City’s character to be captured on camera at two exhibitions

MEET THE ARTIST: Neil Cook in Queen Victoria Square, which features on the cover of his “On My Travels” calendar

By Rick Lyon, Co-Editor

A smartphone snapper with an eye for the unusual will present a selection of his work and launch his new calendar at an exhibition later this month.

The event will coincide with the annual exhibition of the more traditional images displayed by members of the Brooklands Photographic Society, recognised as the region’s largest photo interest club.

Neil Cook, who has been posting images on Twitter and X for more than ten years as Unique Images of Hull, will stage his “meet the artist” event at Sutton & Wawne Museum from 10am until 2pm on Saturday, September 20.

Neil will show some of his work from wandering the streets of the city and surrounding area over the years and from the 12 locations featured in “On My Travels”, his calendar for 2026.

In addition to photographs of Sutton, the calendar, priced at £5, includes pictures of the George Hotel, Paragon Arcade, High Street and Queen Victoria Square, with some of them taken with a twist.

Neil said: “The pictures are just of the things I see. They have been taken on my phone and sometimes I use one or two filters to add a different dimension – but I’m not clever enough to use photoshop!”

FRESH PERSPECTIVE: An image Neil has taken of East Park

Neil has been taking pictures since 2009 and has held other exhibitions in the past. The event at the museum has been timed to tie in with Heritage Open Days and to promote the quality of architecture across Hull.

Neil said: “It all started when I just picked a camera up one day and went out taking photographs. Ultimately, I would like to be in a position to earn a living from my photography.

“Most of the images are randomly generated shots and I generally get a decent response. For the calendar I just chose a few shots that I think look nice and interesting. Familiar landmarks can become even more interesting if there is something else in the background for a second.”

Brooklands Photographic Society will hold its 10th annual exhibition in Hull Minster from 10am until 4pm from Tuesday, September 16th until Saturday, 20th, with limited opening on Sunday, 21st.

The society will display 120 which will cover a wide variety of photographic subjects all printed on high quality paper and available to buy at £25 each. Visitors will be asked to nominate their three favourite images and the Society member with the most votes will win a trophy.

Members of the society will be present throughout the exhibition to answer questions about the display and about how to join.