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"Winter's Dawn at Bodium Castle"
"Husky Dog Cooling Off"
It was the height of summer and this dog's owner was running up and down Box Hill for exercise (he was clearly military). Built for the arctic, this poor dog was feeling the heat!
Carl Zeiss Jena 135mm f/3.5 MC Sonnar on Sony A7r
"Fish Fight"
Koi-like carp fight it out for food at Thousand Island Lake in China.
Carl Zeiss ZM 35mm f/1.4 Distagon on Sony A7r
"89 Not-Out"
Out of 8.6 million photos submitted to Flickr.com on 10 Jul 2014, this photo was one of 500 featured in its "Explore" gallery.
Carl Zeiss Contax G 45mm f/2 Planar on Sony NEX-7
"Stepping Stones"
Out of 8.6 million photos submitted to Flickr.com on 24 June 2014, this photo was one of 500 featured in its "Explore" gallery.
It took loads of shots before I managed to get an original take on this well photographed site on the river Mole.
"Stairway to Heaven"
You might think this is how the tube looks every time the sun comes out, but you'd be wrong. The sun has to be just in the right position for the angle of light to pour down the stairs.
This day, I just happened to be passing at 3.23pm and for a short few minutes we were bathed in gorgeous sunlight. Next week, the stairway to heaven will open at a different time.
Carl Zeiss Contax G 90mm f/2.8 Sonnar on Sony A7rCarl Zeiss Contax G 90mm f2.8 Sonnar TG90Sony A7RTube Station
"Startled Deer"
I stalked these deer like a hunter, but the only shooting sounds this day, came from the click of my shutter.
Richmond Park
Leica 180mm f/4 Elmar-R on Sony NEX-7
"Sunset in Richmond Park"
I had been stalking the sounds of a herd of stags for over a mile through the woods, before I lost the light and needed to return home empty handed. But, as I neared the car, I was treated to this glorious scene.
Leica 180mm f/4 Elmar-R on Sony NEX-7
"Contemplation"
This young woman is caught in contemplation as she gazes over the Danube to St Stephen's Basilica, from a balcony on the Fishermen's Bastion in Budapest
Canon FDn 50mm f/1.2 L on Sony A7r.
"Ox-bow Loop on the Mosel at Leiwen"
Out of 8.6 million photos submitted to Flickr.com on 20 Oct 2014, this photo was one of 500 featured in its "Explore" gallery.
Had terrible weather all day. Tried capturing the famous ox-bow near Bremm, but the light was disappointingly flat. A 30min drive down the valley and finally, the skies opened enough for me to capture this photo. The boat swanning by was the icing on the cake.
This part of Germany is famous for its world-class riesling wine. Indeed, all the crops you see in this image are grape vines.
Minolta MD 16mm f/2.8 Fisheye on Sony A7r
"Kentish Oast Houses with Apple Blossom"
These strange conical shaped buildings have been used to dry hops since the seventeenth century. They are quintessential to the Kentish landscape. Hops is the key ingredient in British beer that turned traditional ales into 'bitters'. Shot at Lees Court Estate.
Nikon AIS 180mm f/2.8 ED* on Sony A7r.
"Anticipation"
Carl Zeiss ZM 35mm f/1.4 Distagon on Sony A7s.
Walton Hall HotelEarthEuropeUKWarwickshireWaltonGeoffrey Irina's WeddingMercureSony A7SCarl Zeiss ZM 35mm f1.4 Distagon
"Kranhaeuser und Dom"
Juxtaposition of the modern "Crane Houses" and C13th Cathedral on the bustling river Rhine. This is a composite from 3-photos shot over 15 minutes, where I've merged in boats in the foreground to give it more life.
Minolta MD-III 135mm f/2.8 on Sony A7rSony A7RCologneLensesMinolta MD 135mm f2.8 8031166KranhaeuserCologne CathedralKoelner DomDomRhineNight
"Dragon Pearl Meets Tower Bridge"
Minolta MD-III 135mm f/2.8 on Sony A7r.
