baths by Chris Currie

This image by Chris Currie shows that simply by adopting a different viewpoint, you can create an image that’s unique and with a lot of visual impact. He has re-interpreted the angel in the stained glass windows by moving to a low position and looking upwards. The shallow depth of field has made the stained glass out of focus in the upper and lower parts of the image. This works well as it adds a sense of depth, and the out of focus effect is visually pleasing.

Victoria Baths stairs and tiles - Richard Waldock

Richard Waldock took this photograph on the stairs near the main entrance. In any other building, the question in the viewer’s mind might be: ‘What made him take that photo?’ but in the Victoria Baths, every inch of the building is photogenic. The hand rail takes a zig zag path from top left to bottom right, and the reflections in the shiny green tiles are pleasing to the eye.

Victoria Baths sunlight and shadow, 9.6.2019

Laura Gritti took this photo in the abandoned rooms on the top floor. In this part of the building, objects lie on the floor for no apparent reason and can be used as subject matter for photography. Here a section of pipe and a meter provide an interesting focus, lit up by the direct sunlight through the windows, which cast a pattern on the floor. It’s a well composed image and quite enigmatic.

Victoria Baths main pool motion blue by Laura Gritti - 9.6.2019

Laura Gritti took this shot of the Gala pool, looking across towards the changing cubicles and the balcony above.  She has placed the ‘water 4 and a half feet deep’ sign on the left and just passing underneath, a man walking towards the right. She has used a slow shutter speed – I would estimate about one quarter of a second. The image is well composed with almost perfect horizontals. The picture is mostly static, but the moving figure provides a dynamic element. She pressed the shutter at just the right moment, when the guy was just in front of one of the red and white striped curtains.  A great example of  ‘le moment juste’ – the right moment – to press the shutter.

All in all I was very impressed with the photographs taken by this group. Every photographer who enters the Victoria Baths comes away with something unique, something memorable. This is a building that likes having its photo taken!

If you’d like to come on the Victoria Baths Photography Workshop, just get in contact with me directly and I will reserve a place for you.

Please visit my information page on the Victoria Baths Photography Workshop.

How I chose the winners in the Sale Festival 2019 photo competition

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SalePS-TheLivingCity-J608 What goes through the mind of a photo competition judge when he or she is choosing which photos to select? Are there any tips or guidelines you can follow if you’re submitting photos? Is it just a matter of personal taste or are the best photos always selected?

In June 2019 I was very honoured to be asked to judge a photography competition organised by Sale Photographic Society, part of Sale Festival 2019. Previous judges included BBC personalities Phil Trow, the late Dianne Oxberry and Eamonn O’Neill, Deputy Lieutenant of Greater Manchester. Gerry Yeung, also a Deputy Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, has judged the competition too.

SalePS-Brochure-J608

The first thing I needed to do, one week before the awards ceremony, was to go to the venue, Waterside Arts Centre in Sale town centre, 20 minutes by tram from Manchester city centre, and select the photos. The prize-giving event took place on Friday 7 June, 2019. I was to talk about the photos, giving the reasons why I chose them, and meet the winners.

They always say it’s difficult to choose from competition entries. There’s some truth in that, but at the same time, some photos stand out more than others.

But before starting to select, there is one very important factor that you always have to keep in mind as a judge, and that’s the brief, and for this competition, the title was: “The living city”

I therefore decided that, for images to fulfil the brief, they would have to show life, human or otherwise, set against the backdrop of the city. I wanted to see both people – or maybe not people, doing things, engaging in some activity, and also I wanted to see the city in which they were located.

Just on this principle alone I was able to rule out many images. There was nothing wrong with them, many were excellent and I might have taken them myself, but they didn’t answer the challenge. For instance some were cityscapes with no people visible. Others depicted people but the city wasn’t visible.

Immediately one photo jumped out at me. That was the one I awarded the first prize. It’s this image, which, at first, I couldn’t make out. What was it? Some kind of abstract pattern with circles and rectangles? A firework display? And what’s that red blob at the bottom?

Quickly I recognised the subject – it was Manchester’s Albert Square with the Christmas Markets. The red blob was Father Christmas. The photographer had photographed the square from the clock tower of Manchester town hall after dark. Chatting to him after the event he told me he had deliberately booked the last clock tower tour so that he could take this photograph.

This is a good example of how the best images often result from good planning so that you can be in the right place at the right time. The image is well composed and the brightness is just right. The people thronging the square provide an abundance of visible life. They almost look like tiny insects. We can see some of the buildings on the opposite side of the square, which gives us a sense of the city. It is a very good photograph and a great example of low light photography.

OK, let’s continue looking at the winning photos, now moving to number two (senior category), taken in Bangkok. As soon as I saw this image, I felt that it deserved to win a prize. That’s because it’s a very high quality image, well composed and executed. It also fulfils the brief very well. The swarm of motorbikes moving down and to the left provides life and movement. The flyover above also gives a great sense of diagonal movement. Diagonals of course tend to give a dynamic effect while verticals and horizontals have a more static effect.

As I looked more closely I began to find interesting details – like the bus numbers and the indecipherable Thai language destinations. On the left is an elephant and there are more details hidden in the image. And the backdrop is a typical Asian cityscape of tall buildings. A great image.

SalePS-From-Coal-to-Stroll-by-Tom-Chadwick

I awarded third prize to this photo of the Bridgewater Canal in Sale, not far from the exhibition venue. Various things struck me about this photograph. First, it is in portrait orientation. I would probably have taken it landscape. The main emphasis is in the middle of the photograph, the people – and one dog – walking along the canal, with one person visible on the right watching them.

What’s interesting is that the point of focus is under the tree. The people in the distance are left out of focus. This gives a painterly effect, similar to reminiscent of 19th century painter Seurat, who used the pointillist style. Typically he painted groups of people on the banks of the Seine having a picnic. Here the people are are walking by the canal.

I wondered aloud whether the focus on an empty spot under the tree was deliberate. The photographer told me after the award ceremony that it was. Focusing on an empty spot made me think that perhaps the subject is invisible, they are not there, but still present in some way.

The next image was the junior entry. What I liked about this photograph of the bee painting in Stevenson Square Manchester, is that the photographer took it at an angle. I’ve often photographed these paintings – which are part of an arts scheme and are always painted over after a period of time.

