Just back from an amazing week in Scotland - we stayed at this amazing house which was the holiday home of Lord Richard Attenborough. Currently on the market for sale!
Life long friends Mark, Denise and Lindsey asked me to shoot their kids (with a camera of course!). Here are some of my favorites...
A first for us was a trip to Gibraltar - and a trip to the top of the rock to see the local residents and spectacular views
It was a splendid surprise to visit this stunning building: used of course for the set of Star Wars: Attack of the Clones (Star Wars Episode II).
It's a fair while since I updated the blog - so I thought it was about time to share some recent images from some of the travel I have had the pleasure of recently.
Monreale in Sicily is perhaps the most perfect example of Byzantine mosaics anywhere in the world. It is most famous for the 'Pantocrator' at the East end of the basilica. A recent trip to Ypres and the surrounding region to mark the 100th anniversary of The Great War. Ypres is indeed a beautiful city - completely savaged during the war, and subsequently faithfully rebuilt. The Cloth Hall The Mennin Gate hosts the Last Post ceremony every evening at 8pm. In recent years many people come to repay their respects. Tyne Cot Cemetery is the largest in Flanders. Shells appear from the countryside on a regular basis as farmers tend their fields - many are displayed in Passchendaele Museum Passchendaele defined the newly developing Canada - Hill 62 is where Canada suffered terrible losses. The Maple Tree surrounds the memorial. In the first shot - Ypres can be seen in the distance. 44000 Germans are buried, along with two British at Langemark cemetery. A stark contrast to the British & Commonwealth Cemeteries. Hitler visited here during the build up to WWII. Hitler was treated in the crypt of Messines cathedral - all that survives of the original cathedral - as a runner during WWI. Berkshire Cemetery Extension was a wonderful place to visit. Sadly, the resting place of two brothers who joined up on the same day, to the same regiment, and died on the same day. Sanitized by peace time, the excavated trenches gave a hint of life on the front. I was lucky - my Grandfather returned from the Great War and started his family, unlike so, so many of his fellow soldiers.
Some of the group payed tribute to their loved ones who didn't come home, and it was a privileged to share that moment with George as he asked for the moment to be recorded. One of my personal photo projects this year will be a 'faces in their spaces' challenge. An informal portrait in a space that are important to the subject, and also a more formal portrait using the same lighting set up on shoot to shoot.
A 'selfie' today was a good opportunity to check to lighting setup. It's always difficult to choose just a few photographs from the thousands taken every year, but sometimes fun to reflect on the past year. This candid shot was bagged at the foot of the Great Wall of China, just outside the capital of Beijing. For a communist country where capitalism officially does not exist I have never seen so many businesses trying to eke a living from whatever opportunity exists - this market stall holder was selling to the many tourists making their way to the Great Wall in the heat. She was observing yet another coach load of tourists who had appeared and were snapping away at the amazing structure - obviously thinking that she had seen it a million times before! The smog in and around Beijing is world famous. However, on the day of our visit the views were spectacular. The world famous cormorant fishermen - above, taking a well earned cigarette break, and in action below with the cormorants. It was a privilege to watch him at work, but very challenging to photograph as he fishes at night and flash would have not worked in the conditions. So I ramped up the ISO to max and although grainy, the images undoubtedly tell the story. The contrasts in China could not be more polarized - poverty is everywhere, as are massive infrastructure and building projects. The riverside in the Pu dong district of Shanghai a typical example of the unrelenting pace of change. Below, the waterfront of Hong Kong has archive images depicting fashion influenced by the British. Twenty First century teenagers provide modern contrast. In the Forbidden City, families dress up in traditional costume for a portrait or two - this young girl thrilled at the attention from a visitor, but a little apprehension from her brother in the background! Below, the stunning architecture of the forbidden city was a joy to photograph. Below, locals tuck into the treats on offer at a night food market in Beijing. Tasty treats included silk worm pupae, deep fried scorpion, and these wonderful centipede type insects. Great value at 3 for ¥1! (approx 30p) The Blue Mosque, Istanbul, has the most amazing domes. Spectacular. As is it's neighbour, Hagia Sophia.
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