Sony A7RBanksideLondonMillenium BridgeSunriseDawnMinolta MD 135mm f2.8 8031166
"Six-Eyed Gargoyle"
This photo was taken in a side street in Cesky Krumlov, which is a fantastic UNESCO heritage town in the Czech Republic. Since the 1600s only 5 - that's FIVE buildings have been rebuilt... the rest are of the period (and earlier).
Canon FDn 50mm f/1.2 L on Sony A7r.
"Autumn Dawn on Tower Bridge"
Minolta MD 24mm f/2.8 on Sony A7r
Sony A7RMinolta MD 24mm f2.8LondonRiver ThamesTower BridgeThe ShardThe Walkie TalkieDawnSunrise
"Burning Skies Over Florence"
At first, the sunset was a non-event due to clouds masking the sun as it went down. Somewhat disappointed, I packed up my things and headed for the bus stop. Thankfully, I missed the bus, because 15 mins later, the clouds parted and we were treated to this amazing sight. I ran back to my perch with the thousand other tourists and managed to fire off a dozen shots, before the show was over.
"Cromer Pier"
There are records of a pier in Cromer back as far as 1391, although then it was more of a jetty. In the year 1582, Queen Elizabeth I, in a letter to the inhabitants of Cromer granted rights to export wheat, barley and malt with the proceeds to be used for the maintenance and well-being of the pier and the town of Cromer.
Today it is the only pier in Europe to house a functioning theatre. It's also home to the RNLI Cromer Division.
Olympus OM Zuiko 21mm f/3.5 on Sony A7r.
"Lonely Island"
A rainy day on Thousand Island Lake in Zhejiang Province, China. I wanted to create a photograph in keeping with Chinese paintings from its great past and this image reminds me of Song Dynasty landscape paintings. Something like these paintings:
https://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/painting/4pmtxgd4.jpg
https://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/painting/4smwangs.jpg
http://www.the-art-minute.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Wang_Ximeng_-_A_Thousand_Li_of_River1.jpg
"Boat with Bridge and Neon Lights"
Zhouzhuang, China.
The colours make this image. The neon green form an outer triangle that helps focus the eye on the centre, but the purple light on the right funnels towards a point in the centre of the arch where the folks in purple form an apex.
"Turbulent Skies"
Dramatic views from the Stubai Glacier, Austria.
It was touch and go as to whether we would make the journey up the mountain, because it was pouring with rain in the village and the valley was smothered in dense cloud. However, as we ascended through the cloud and emerged into sunlight, we knew that we had made the right decision. It was a fantastic day, and one of only two such occasions, where I've snowboarded in blistering sunlight, surrounded by a sea of clouds; despite my having spent at least 6 months in the mountains.
"Stranded"
This is the kind of view which may have inspired the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, because it is overlooked both by his house (The Boathouse) and his writing shed in Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, Wales.
Minolta MD 200mm f/2.8 Tele Rokkor on Sony A7r.EarthEuropeUKWalesPembrokeshireSony A7RMinolta MD 200mm f2.8 Tele Rokkor
"Pots Really Do Grow on Trees"
A ceramiics shop decorated this tree to catch the eyes of passing trade. It worked for me! But, the amazing thing is how these pots relate to an ancient dish dating back a thousand years. Read on....
When I arrived in Cappadocia, I wondered at why there were so many local potters dishing out such poor quality pots. It turned out that the local delicacy, called 'testi kebap', is an oven baked kebab dish that is cooked inside its own clay pot, and the pot must be smashed to get at its contents. Thus, a new pot for every customer means a lot of pots, which is great for the local economy as someone has to source the clay as well.
The Cappadocian town of Avanos has been known for making these pots since the time of the Hittites (1600-1178 BCE). The town's name betrays its Greek origins, which explains why you may sometimes see the area referred to Kappadocia, from the Greek. The mix of cultures also created a hybrid language called Cappadocian Greek. The Turkish emigration policy of the 1920s saw the forced relocation of Cappadocian Greeks to northern Greece, and by the 1960s it was thought the language was extinct. However, in 2005, university researchers discovered third-generation fluent speakers of the language, who were positive to their cultural heritage, contrary to their parents and grandparents who switched to Standard Modern Greek and were reluctant to speak their mother tongue.