I generally photograph them straight on, excluding the background and trying not to crop the painting. But here, the photographer broke some rules. She took it at an angle, cropped part of the painting and also included some details you wouldn’t consider photogenic – some scaffolding and a couple of façades. But these details are interesting and they place the subject in its context.

The bee symbolises Manchester, its industry and the hard working character of its people, so the picture exactly fulfils the brief, whilst disobeying many so-called ‘rules’ of composition. As I often say it’s important to know the rules – or more exactly, guidelines – but they are there to be broken.

After the prize giving, the photographer told me she took it on a school trip and it was taken spontaneously. She told me she had just received her GCSE photography results and received an A*. I’m always very keen to give encourangement and support to young photographers,. I hope she will take her photography further.

In addition to these four prize winners there were four images selected for special recommendation.

This one of guys doing parkour stood out, partly because of the photographer’s excellent timing. Using a very fast shutter speed, they managed to catch the guy jumping at just the right moment – le moment juste – as I often like to say. Another thing I liked was that a woman in the background was photographing the performance on a mobile phone. The setting is the former UMIST campus, now Manchester University.

SalePS-Dog-Walkers-Longford-Park-by-Aamir-Sabzwari

I liked the photograph of four figures – dog, human, human, dog – walking through a park. It’s actually Longford Park, not far from Sale. The vista reminds me of 19th century French painters such as Corot.

As I mentioned in my presentation, I often find inspiration for photography by going to art galleries and looking at paintings. Every photographer should do this, as you can learn so much about composition and lighting.

I liked the fact that the right hand figure – the small dog – was off the footpath. All four expressed a sense of gentle movement away from the viewpoint. The lines of perspective are striking. The splash of colour from the hats, scarf and boots are also pleasing.

SalePS-Crossing-The-Tracks-by-Lesley-Heptinstall

I was happy to be able to include in my selection a very impactful black and white image. Two people walk across the tracks at the top of Mosley Street in Manchester city centre. The sun is coming from behind and casts shadows on the ground.

The figures and their shadows form a V-shape that gives a pleasing composition. Again, we see the skill of the photographer in choosing ‘le moment juste’ – the right moment to press the shutter, capturing the movement at just the right point. Further along the street, another person crosses in the opposite direction and they are placed between the two figures in the foreground.

In the distance are the new residential towers under construction south of the city centre, so this image is up to date and topical. The person on the right is looking at a mobile phone. This image captures a very familiar subject and location in a new and visually captivating way.

SalePS-Relaxing-In-The-City-by-Andy-Carpenter-

This photograph of a man sitting on a canal boat, with Manchester’s Castlefield basin and bridges in the background. I felt that this image also illustrated life, though in a more restful state – the man is reading Canal Boat magazine. The saddle of a bike is also visible as well as the usual paraphernalia of boats, including ropes, with a glimpse of the interior of the cabin.

On the outside we can see people, cyclists and walkers who have just crossed the bridge. Maybe a tram or train crossing one of the bridges would have been nice but it’s not necessary. That was the scene when the photographer pressed the shutter. I don’t like the phrase ‘should have had’ or ‘should have been’. I once heard a picture was rejected because the door of beach hut ‘should have been’ a particular colour.

I like the composition – the photographer has placed the right hand side of the boat parallel with the edge of the image, leaving a vertical strip of water on the right. It highlights an important and often overlooked aspect of life in Manchester: that some people live on boats or at least they are visiting from other parts of the country by canal boat.

All in all, judging the competition was a very interesting experience and I enjoyed explaining my reasons to the people at the awards event, alongside the Mayor of Trafford and members of Sale Photographic Society.

I was happy to see the photographers receive their prizes. The junior entrant won £50.

SalePS-FramedPhotos-J608

I have to say the framed photos looked great on the display board. They will remain there during June 2019.

Chris Boyes
Manchester Christmas Markets
Winner Senior Competition
Cheque for £100

Roy Grindrod
Bangkok traffic
Second Senior Competition
Cheque for £50

Tom Chadwick
From-Coal-to-Stroll
Third Senior Section
Cheque for £25

Erin Kelly
Bee in the City
Winner Junior Section
Cheque for £50

and the Commended authors were:

Andy Carpenter
Relaxing In The City

Lesley Heptinstall
Crossing The Tracks

Therese Lee
Parkour Training in Manchester

Aamir Sabzwari
Dog Walker Longford Park

So finally: some advice for people entering a photography competition, which I’ll formlate as questions:

  1. Have I fulfilled the brief? Have I thought carefully about the title and tried to respond to the challenge it sets?
  2. Have I depicted the subject in a new and unique way that few other photographers might have chosen?
  3. Is the picture technically competent, in focus where you want it to be in focus, with good image and print quality
  4. Does your photo look like it is the kind of picture that deserves to win a prize? Be honest with yourself here!

And one last note: If your photo wasn’t chosen for a prize, it doesn’t mean it is without merit! Photography judging is still partly a subjective thing. Some competitions are judged by several people, but as John Earnshaw of Sale PS remarked, the cream still has a tendency to rise to the top.

Video: Around the Manchester Airport Orbital Cycleway by electric bike

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I made this video in May 2019 and it’s a milestone as it’s the first medium-length video (around 9 minutes) I’ve made shooting and editing on the iPhone 8 Plus. On this page I present the video script as a blog post. If you’d like to read the background to the video and view a couple of amusing signs I encountered on the way, please visit my Patreon blog

We’re going to go around the Manchester Airport Orbital Cycleway. This is our starting point, one mile east of the terminal. This is our mode of transport, an electric bike and we’re going to head West olong the A555 Manchester Airport Link Road.

We’ll be stopping along the route at places where you can watch and photograph or video the planes.

Here by the northern perimeter on Ringway road and Shadowmoss Road we are right underneath the final approach path.

I came here as a child and wished I lived in one of those houses. They were demolished in recent years for safety reasons this is the scene today.

The name Shadowmoss Road makes me think of the Shadowmoss air crash in 1957, when a BEA Viscount crashed into a row of houses. It’s Manchester’s forgotten air disaster.

Today there are more than 500 aircraft movements per day. Planes have reached a high level of sophistication and safety.

The planes land from the north east and take off towards the south west. When the wind is from the east they take off towards the north east.

The Airport Hotel on Ringway Road is a pub with a garden at the back, which has great views of the planes taking off, but be careful, parking is restricted. Here’s my photo of an Aer Lingus Airbus 320 taken in 2007.

