September

Picture of the month
This image takes me back. My wife and I were backpacking and had saved some money to take a helicopter flight over somewhere spectacular in Australia. We had many opportunities to do this in various different places and they all sounded excellent. But we decided to wait until we got to the Whitsundays. I am glad we waited because this was a great but short excursion that lived up to the hype. I just wished I took more pictures on a faster shutter speed this was one of about 5 that ended up being in focus. The helicopter ride was a bit shakier than expected....

August

Picture of the month
Bangkok is a busy place but pockets of calmness are common on the many temples around the city. This image of a golden temple was taken in the Kings palace which is part of one of the main attractions to be seen by tourists local school children. Outside the walls the city still buzzed but inside the complex it was a different story. People mill around looking at the ornate wonders and locals are deep in pray or sheltering from the sun in the quiet pray areas. I like the image because of the strong contrasting colours. And the blue sky is also broken up by a ring of cloud that appears to be hovering above the temple.

July

Picture of the month
Sandwich bay in Kent is a great place for some summertime fun. This shot was captured around lunchtime which can be a tricky time of day to take pictures. Although, in this shot the sun has worked in my favour, it has silhouetted the sunbather's feet behind the wind break giving it more depth. I also like the way the lines on the wind break follow the same horizontal pattern as the landscape. This image also evokes childhood memories of being huddled behind windbreaks on British summer holidays eating cheese and sand sandwiches.

June

Picture of the month
It's that time of year when the Lavender starts to appear in some farmers fields. You can't beat that fresh smell and visual impact that stands out from other summertime parched land. I have visited this same spot numerous times gaining different images each time. I particularly like this close up shot off the bee and lavender with the purple rows blurring into the distance.

May

Picture of the month
This month I thought I would compare two of my images, to demonstrate how being at the same location at different times can give different conditions and, therefore, quite different results. The Queen Elizebeth Bridge in Dartford Kent is a large suspension structure spanning the Thames Estuary, and is situated in a predominantly industrial area.

The first picture was taken one afternoon as a storm was approaching. I chose to take a wide shot of the whole scene to capture the large open space. As a result of the clouds and choppy water, the scene is quite dramatic, dark and moody. In the second image I got up early and went to the same spot for a post sunrise shot. With the sun coming up behind me there was a slight glow to the scene, with some of the light purples and blues being captured. The water was calm and, just by luck, there was an old boat moored up just off shore for me to use as foreground interest. I zoomed in to obtain a close frame of the scene and by doing this I have also closed-up the distances between the subjects creating a more intimate feel. So as you can see, the same spot can hold many possibilities.

April

Picture of the month
I can't remember exactly where I took this shot, I do know that it was somewhere in the north island of New Zealand. They have so many pretty scenes just a short walk from the roadside sometimes its hard to keep track. I like this shot because of all the greenery framing the whirlpool at the bottom. I didn't have a tripod with me so I was limited exposure wise, luckily the water was flowing fast so some wispyness has been captured in the water. Unfortunately when returning to my vehicle I discovered that it had been broken into! Be aware this can happen in the unattended hot spots, lesson learned by me the hard way...

March

Picture of the month
Spring is approaching faster and faster each year it seems. This month I have chosen an image I shot last year in Hall Place, Kent. I knew that all elements of blossom and flowers were in full swing down there at a particular time but I just had to wait for a sunny day before it all started fall or wilt. Luckily I only had to wait just over a week for the right conditions. The resulting image as you can see has captured a bright colourful spring day.

February

Picture of the month
Venice is an impressive place and it would be so much better if you could have it to yourself for the day. The truth is that its a very well known tourist haunt therefore it can be hard to capture an image with no one else in it let alone capturing something original. In this image made in St Mark's Square, I was hiding from the midday sun under a arched walkway. I saw an used a large group of people to my advantage. There appeared to be a number of them wearing orange and thought it was a good contrast against the crisp blue sky and Basilica behind them.

January

Picture of the month
Sydney Harbour has many photographic delights; the two most photographed are the Bridge and Opera House. This month I have chosen a close up of the Opera House that focuses on the shape and pattern on the structure. It is not always obvious that the building has small tiles which completely cover the sails. Here you can see how the tiles fan out towards the edge of the curves, which are both emphasised against the over-polarised sky.

