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In the first of our two very special photographic reviews for 2024, we hand over to a Greater Manchester couple that MagNorth has been huge fans of for some time. As married_with_grownups on Instagram, YouTube and on their own site, Chris and Viv are expert at capturing the very essence of the North of England (and beyond) - and we're proper chuffed they've shared their favourite images of the year from their side of the Pennines with us.
"Hi, we’re Chris and Viv from Standish in Wigan, part of Greater Manchester. We’ve been together for almost 37 years and married for 35 of those!
From an early age we have both loved photography although we have quite different approaches! Chris is very technical and has many years of experience of using all the different settings whereas Viv is a 'point and press and hope for the best' girl!
As we entered empty nest territory and found ourselves with slightly more time, we started going out regularly with our cameras photowalking round the local area and towns close by. In 2016 we embarked on our first big roadtrip, undertaking, what was then a new initiative, the North Coast500 to the top of Scotland. Two cameras, two weeks of full days of photographing the most breathtaking and interesting scenery led to thousands of photographs and apart from boring the rest of the family to death with them we weren’t quite sure what to do.
We decided to take some tiny steps into social media and ‘Married with Grown Ups’ was born. 8 years later we find ourselves, unbelievably, with 5000+ followers (depending on how the algorithm is treating us!) on Instagram.
The question we get asked all the time is: 'who took the photo', but we never tell – although we always know! Usually if it flies in any format or is a big sweeping landscape it will be Chris – people, rust and urban decay is usually Viv, but we do occasionally swap over and we both love buildings, bridges and cityscapes. We’ve seen some breathtaking things and some absolutely mundane sights but every time we raise the camera to our eye, we will have seen something that has just made an impression on us and our internal voice has said “that will make a great photo”.
Being asked to choose 12 pics from the north west in 2024 made us realise how few we have been taking of our town despite it having a multitude of interesting and photogenic features.
Back in September we photographed our local art gallery, Cross Street Arts, as they held an outdoor exhibition celebrating their 25th anniversary.
Wigan is currently undergoing massive redevelopment which is all in a very early stage and this exhibition was held on the site of the old market hall. With terraced houses, chimney pots, a spectacular cloudy blue sky and even pigeons it ticked all ourboxes. An interesting and quirky way to display art and a great subject to photograph.
Dusk is a great time to be out and about and in January when the weather’s colder you get crisp clear skies and a fabulous range of colours from blues and purples to yellow, orange and red.
The colours are enough on their own for a great photo but adding in the silhouette of Blackpool’s Central Pier and the ferris wheel just added some extra points of interest. Being northern, Blackpool has always been a big part of our lives, and we still love to take the cameras and see what we can catch.
Weather conditions play a big part in our photography, and we see a misty sunrise or cloudy sunset as an opportunity.
We’d been wanting to photograph Manchester from a distance for a while. This shot was taken from the moors above Bolton facing toward the high-rise blocks in Manchester and Media City with a telephoto lens which compresses the distances, so things look piled up on each other.
The forecast that morning was cloudy but when we got there, we faced one of our favourite combinations a low bright sun and mist which gave everything a natural sepia tone.
We both love the Lakes and Keswick has always been a family favourite.
Every time we are up there, we try and fit a visit in to Castlerigg Stone Circle estimated to be about 4000 years old. The stones are impressive (don’t expect Stonehenge) but what really makes this site is its surroundings with valleys leading off surrounded by hills and mountains.
This photo was taken on the only time we’ve been up there for sunset and the colours on the hill behind the stones took our eye plus the beginnings of what promised to be a spectacular pink cloudy sky.
We’re fascinated by transport and the idea of journeys and voyages – neither of us are particularly good sailors though.
This was taken from one of the Liverpool Bay cruises run by Mersey Ferries on a glorious scorcher of a day in August. The cruise lasts about 3 hours and goes right out into Liverpool Bay. The journey back gave us some great views of sights we’d only ever seen from land and these cranes stand out from miles around so to get them ‘stood at attention’ from the water was too good a chance to miss.
We can be a bit critical of clear blue skies (odd we know) but on this day the colour of the cranes just popped against the blue sky.
Liverpool is Viv’s family hometown although thanks to her dad’s work her part of the family moved around and she was born across in Manchester.
Her family has strong ties to the docks from her sailor Grandad to her parents who both worked for Canadian Pacific in the shipping offices.
The view approaching the city from the Mersey ferry offers the best views of the Three Graces and the famous Liver Building where her parents worked.
Pink Footed Geese taking off just after dawn at WWT Martin Mere. This was one of the reserves dawn flight events when you arrive on site whilst it is still dark and then sit and wait for one of natures great spectacles when up to 10,000 roosting geese take off, usually in one massive flock.
The noise is unbelievable and indescribable. This day though it was more drawn out as smaller groups took to the skies. We love the colours on this with the warm pink glow lighting the clouds and the geese themselves.
Birds in flight are not easy and there’s usually more shots end up in the bin than are kept so when it works it is quite pleasing.
Morecambe Bay is a huge area with a shoreline that goes from towns to wild countryside and includes several important sites for birds and other wildlife.
Some of it is inaccessible, some of it is dangerous but there are places like Hest Bank where you can park up and take a walk. This was a very calm day, and we like flat seas and blue skies as the horizon just disappears and stick in some objects like these old mooring posts and a hint of Morecambe on the left you can create some ethereal images. Not quite sure where the sea ends, and the sky starts…
Another time when the weather just gave us a brief window of opportunity to take something dramatic.
This was taken off Crosby Beach and some of the figures from the ‘Another Place’ installation can be seen, but the real drama that day was a bank of mist moving across Seaforth Docks with a weak wintry sun poking through.
It has a hint of a Turner or Rembrandt painting – but very modern subjects. These conditions are often fleeting so you have to move quick and get your head around what makes the best shot.
February time usually sees the start of the annual hunt for Snowdrops. The changing of the seasons, especially Winter to spring is an exciting time as the days get longer and life starts a new. We always have the cameras ready and have some favourite go-to locations.
One of these is Dunham Massey close to Manchester and if you go on the right weekend the numbers are overwhelming. We do like more close-up, moody shots of these messengers of better weather – though they do have a rather sinister lore behind them and if you bring some into your house then prepare for bad luck!
Best keep them where they are meant to be.
We live in a semi-rural area (though a lot of housing is planned) and there are plenty walks where you can get away from things. One of the more popular ones takes us past a local landmark which is an old dead tree just at the side of a farm road.
It’s a popular spot with locals and the tree has probably had its photo taken more time than a celebrity. It’s in a great position so when the weather is right you can get some atmospheric shots – like this one in the snow – or just a gorgeous landscape.
It’s always a challenge to try and get something different. Sadly, this beautiful tree recently suffered some further storm damage and no longer looks like this. Top of our list for a photoshoot in 2025.
This year saw us pay our first trip to the North Cumbrian coast with our cameras.
Whitehaven is another place that has a place in Viv’s family as this was the landing place for her Great Grandmother’s family after they left Ireland in the mid-19 th century and settled in England. There’s a lot going on in Whitehaven these days, regeneration, building new harbour facilities and the whole coast is the centre of new clean energy industries.
However, the port is still there, spruced up a bit and you’re more likely to see luxury yachts rather than trawlers. Ports and harbours always get our attention and Whitehaven was no exception. Wonder what it looked like all those years ago when Viv's relatives first set foot here?