Next to Terminal three you can see the planes through the fence. It’s too narrow for a DSLR lens but the iPhone lens is so tiny it can peep through the wire netting.

Terminal 3 has no public viewing facilities, and please note, there’s a charge to drop off in front of the terminal. Better to use the free drop off point, from where there are free buses to the terminals.

This is the only part of the original 1962 terminal building still visible. The air traffic controllers moved to a new control tower in 2013. I came here is the child and went on to the viewing terraces where I I took this photograph. The terraces closed due to tighter security.

I worked at Manchester Airport on the Information Desk and got to know the airport quite well. It was a great job.

The airport grew and grew, and today arriving passengers are welcomed by the sight of a multistorey car park. But a new terminal is planned. The remains of the old one will disappear.

The Radisson Blu hotel is an impressive building, with great views from the business class lounge at the top. And just nearby, beyond the hedge, a taste of the exotic, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner of Ethiopian airways.

This is the station, bringing together trains, trams and buses. The Skylink leads to terminals one and three. It has moving walkways that are not always working!

This part of the Skylink goes to Terminal 2, which is currently being extended as part of the airport’s one billion pound expansion plan. The drop off point is now further away from the terminal building and there’s a three pound charge. Best to use the free drop off point.

This is the interior of Terminal 2. Soon it will be much bigger and will become the main terminal of the airport and it’s set for completion in 2020.

When I worked at Manchester Airport, this area was just empty fields.

But just a few feet away from all this construction, an old timber-framed house that was here centuries before the airport appeared.

We continue along the lane to the south west of the airport and there’s an amusing road sign – its in the background article on my Patreon page – and we are at the World Freigh Terminal on the west side of the airport. We can see the new control tower which opened in 2013.

Close to here the Romper pub in Ringway. For many years the airport was called Ringway, a name which goes back the middle ages and before. Strange that the name Ringway is similar to the word ‘runway’. This is Ringway Chapel now the Ringway Life Centre. The name ‘Ringway’ always reminded me of the ringing sound of the turboprop engines of the planes.

Further along Wilmslow old Road is Runway visitor park. A Trident and a Nimrod are on display, Concorde is in its own building. Book in advance to visit. Here’s my photo of Concorde on its final journey on 22 Oct, 2003, taken from the viewing park. The viewing park is fairly close to the runways and taxiways and the views are quite good. Entry is free to people on foot and by bike but car drivers pay a hefty parking charge. The upmarket PremiAir private terminal is now under contruction in front of the viewing area.

We’ll move on from Runway Visitor Park and onto the A538 towards Wilmslow, passing a brand new petrol station. Using the shared pedestrian and cycle path head towards the tunnel under the south west end of the airport. While I was working at the Airport I had a Trumph Spitfire, my first car and it ran out of petrol at this spot!

We are between the old tunnel and the new tunnel which passes under the second runway. If we’re lucky we might see a plane taking off but not at the moment. We continue through the new tunnel to the roundabout by the River Bollin and this spot always reminds me of the 2nd Runway protestors who camped out in the trees near here.

The old Altrincham Road was closed when the second runway was built but we can continue through the National Trust property. The airport is just beyond the trees and soon we are riding along the path next to the perimeter fence and here we can stop to watch the planes.

We can see the Ethiopian Boeing 787 Dreamliner about to take off for Addis Ababa. Here are a few of my archive photos taken from this viewpoint. The BMI A330. BMI sadly finished in 2019. And American Airlines Boeing 767 in the old livery, the Virgin Atlantic 747, and today still operating, same livery, but with a different font!

The big crowd-puller is the Emirates A380, with two arrivals and departures every day. Please note, this viewing area is not approved by the National Trust. In fact there was an interesting sign which has long since disappeared. My photo of it is on my Patreon blog.

And now we’re back on the orbital cycleway by the perimiter fence, looking over towards the 2013 control tower and an easyJet Airbus. We continue along the old Altrincham Road. It’s semi-rural with farms and houses now on both sides.

Let’s go down this narrow footpath and what do we find? A field with horses, providing an idyllic sunset scene, just a stone’s throw from the busy airport. We’d better continue, there’s still plenty of power in the battery and after passing an emergency gate, it’s the Manchester Airport mockup aircraft used for fire training.

Now we’re on the home stretch heading towards Styal Road, where we turn left and soon we are back at our starting point. We’ve covered a distance of around 7.5 miles.

The video was captured mostly on the iPhone and I also used a Panasonic TZ70. The video was entirely edited on the iPhone and it’s an iPhone 8 Plus. If you found this video interesting, then please like it and please post a comment, hit the bell button for notifications and most importantly, please subscribe – I have two channels – This one aidanorourke for my photo and video projects and my other channel AidanExplorer, exploring Europe and the world through languages.

We’ll finish with a sunset captured here a few weeks ago.

The UK and German healthcare systems compared

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In the past few years I’ve moved from photographer-writer towards maker of educational videos. I’m a coach in languages and so I am keen to explore languages – especially German – but at the same time provide content for a wide audience.

I’ve always been interested in a wide range of themes. I use my photography to illustrate my work. Previously I produced only articles in writing. Today I produce video essays that consist of photographs and videoclips as well as charts and tables. Nowadays I use library images and videoclips, but I still like to use as much of my own material as possible.

Following a suggestion from a colleague, I decided to make a video that looks at the question of the UK’s health service, the NHS and how it compares to the German health system.

I’m currently planning the video essay, and in this blog post is developed from my draft script. I intend to share it with people and gain some feedback before going on to make the final version of the video

Which health system is better? The British NHS or the German healthcare system?

Well, it’s complicated! So put I together some key facts and I am also going present some medical-related words and phrases in German that will be useful for everyone.

OK, so what is the fundamental difference between the UK system and the German system?

The UK NHS is owned and run by the state and it’s free at the point of use.

The German system is mostly free at the point of use but it’s paid for through contributions to a state-run health insurance scheme.

In Germany people pay for the health system by paying social insurance contributions into a health fund – Gesundheitsfonds – which then goes into a Krankenkasse or health insurance ‘pot’. The money is taken out of their salary and the employer also contributes 50%.

In the UK, the money to support the health system is paid by the government, mostly through general taxation.