December

Picture of the month
Heavy Snow can be a rarity in Greater London, but earlier this year in February we had a fair amount. I chose this image for the obvious reason; we are nearing Christmas and I thought it would be nice to se some snow. It is also my favourite shot taken from my 'Snow Day Project'. To take the shot I positioned myself down low to the ground so that I could get as much tree in as possible with a little bit of white foreground to help the composition. The angle and colour from the twigs of the tree have made the already large tree dominate the frame, adding drama to the scene.

November

Picture of the month
This picture of Canary Wharf in the London Docklands was taken on a crisp autumn day. Here I have used slide film and then cross-processed it in C41 chemicals to give it the high contrast and deep saturation effect you can see. Cross-processing your film can give mixed results but experimenting can pay off. The golden glow on the facade of this silver building was created by the low sunlight and succeeds in adding some extra colour to the scene. I have also tilted my camera to add a little interest to the composition.

October

Picture of the month
Whilst visiting family in Whalsey, Shetland, I was presented with many photographic opportunities. This image was taken during a fishing trip when we stopped off at my cousin's very own island. This is one of the most remote places I have ever been to; no other people and no buildings. Just open air, very green grass, sea in every direction and a small flock of sheep. I like the image because it has three contrasting elements: land, sea and sky. The cloud formations almost look like they are in motion, leading you into the image and to the top of the hill. The hill and fence then roll down towards the sea, which effectively keeps you moving around the image.

September

Picture of the month
When I set off around New Zealand's south island, I had quite a few places in mind that I wanted to visit. Lake Wanaka wasn't a place I knew much about but I decided to stop here and explore. It turned out to be quite beautiful! So I stayed for a couple of days. This image was a favourite taken whilst I was there. I really like the purity of the water and the overall colour of the image. I used a polarising filter to saturate the various blue tones in the sky and help enhance the underwater pebbles. This gives interest to the foreground, whilst leading your eye further into the image to the distant mountain range. The cloud creeping in from the left was a bonus because it diffused some of the sunlight and gave a further interest to the sky.

August 2007

Picture of the month
This little picturesque town of Aylseford can be found down in Kent. To me this image represents an idyllic scene of Kent away from all the modernised and industrial areas that are very common today. I like the way the partial cloud gives some interest to the sky and the reflection in the river compliments the old riverside buildings.

July 2007

Picture of the month
Sydney has many attractions, the two most obvious being the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. In this shot I have captured the two together whilst sheltering from an unexpected rain storm. I like the way that the bridge climbers are silhouetted between the heavy structure and the dark raincloud. This shot could have been improved if the sun had peeked out and highlighted the Opera House, but I was just happy to be dry and protected from the elements, unlike the brave bridge climbers.

June 2007

Picture of the month
Fiji was an amazing place to visit; it was the first time I had experienced such a place and lifestyle. The towns tended to be busy but, once away from the roadside sellers and open-windowed buses, life really slowed down to "Fiji Time". This shot was captured one evening on a week-long stay at what was once called Bounty Island; now better known as Celebrity Love Island from the ITV show. Unfortunately, there was no luxurious accomodation there when I stayed but I was presented with wonderful sunsets such as this one every evening. This is my favourite sunset shot, and with the soft purples and pinks starting to reflect onto the whispy clouds, I think you can see why.

May 2007

Picture of the month
This image is a sneak preview of my forthcoming collection taken in Venice, Italy; a city that presents many photographic opportunities. With this image I wanted to isolate and intensify the ornate detail of the gondola’s seat, so I went in close, watching my step at the same time. The strong sunlight from the side has helped to achieve this effect, by highlighting the elegant fabric and the lone hat. This shot was taken in the middle of the day, when there are a lot of harsh shadows all around the narrow Venice canals. Luckily, the shadow has worked in my favour this time, by simplifying the background whilst still leaving the small highlighted patch of water just behind the Gondola to help you identify where it is.

April 2007

Picture of the month
You don't have to search too hard to find yourself a deserted wide open space in New Zealand. This scene shows Mount Cook in the distance. We had parked our campervan up in a small and very quiet campsite nearby to stay the night before tackling one of the Hooker Valley treks. Just a short walk from the campsite, passing a few low trees and bushes (but not a man-made fence in sight) I found myself right in the middle of this immense landscape. No restrictions, no invasive signs and, best of all, no other people.

March 2007

Picture of the month
Ayers Rock is known by the Aboriginals as Uluru and is a sacred site of worship for them. Many Aboriginals are unhappy about the high amount of tourism their monumental rock receives each year. However, it's no wonder that it does because it certainly is a magnificent natural sight. You can climb to the top if you wish to, but I decided to take a sunrise walk around it’s base instead, which was very peaceful and scenic. On the walk you get to see many features of the rock that rarely appear in the brochures. This shot was taken near the end of my exploration. I like it because the colours captured are very saturated and are a true representation of the environment at that time of day. The dead tree serves as a reminder of how this landscape can be harsh and unforgiving for the flora and fauna that try to survive in it, even when all the tourists have gone home.

February 2007

Picture of the month
In Britain, it takes some dedication to go out surfing in the freezing cold winter waters. I caught this surfer returning from a set of waves one November afternoon on a visit to Camber Sands. I like the way the high midday sun is beaming through a gap in the clouds and highlighting the the roughness of the sea. These highlights have also caused the surfer to appear silhouetted which simplifies him into a shape against the busy waves of the sea.

January 2007

Picture of the month
To start the year off I have chosen this summer time image from Rottnest Island in western Australia. As you know our weather is not to bright at the moment, but other places in the world are experiencing weather just like this. Apart from the memories that this image evokes I like it because of its simplicity. It's a perfect beach and the water's calm and very inviting. The boat on the horizon gives the wide open space a sense of scale, and helps add some depth to the image.

December 2006

Picture of the month
I took this image whilst participating in a climbing tour of the Franz Joseph Glacier in New Zealand. It's hard to imagine the sheer size of glaciers unless you have something to compare them to. At one point during the walk, I emerged from an ice canyon to be rewarded with a view over the lower part of the glacier, and I quickly shot this image. Capturing the tiny people in the distance really reinforces the magnitude of this particular glacier. It's also hard to believe that these giant blocks of ice are actually ever-so-slowly moving all the time and are taking half the surrounding mountains with them. A truly spectactular sight.

November 2006

Picture of the month
It's not hard to take a good picture of the Brooklyn Bridge because it is very photogenic. I wanted to create a picture of it which concentrated on the shapes made from the wires and the main structure only. In order to do this, I set up my composition looking towards the sun but positioned in such a way that the bridge structure blocked it. This created the silhouette effect and, therefore, removed any detail from the shadowed areas. This has given an almost monochrome result enabling the eye to see the shapes that aren't always obvious at a glance. To see more black and white images from New York click here

October 2006

Picture of the month
Autumn presents us with many colourful photographic opportunities, as this month's chosen picture demonstrates. This image was taken in Sheffield Park, which can be found in Sussex. I like it because the leaves, which lay over the ground like a natural carpet, have such strong and vibrant autumnal colours. I have kept a small section of the tree trunk in the frame to act as a connection between the leaves themselves and where they originally fell from. This image, and others like it, can be seen in my forthcoming gallery of Sussex.

September 2006

Picture of the month
Even though only one colour is prominent in this photograph, it is still a very strong image due to the element of design. Because shapes such as these are often seen predominantly within urban architecture, it is easy to forget that they are all around us within nature also, as demontrated by this Fijian plant. I particularly like the prominent lines of perspective in this image, which succeed in leading your vision towards the stem of the plant, where all the lines converge.

August 2006

Picture of the month
Lanzarote's volcanic landscape is very interesting, and in places quite striking, especially from a photographer's point of view. What it lacks in lush foliage, it makes up for with rugged lava-strewn scenery and beaches. I took this photograph using a slow exposure to capture the movement of the wave gently gliding over the beach in the foreground, and also the spray of a wave hitting the rocks a bit further back. It's quite ironic to think that once, it would have been the lava that was moving towards the sea in much the same way.

July 2006

Picture of the month
By using one famous British icon to frame another, the result created here is slightly different from many of the typical pictures taken of Big Ben and the iconically British red telephone box. I also like this image because of the layers within it. The first layer is of the outside of the telephone box, showing its grid of glass window panes. The second layer is reached by looking through these panes into the inside of the telephone box, where you can almost imagine it to be a peaceful escape from the noisy city outside. The rest of the image is past yet another wall of glass panes, where you come out to find a busy London street and Big Ben towering in the distance.