The NHS was launched in 1948 at what was then Park Hospital in Urmston near Manchester. Today it’s Trafford General Hospital. A blue plaque commemorates the launch. British people are proud of their NHS and often compare it unfavourably to the US system. They like the fact that it’s free, unlike the American system which relies mostly on private health insurance.

Aneurin Bevan was Labour health minister and he is credited as the father of the NHS. A statue of him is in Cardiff.

The UK system is more like the old East German system, and that’s not a criticism. The East German health system provided a good, basic service, though without the expensive equipment found in the West.

After the end of Communism – nach der Wende – the West German system was introduced into the East.

The German system goes back to the late 19th century, when under Otto von Bismarck, Germany pioneered the welfare state.

This system is still in use today. Krankenkassen are non-profit making organisations, that are governed by strict regulations.

The biggest state-run Krankenkasse is the Allgemeine Ortskrankenkasse. Then are the private Krankenkassen.

You are required by law to pay into a Krankenkasse. You can see it on your pay slip. If you earn above a certain amount, you can insure yourself with a private Krankenkasse. Many cater for specific professions.

In the UK, the National Health Service is paid for by the Government. The amount paid by the government varies depending on which political party is in power, whether Labour or Conservatives.

Statistics indicate that the NHS received considerably more money under Labour governments than the Conservatives, though the Conservatives dispute this.

It’s important to note that the UK also has a private healthcare system which people can have access to by paying for private health insurance. People also receive private healthcare as part of their job.

So in theory, if you have a higher income and/or a better job, you can get better healthcare. To what extent that is true lies outside the scope of this video essay!

The NHS has been had a funding crisis for many years – German system is not perfect but it’s well-funded.

Due to Brexit, the NHS has a serious staffing crisis and it’s getting worse. Many staff are leaving and new people are not being recruited. A no deal Brexit would be very bad for the NHS for many reasons. Staying in the EU is better for the NHS, though it still needs to be improved.

So which system is better? Well, before we answer that question, let’s ask a few more…

How much do both countries spend on health? Germany spends 11.1%. on health care, the UK, 9.8%

Which are the best hospitals in the UK and in Germany? Here are some famous ones: famous UK hospitals include Guys Hospital in London, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, The Christie in Manchester and more

in Germany Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, the Charité in Berlin, Asklepios Klinik Barmbek – Hamburg and the Uniklinikum in Köln.

What are the practical differences between UK and German hospitals? For this video I went for a walk around a few hospitals in the UK and in Germany.

In German hospitals, each department or  unit functions as an independent practice – Praxis – like this Children’s emergency Praxis in Cologne.

In the UK most departments and units mostly display the NHS logo. Services have been organised into NHS trusts to provide more autonomous control. Some services are provided by outside companies.

In UK hospitals you’ll see adverts for fundraising – sometimes to pay for basic hospital equipment, like scanners.

In Germany you won’t see this, everything is funded.

This is especially true of hospices. St Ann’s Hospice near Manchester receiveS just over a third of its funding from the NHS. That means it needs to raise around £20,000 every day just to keep the hospice running.

They organise glamorous celebrity dinners, midnight runs and many other great events. They run charity shops as well, but is it right that a facility providing a basic healthcare service needs to do this?

In Germany hospices are fully funded.

Here are some more differences I found.

The emergency ambulances in Germany sound like this but in the UK, they sound like this. The German siren is called the Martinshorn, named after the company that makes it.

In Germany they’re red and in the UK they’re yellow and in both countries often see the same basic vehicle, the Mercedes Sprinter.

On the side you’ll see the emergency number – Notruf – in Germany neun eins eins – nine one one  and in the UK – nine nine nine – neun neun neun – or for non-essential it’s one one one. You can also dial 911 neun eins eins in the UK.

In recent years, smaller hospitals have been closed and their services, including A&E transferred to larger single-site hospitals.

This means ambulances have a longer distance to go than before. I hear many ambulances passing every day but in Germany, I seem to hear fewer? Is this really the case?

Parking at hospitals is an important issue. At German hospitals, it’s generally free for a period, then there’s a charge.

This is also the case in Britain, though some have very expensive charges, as here at Stepping Hill hospital in Stockport.

If you are citizen of another EU state,  you can receive healthcare on the same basis as German nationals

Similarly citizens from other EU nations are treated for free by the NHS – or more exactly, the NHS charges the cost of the treatment to the home country.

I once had a bike accident in Germany, and I was given first rate treatment at the local hospital. The bill of 233,50 Deutsche Mark was charged to the UK and I didn’t have to pay anything.

If you do suffer illness or an accident in Germany you’ll be able to gain first hand experience of healthcare in Germany and you’ll be better able to answer the question of which has the better healthcare system, the UK or Germany.

But before I answer that question, let’s take a little language lesson and I’ll ask another question: What do doctors say when you go and see them?

Doctors in the English speaking world say ‘What seems to be the problem? What can I do for you? or maybe ‘How can I help you?’

German speaking doctors might ask you ‘Was fehlt Ihnen?’ – what’s wrong with you, literally what’s missing from you? Also ‘Was kann ich für Sie tun?’ or maybe ‘Wie kann ich Ihnen helfen?’ – How can I help you?

Let’s look at a few complaints
Ich habe Kopfschmerzen. – I have a headache.
Ich habe Halsschmerzen. – I have a sore throat.
Ich habe Magenschmerzen. – I have a stomach ache.

If the pain is coming from your hand, foot or leg you can say ‘ tut mir weh’ – it hurts

Meine Hand tut mir weh.
Mein Fuß tut mir weh
Mein Bein tut mir weh

For other parts of the body, consult a good dictionary!

If there’s been an accident and you need to phone 911 ou can say:

Es gab einen Unfall – there’s been an accident
Es gibt Verletzte – there are injured people

Okay, so let’s get back to the important question: Which system is better, the UK healthcare system or the German health system?

In doing my research I found an interesting video on the BBC website (link below) with some interesting informatin:

  • Waiting times for operations are shorter in Germany, typically three to four weeks in Germany compared
  • Germany has three doctors per 1000 population, but the UK has two.
  • Germany has 3 times as many hospital beds compared to the UK.
  • For instance Germany spends 11.1%. Britain 9.8%
  • Germans pay 7% of income for healthcare + employer

Most people I’ve spoken to think that the German healthcare system offers a higher level of service. But people in Germany have to pay for their system directly out of their salary. Some  pay many hundreds of euro each month.