June 2006

Picture of the month
I have taken this month's image from my forthcoming collection of pictures of Lanzarote. As it is a Canary Island, Lanzarote is well known for its year round warm and sunny weather. However, in this image there is a rain storm about to hit the island. I like the slight sense of foreboding created by the clouds and the way the low lighting silhouettes the landscape in the distance. This is quite a constast to the scene in the foreground of the image, which shows a subtle reflection in the thin layer of sea water that has been left behind on the sand.

May 2006

Picture of the month
London's Millenium Eye is one the Capital's most popular and tallest attractions, visible from a number of different places around town and even as far out as Shooters Hill (near to where London meets Kent). I particularly like this shot because the unusual angle shows the sheer size of the supports that connect to the centre of the giant wheel. The solid supports are then complimented by the thin spokes that lead to the outer circular structure where the viewing pods can be seen. All of this can easily be overlooked when there are hundreds of visitors scrambling around to get in line or trying to get the entire wheel into the frame of their camera.

April 2006

Picture of the month
Sydney Harbour, Australia, is probably one of the most photographed places in the world. So to get a picture from a less obvious perspective can be quite a challenge. In this image I have avoided photographing the harbour bridge directly, but have taken a picture of its defined shadow on the water instead. The result is a picture that still suceeds in telling you where it is and what is there, whilst also managing to maintain an element of intrigue and mystery.

March 2006

Picture of the month
A common sight throughout Australia are vibrant murals, such as this one, which are typically found on walls which might otherwise be covered with grafitti. I particularly like the vibrant colours, and the 'aboriginal' art style used in this mural automatically tells you that it was found Down Under.

February 2006

Picture of the month
It wasn't until last year that I discovered Reculver in north Kent, but since then I have made several trips back to take some shots at this interesting landmark. This image was photographed just after the sun had gone down in the west over the distant Thames Estuary, setting the Reculver Towers against a purple dusk sky. There was still just enough light to illuminate the facade of the building, which has helped keep the detail of this impressive, albeit a little bit crumbly in places, structure.

January 2006

Picture of the month
Amid the mayhem of New York City in December are numerous festive ice rinks, which at any given moment are full of all different colours and speeds of movement. This can produce very interesting photographic effects, as this image shows. Not only are ice rinks entertaining to photograph, they are also a lot of fun to have a go on, and I didn't fall over once! (Despite having my camera swinging from around my neck).

December 2005

Picture of the month
To capture the sheer vastness of this mountain range, I deliberately filled the majority of the frame with the mountain, therefore showing only a small part of the lake and sky. The sailboat compliments the effect of this image nicely by giving it a real sense of scale.

November 2005

Picture of the month
Six months before my first trip to New Zealand I was standing on a Northern Line platform on the London Underground, on my way to work. Opposite me was a giant New Zealand Tourism advertisement showing a scene very similar to this one. It was at this point I realised that I had to find this place and see the Split Apple Rock with my own eyes. When I finally did get to take this photograph, I remembered the moment all those months ago when I had been staring dreamily at a poster of this scene, and it was a very satisfying feeling to realise I was now looking at the real thing. This little beach, and what is known as Split Apple Rock, can be found on the edge of the Abel Tasman National Park. Pretty hard to find on foot, it's mostly visited by people passing by on kayaks, which just makes it all the more special when you do find it.

October 2005

Picture of the month
Day and night, there is a constant buzz of traffic throughout Bangkok - not that you would think so from looking at this image. If it wasn't for the Tuk Tuk, you might not even be able to tell what part of the world the road was in. Yet only seconds before, this road had been extremely busy with traffic, which just goes to show how photographs can sometimes be very misleading.

September 2005

Picture of the month
This vibrant sunset was taken from the top of Greenwich Park at the end of a hot summer's day. There were quite a few people watching the sun decend past this section of the London skyline, but the atmosphere was very tranquil. I particularly like the intense colours in this image, and think that the presence of the clouds and the reflection in the river definately add something to the overall effect. More sunset photographs can be seen in a forthcoming project. So watch this space!

August 2005

July 2005

June 2005

May 2005