The British healthcare system provides a good system too, and though people don’t pay contributions directly towards the health system, the NHS is paid for through taxation and a share of National Insurance contributions.

So that’s it, a quick and hopefully entertaining overview of a very complex subject. I hope it will arouse people’s curiosity and encourage them to look for more detailed information online.

If you’re interested in learning German, go to aidan.co.uk/german to see my coaching and one to one services.

If you’re visiting Germany, I wish you gute Reise! and if you’ve visiting the UK, enjoy your trip and if you’re coming from an EU country, don’t forget your EHIC card!

Here’s the link to the BBC video I found.

As I said at the top, this is just an outline for the video I am planning. Eventually it will appear on this page and on my AidanExplorer YouTube channel.

Many thanks for reading and please contact me directly if you have any suggestions!

Video: 7 reasons to use ‘analogue’ photography – Editorial style video presented in two languages

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In 2018 I made a video entitled ‘Is it time to go back to film?”

In 2019 I decided to do a new version of the video using my new bilingual format, presented in English and German. The ratio is roughly 90% English and 10% German. This is part of my Campaign for Languages initiative. I want to promote language learning and incorporate foreign languages into my videos so that a wide range of people get to see them and experience them. The video is fully accessible to English speakers. 

So here is the exact wording of the voiceover. All photos are by me, Aidan O’Rourke and were captured on film from around 1980 to the present.

In this video we look at Seven reasons to try analog photography and as part of my campaign for languages the headings are in German

Reason number one,
Film has a particular ‘look’.
Film hat einen besonderen ‘Look’

I first became interested in photography in my final year at TCD. I wanted the best picture quality, so I used Kodachrome because of its rich, saturated colours.

The positive image is captured within the emulsion of the transparency – das Diapositiv. There’s no print, you needed a viewer or projector to view them. But in the digital age, a scanner – ein Scanner – or even a smartphone – ein Smartphone – can be used to import them into the digital medium.

With a film camera, the depth of field – die Tiefenschärfe – is fantastic giving a background that’s nicely out of focus.

I continued my photographic explorations in New York. I taught myself photography from the book ‘The Complete Photographer’ by Andreas Feininger, (1906-1999) his father was the German-American artist Lyonel Feininger (1871-1956).

My first long exposure photo – meine erste Langzeitbelichtung – was of 9th Avenue, taken on the Fujica camera I bought in New York.

My first long exposure photograph, taken using my first roll of Kodachrome 25 film

Number two

Film photography can make you into a better photographer.
Filmfotografie kann dich zu einem besseren Fotografen machen.

I continued taking photogaphs on visits to Berlin, east and West. When you use a film camera you have to be patient and selective. It forces you to think carefully before you press the shutter – den Auslöser drücken.

In England I photographed my home region of north west England and wanted an element of nostalgia. That’s why I used Ilford HP5 with its grainy, atmospheric quality. Black and white film still has that effect.

It was exciting to scan the photos and open them in Photoshop and transform them using digital enhancement. Film and digital can be used together. They are not mutually exclusive. They are complimentary.

The Manchester Ship Canal and Trafford Wharf before the Imperial War Museum was built.

Number three
You can experience how photography used to be
Du kannst erleben, wie die Fotografie früher war.

It’s great to use similar equipment and materials to those used by the great photographers such as Lord Lichfield, Helmut Newton, David Bailey, Ellen von Unwerth and many others.

Whilst working in the Middle East, I used Kodak Ektrachrome as I was able to develop it at home and I used 35mm and medium format cameras.

Number four
A film camera will set you apart from others
Eine Filmkamera hebt dich von anderen ab.

Film will give your photos a different look – and a film camera is a talking point.

When I started photographing Manchester in the mid-90s, film was still the only affordable medium. I took literally thousands of photos on film, had them developed – or developed them myself, scanned the film and enhanced them.

It was a hybrid form of photography – capture on film, enhancement in digital. I went over to digital around 2000.

Number five
Good film cameras are inexpensive
Gute Filmkameras sind kostengünstig.

Today it’s possible to buy film cameras that used to cost hundreds or even thousands. In Manchester I went to the Real Camera Company where I got an Olympus OM30.

Number six
it’s fun to use a film camera
Es macht Spaß, eine Filmkamera zu benutzen.

Putting in the film – den Film einlegen – can be difficult at first. You’ll learn about the lens – das Objektiv – the aperture – die Blende and the shutter der Verschluss.

The large, bright viewfinder, the stunning depth of field, the ability of good quality film – such as Kodak Ektar – to capture subtle shades, these are some of the many plus points of using a film camera.

No 7
Developing and scanning are inexpensive
Entwickeln und Scannen sind kostengünstig.

There are plenty of places where you can have film developed. I used the online service Photo Hippo, based in Burnley in NW England. Or with a tank and some chemicals you can develop the film yourself – du kannst den Film selber entwickeln.

For my website Eyewitness in Manchester (1998-2005) took literally thousands of photographs . Many of the places and people – such as the Hacienda and Tony Wilson – are sadly gone.

In the early days of digital enhancement, scanning was slow and computers couldn’t cope with large file sizes, so I have many photos only at small size.

Dusk view of Manchester from Werneth Low, captured on grainy colour negative film

As digital photography became more established after 2000, I used film less and less. but recently I’ve partially gone back to film. I still like to take photos with a nostalgic quality, and for that, film is ideal – dafür ist der Film ideal.

There are Photoshop filters that emulate grain and the look of certain films, but I think in this age of fake news and digital dishonesty, it’s better to use the real thing. Oh, and I can’t stand the term ‘analog’ photography, for me, it’s film.

Not all film photos are technically perfect. There are spots, colour casts, but those imperfections can make the pictures unique.

I’m glad I had the opportunity to use film photography and I think everyone who is seriously intereted in photgraphy today should use it.

It’s not for professionals – in fact most professional photographers don’t use film any more – film is for everyone an additional format alongside digital.

So here again are seven reasons to use film photography
Sieben Gründe, Filmfotografie zu benutzen.

this time only in German!

Film hat einen besonderen ‘Look’

Filmfotografie kann dich zu einem besseren Fotografen machen.

Du kannst erleben, wie die Fotografie früher war.

Eine Filmkamera hebt dich von anderen ab.

Gute Filmkameras sind kostengünstig.

Es macht Spaß, eine Filmkamera zu benutzen.

Entwickeln und Scannen sind kostengünstig.

If you found this video interesting, please don’t forget to subscribe, hit the ‘like’ button, post a comment and click the ‘bell’ to receive updates.

Vielen Dank fürs Zuschauen – Many thanks for watching and Auf Wiedersehen.

 

On the Kings Road 1986, showing the out of focus background it’s possible to achieve using a 35mm film camera

 

Video: A Very Insecure Exhibition – with Karen McBride and Shari Denson

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A VERY INSECURE EXHIBITION was an exhibition that took place on Friday, 22 February, 2019 in a skate park under the Mancunian Way flyover in Manchester.

It featured the photography of music photographers Karen McBride and Shari Denson, who joined forces to create this remarkable event.

A Very Insecure Exhibition was a very unconventional exhibition, in fact it was totally different to any exhibition I’ve ever been to.

I travel on or under the Mancunian Way almost every day and have walked past the skate park on numerous occasions. Never would I have imagined a photography exhibition taking place there.

The choice of venue was kept secret until the week of the event, when it was first announced on Radio Manchester’s Mike Sweeney Show.

The Mancunian Way is a by-pass road in central Manchester that was first built in the 1960s. This flyover was a later addition, opened in the 1990s. It carries the A57(M) urban motorway over the A6, where it continues as the A635(M) for a few hundred yards. I include these nerdy details as they are important in setting the scene and I know a bit about the history of Manchester.

This is the first time a photo exhibition has taken place underneath a motorway, at least in Manchester. The skate park with its walls of see-through wire netting has an air of New York.

It took about four hours to set up the exhibition. Shari and Karen worked with a team of assistants to place the photos on the sloping and curved surfaces of the skate park. Some of the pictures were cut out to fit into the available space.  The photos were printed out at large format in black and white. Some were printed on conventional photographic paper at smaller size.

“Wow, they look great!” I thought as I peered through the wire netting into the skate park, transformed into an exhibition space. We waited in the hut that serves as a cafe and reception area for users. More and more people arrived, including John Robb, Badly Drawn Boy and others from Manchester’s music scene.

At 8pm we were allowed through into the exhibition space. It was great to walk around and explore all the photos – some photos familiar to me, others unfamiliar photos of famous people.

A lot of people came – more than 350. A mobile bar was set up and it provided an air of glamour and a focus. I thought the air might be cold but it was quite mild. It was surreal, looking at photographs while cars whizzed by along the slip road outside, and above, evening traffic moved in both directions on the flyover, drivers unaware of the art event going on underneath.

The music went quiet and John Robb started his In Conversation with both photographers. He asked the right questions, and we learned a lot about their respective interests, shooting techniques and preferences. At the end the crowd clapped, just like a gig. And then there was a surprise.

All attendees were invited to take away the photographs. But there was one condition: People had to put the photos up all around Manchester and beyond and take photos of them for social media.

We managed to find some superb prints which now adorn our walls. That’s not something you can do at the National Portrait Gallery – rip the pictures off the walls!

But this was more of a ‘punk’ event than a photography exhibition. It was meant to be like a gig, and people could walk off with photographs just like the set list at a gig.

Songwriter and guitarist Dave Fidler performed some of his songs. It was great to see a real life artist performing amongst the many images of performers.

The book of the exhibition was on sale and both photographers signed copies.

All I can say is – it was a fantastic event and totally unique. Karen and Shari truly did something new and amazing. Congratulations to them! And thanks for the great photos now taking pride of place on our wall!

A Very Insecure Exhibition was held at Projekts MCR Skatepark (The Pump Cage) · Manchester.

The PA and furniture were provided by James Casper-Mason and The Worx

Photos were printed by Entwhistle.

Video review of Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg – YouTube video in English and German

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In January 2019 I visited Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg and I was utterly captivated by it. I wanted to produce a video review of it and so I took up an opportunity to return in February. I made this video to show people just how amazing Miniatur Wunderland is. It’s part of my Explore Learn German YouTube channel and so contains some German language content for my students of German and everyone else. Below is the script of the video.

Miniatur Wunderland is a model railway or in German – eine Modellbahn – in Hamburg. But it’s much more than a model railway. It’s a miniaturised version of the world, or at least a sample of it, realised in astonishing detail. It’s located in Hamburg in the Speicherstadt, the area of waterside warehouses, about five minutes walk from the Elbphilharmonie. Miniatur Wunderland takes up three floors in a former dockside warehouse.

Miniatur Wunderland has some remarkable statistics: 1040 locomotives run on 15,400 metres of tracks – that’s 15.4 kilometres or nine and a half miles. Like most model railways it uses the H0 or HO gauge of 1:87, so at Miniatur Wunderland scale, the length of track is equivalent to about 1,340 kilometres or 837 miles. The miniature cities and landscapes are populated by more than a quarter of a million tiny figurines called Preiserlein. They’re named after the firm that makes them – Preiser. |

It’s the largest model railway in the world – Es ist die größte Modelleisenbahn der Welt! with an area of 1,499 square metres or around 16,130 square feet. There is so much detail and variety, it’s overwhelming. There are 390,000 tiny LED lights. This is truly a miniature world of superlatives – eine Miniaturwelt der Superlative.

We start on the third floor and in front of us, an astonishing recreation of Hamburg. Like all the models it’s not an exact representation. The main attractions are there, including the Landungsbrücken, the Hauptbahnhof or central station, Hamburg’s famous churches and the docks area. The Fernsehturm had to be reduced in height in order to fit under the ceiling. The Elbphilharmonie opens up to reveal the interior. There’s a magnificent view along Hamburg’s iconic but doomed Köhlbrandbrücke. Which crosses over water made of rippled glass. Alle 15 Minuten wird es dunkel – every fifteen minutes it goes dark – the lights on the bridge come on in spectacular fashion.

In nearby Skandinavien a ship makes its way along a stretch of real water and soon we are looking over a snowy scene. As in real-life Sweden, the trains run on the left – die Züge fahren auf der linken Seite – the trains, buildings and tracks are carefully made to be true to life in Sweden.

In Amerika we start at Key West and a couple of metres away is Las Vegas. As night falls the lights come on. Though only a tiny fraction of the size, it captures the essence of the real thing. We continue across the desert towards the Grand Canyon but there’s no Chicago or New York – personally I’d like to have seen them.

Österreich – Austria is all mountains, valleys and ski slopes. The trains weave in and out of tunnels and across bridges and viaducts.

We can look down on a large railway station from above. Part of one floor has been removed so the mountains can extend up two storeys to the ceiling, where there are thundery clouds.

Trains make their way around tiny tracks everywhere you look, often passing each other in opposite directions. It’s impossible to see where they have come from or where they are going . The mountainous theme is continued as we enter die Schweiz – Switzerland.

There’s one word that describes the experience so far – unglaublich! Unbelievable. But there’s a lot more to see yet.

We continue into Mitteldeutschland with its hills covered in trees, rivers and valleys one of them crossed by a new bridge carrying the ICE the Inter-City-Express. The trains move at the right speed according to the scale. Only when they stop suddenly is the illusion broken. Another slight departure from reality is that the pantograph doesn’t touch the overhead cables. Some aspects of reality are too difficult to recreate in miniature but it’s okay, our imagination does the rest.

As night falls again, the lights are bezaubernd – they’re magical, enchanting. Ab und zu fliegt ein UFO runter – from time to time a UFO flies down. A UFO hunter is waiting. There are many humorous references. A subterranean area contains some famous Verschwörungstheorien – conspiracy theories, including the one about the moon landings.

The most astonishing part of Miniatur Wunderland is the airport. Es ist wahrscheinlich der kleinste Verkehrsflughafen der Welt – it’s probably the smallest commercial airport in the world! It has all the features of a real airport, including terminal buildings based on Hamburg Airport, tiny buses that move and more than over 40 aircraft.

The most astonishing thing of all is that – die Flugzeuge landen und starten genau wie wirkliche Flugzeuge – the planes land and take off just like real aircraft. I haven’t fully figured out how they do it, but it’s an amazing sight. There are some classic aircraft, such as the Constellation, and every so often, you’ll see a Star Wars spaceship or a strange, bee-like creature flying low along the runway before disappearing into the clouds.

Es ist atemberaubend! It’s breathtaking – and there’s still more.

Das Modell von Venedig wurde 2018 vollendet – The model of Venice was completed in 2018. Rome and the Vatican City are represented in incredible detail. The Trevi Fountain, the Coliseum, all reproduced magnificently.

The locomotives are manually controlled. There’s a huge variety of trains. We have Passagierzüge – passenger trains, Güterzüge – freight trains, Hochgeschwindigkeitszüge – high speed trains – Dampfzüge – steam trains and many more. They’re all operated by Miniatur Wunderland staff who sit in a control centre. A very cool feature is the train driver’s view seen via a tiny camera on the train.

If you’d like to watch how the models are made, you can see the workshops, and for an extra fee there’s a tour hinter die Kulissen – behind the scenes.

Die Attraktion ist 365 Tage im Jahr geöffnet. it’s open 365 days in the year. Millionen Menschen haben Miniatur Wunderland besucht. – Millions of people have visited Miniatur Wunderland since it was opened in 2001. It’s best to book online to avoid waiting times.

What’s in store? Monaco is under construction and Britain is set to arrive in 2020.

There’s no doubt that Miniatur Wunderland is one of the top attractions in Germany and in Europe but I have a challenge: I’d like to see moving traffic on highways.

Der Modellbau kostet viel Zeit – Building models requires a lot of time. In fact the entire exhibit is the product of over 790,000 hours of work – siebenhundertneunzigtausend Arbeitsstunden.

Miniatur Wunderland is an educational experience. the key word is Wunder – nowadays we are often jaded and have lost the childish ability to bewundern – to look in wonder at things.

After visiting Miniatur Wunderland you will see the real world with new eyes – man sieht die Welt mit ganz neuen Augen.

And so here’s the summary – in German for the benefit of my students and others learning German:

Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg ist die größte Modellbahn der Welt! Hier einige Statistiken. Sie hat 1040 Lokomotiven, 280 fahrende Autos, 390.000 Lichter, 263.000 Miniaturfiguren, 15.400 Meter Gleis. Die Anlage hat eine Fläche von mehr als 1.499 Quadratmeter, wird von 50 Computern gesteuert und ist in Abschnitte aufgeteilt: Hamburg, Skandinavien, Amerika, Österreich, die Schweiz, Mitteldeutschland, Italien, Venedig und der Flughafen. Alle 15 Minuten wird es dunkel und Tausende von LEDs werden eingeschaltet. Sie sind bezaubernd. Seit der Öffnung im Jahre 2001 haben Millionen Menschen Miniatur Wunderland besucht. Die Anlage ist 365 Tage im Jahr geöffnet. Die Modellwelt so detailliert, so beeindruckend, so realistisch, dass man die reale Welt mit ganz neuen Augen ansieht.

If you’d like to learn German, please visit aidan.co.uk/german

Vielen Dank für’s Zuschauen und auf Wiedersehen in Hamburg!

Video: Eleven reasons to learn German from job finding to brain jogging.

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This article is adapted from the script I wrote for this video for my Explore Learn German YouTube channel, launched 9.1.2019. Using bilingual headings I outline 11 reasons why it’s a good idea to learn the German language.

1. Viele Leute sprechen Deutsch! – Many people speak German.
In fact German is the most widely spoken language in the EU. Over 100 million people speak German as their first language in Germany, Austria Switzerland, Liechtenstein, in the east of Belgium, in the north of Italy and in Luxembourg. German will take you from the border with Denmark in the north, down to Vienna in the east of Austria, or from the border with France in the south west to Berlin, Leipzig and Dresden next to Poland and the Czech Republic. That’s a large part of Europe.

2. Deutschland ist ein fantastisches Land – Germany is a fantastic country.
Here’s my photo of Dresden on the River Elbe. And this is the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. Here’s Köln – Cologne, the magnificent view across the Rhine to the Kölner Dom – Cologne Cathedral. This is an attractive corner of Leipzig and here’s the skyline of Nürnberg, Nuremberg with its cathedral and this is Schloss Neuschwanstein – Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria. Germany has many amazing attractions you probably don’t know about, like Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg or the Einstein Tower in Potsdam. It’s all there to discover and your knowledge of the language will help you to discover it.

3. Man kann einen Job finden – You can find a job with German. For most jobs in the country, a good knowledge of German is essential. There are some areas, for example IT and Travel where you might be able to get by with just English, but it’s much better if you know the language. Ihre Karrere startet hier! Your career will take off here. This advert says Wir suchen Verkäufer und Verkäuferinnen in voll- und Teilzeit – We’re looking for sales people, male and female, full and part time. For these jobs, German is essential. Startbahn für Ihre Laufbahn – runway for your career. This leaflet has informaiton about jobs and training at Hamburg Airport. In general people who know Fremdsprachen – foreign languages – have better job prospects.

Die Deutsche Sprache ist eine wichtige Sprache – The German language is an important language for art music culture philosophy science. Here is a list of some famous German scientists. Alois Alzheimer, who identified the disease called Alzheimers, Emil von Behring, the Nobel prize-winning physiologist saved children from diphtheria and Melitta Bentz, who invented the coffee filter and Albert Einstein, who needs no introduction. And by the way, this music is by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart born in Salzburg, Austria. It’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik – a little night music or a small evening serenade. This plaque commemorates Werner von Siemens, inventor of the electric railway. Germany and the other German-speaking countries have played a very positive role in the development of Europe and the world. There is a large but often hidden German influence in the UK and the United States. That’s one of the themes of this channel.

Man kann die deutschen Medien erkunden – You can explore the German media, like these magazines and newspapers. The German media are in many ways superior to the media in the English-speaking countries, with greater choice and better quality – but that’s just my opinion – das ist nur meine Meinung. Nowadays thanks to the Internet its possible to access these media in a way that was impossible before. The more German you know the more you’ll be able to appreciate them.

Englisch ist eine germanische Sprache – English is a germanic language, alongside Dutch, Frisian, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and of course German. That means that you will know many German words already. For instance Haus, muss, Traum, Mann, gehen, Schwester, Wunder and many more.

Die deutsche Sprache ist eine schöne Sprache – German is a beautiful language.
I love the architecture of the German language, how the sentences are built as well as the sound of the words. The spelling is regular, it’s easy to work out the pronunciation, nouns have a capital letter, and there are many wonderful compound words. But there is a prejudice against German. Many believe it is not as beautiful as other languages, aber das istfalsch! Thats wrong! To me German is like the Kölner Dom – ancient, solid, dominating and with many secrets. The more German you learn, the more you will appreciate its unique quality.

Deutsch lernen ist Gehirnjogging – Learning German is brainjogging. Like learning any other language, it promotes brain power, and studies suggest it can help against Alzheimer’s disease. There are many fascinating studies on how knowing a second language improves your thinking and even your ability to take decisions. You also get a feeling of achievement when you make progress in the language. Learning a language is a form of mental exercise that can benefit you in a similar way that physical exercise helps your body.

Man kann neue Freunde finden und vielleicht auch die Liebe – You can make new friends and even find love, if that’s what you’re looking for. It’s great to make friends with people from a different culture and language and to be able to speak to them in their own language. You can start practicing in your home country. There are local groups with a mixture of German and English speakers who like to meet up and speak German. Many of my students are in mixed relationships. And being with a German-speaking partner will help you learn the language even faster.

Man kann über die eigene Kultur und Sprache lernen. – You can learn about your own culture and language. Another very important benefit of knowing a foreign language is that you can look at your own culture from a different point of view. People who only know English are often less aware of aspects of their culture and language. It’s fascinating to see your own culture through through different eyes. The only way you can really get to experience this fully is to make progress in the language until you start to see things from the point of view of the foreign culture. In fact, it’s no longer is foreign, it becomes part of who you are.

Machen Sie mehr aus Ihren Reisen – Get more out of your trips to the German-speaking countries. Even a small amount of German will make a big difference to your trip, for example to read important signs, ordering things in shops and when travelling by bus or train. Knowing some German can make your trip go a lot more smoothly and help avoid problems. You get so much more out of your visit when you can understand and appreciate the cultural background. A vocabuary of just a hundred words will help you a lot. Thousand will take you a lot further.

And so we come to the Zusammenfassung – the summary

  1. Viele Leute sprechen Deutsch!
  2. Deutschland ist ein fantastisches Land.
  3. Man kann einen Job finden.
  4. Deutsch ist eine wichtige Sprache.
  5. Man kann die deutschen Medien erkunden.
  6. Englisch ist eine germanische Sprache.
  7. Die deutsche Sprache ist eine schöne Sprache.
  8. Deutsch lernen ist Gehirnjogging.
  9. Man kann neue Freunde finden und vielleicht die Liebe!
  10. Man kann über die eigene Kultur und Sprache lernen.
  11. Machen Sie mehr aus Ihren Reisen.

If you’re interested in learning German, go to www.aidan.co.uk/german

Music side show video: ‘Vergehen’ by Urbanstrasse – 80s-style electronica music and slide show video

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Vergehen was first recorded in 1985 as a demo tape, and re-recorded 20 years later, in 2005. Words and music by Aidan O’Rourke, who played keyboards, guitar, programmed the drums and did the vocals.

The track is credited to Urbanstrasse, the musical identity or band name used by Aidan O’Rourke (who is not to be confused with Scottish fiddle player of the same name!)

The lyrics are in German and present a collage of images from the 1920s and 30s, touching on war, totalitarian regimes, the inevitability of downfall and more. The verb ‘vergehen’ means passing away or fading away.

In 2018 Aidan moved increasingly into the medium of video, making slide show videos using images from his photography archive, as well as new photos and videoclips.

This format, mixing images and music, presented an ideal opportunity to present ‘Vergehen’ and ‘Berlin Berlin’ to the public as it combines his three areas of creativity and expertise: visuals, i.e. photography and illustration, music and German language

And so ‘Vergehen’ was uploaded to the Explore Learn German YouTube channel on 16th of January 2019. It was the second video to be added to the channel.

Like other videos on the channel, ‘Vergehen’ is intended to help and encourage people to learn German.

There are some intriguing aspects to the song, which uncannily predicted the future. For those interested in finding out more about this, as well as the meaning of the lyrics and images, Aidan will present a special feature on his Patreon page, for subscribers only!

‘Vergehen’ is credited to Urbanstrasse featuring Aidan O’Rourke
Music and words © Aidan O’Rourke
All photos and illustrations ©Aidan O’Rourke
Keyboards, drum programming and vocals by Aidan O’Rourke

Original 1985 recording made at Cavalier Studios, Stockport. Produced by Lol Cooper.
2005 re-recording made in Vienna, engineered and produced by Rick Turner, with creative input from Isabella Turner.