I bet you had no idea that the story of an entire people could be gleaned from a humble clay pot.
Goereme, Cappadocia
"Night Panorama of Budapest"
"Mist on Twin Peaks"
Yellow Mountain (Huangshan) is famed for its cloud on rock views, which it produces with impressive regularity.
"Cologne Central Station in a Dash"
Leica 50mm f/2 Summicron-M on Sony A7r.
"Rock Formations of Cappadocia"
"Schloss Schoenbuehel on the Danube, Austria"
"Beware of Giant Pixies..."
These impressive giant mushrooms were installed on Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) in Anhui Province, China.
"Radcliffe Camera Panorama"
Voigtlander VM 15mm f/4.5 Heliar III on Sony A7r.
Voigtlaender VM 15mm f4.5 Heliar IIISony A7REarthEuropeUKOxfordshireOxfordRadcliffe Camera
"Radcliffe Camera with Tourists"
With thanks to Darrell Godliman who gave me the idea for this shot and directed me to the location where it could be taken.
Olympus OM Zuiko 24mm f/2.8 on Sony A7r.Olympus OM Zuiko 24mm f2.8Sony A7REarthEuropeUKOxfordshireOxfordRadcliffe Camera
"The Model Couple"
When wedding couples look like models, it's hard to take a bad shot.
Carl Zeiss ZM 35mm f/1.4 Distagon on Sony A7r.Walton Hall HotelEarthEuropeUKWarwickshireWaltonGeoffrey Irina's WeddingMercureSony A7SCarl Zeiss ZM 35mm f1.4 Distagon
"A Winter's Day on Windermere"
"The Three Gorges At Ullswater, China?"
Unbelievably, this really is Wordsworth Country in England, even though it looks more like a scene from the Yangtze in China.
"Misty Clouds on Thousand Island Lake, China"
It was hard to tell mountain mist from clouds on this dreary rainy day.
"View from Olympus"
This is is how I imagine the gods from Mount Olympus view the Earth.
It was shot from the Stubai Glacier in Austria.
"By the Book"
Canon FDn 50mm f/1.2 L on Sony A7s.
Walton Hall HotelEarthEuropeUKWarwickshireWaltonGeoffrey Irina's WeddingMercureSony A7SCanon FDn 50mm f1.2 L
"Basilica Cistern, Istanbul"
This impressive cistern was built in the 6th century by Emperor Justinian. It spans a massive 140m by 65m and the fact it is still viable is a testament to the civilisation that built it. The live fish it contains were used by the Romans as an early warning system to detect unpotable water.
EarthEuropeTurkeyIstanbulSultanahmetBasilica CisternSony A7R
"Dawn at Seven Sisters"
Cuckmere Haven, East Sussex.
SeaSony A7RCliffsEarthEuropeUKEast SussexCuckmere HavenSeafordSeven Sisters
"Sunrise Winking Behind Beachy Head"
Taken at Cuckmere Haven, East Sussex with Seven Sisters in the foreground and Beachy Head in the distance.
EarthEast SussexEuropeLeica M 135mm f4 Tele ElmarCuckmere HavenSeafordSeven SistersSony A7RUK
"Tower on Promontory"
The Castle Tower at Cesky Krumlov sits on a promontory towering over the banks of the Vltava River.
"Dürnstein in the Evening Sun"
This small village lies on the banks of the river Danube under the gaze of a small ruined castle at the top of the hill. The ruin was formerly Duerrstein "dry stone" Castle and is one of the places where King Richard I of England (the Lionheart) was held captive by Leopold V, Duke of Austria during the Third Crusade.
The castle was destroyed around 1645 by Swedish troops during the Thirty Years' War.
"Midnight Boogie Dancer"
It's one thing to wear the shoes, but quite another thing to walk the walk...or in this case boogie the boogie.
Carl Zeiss ZM 35mm f/1.4 Distagon on Sony A7s.
"One Man's Poison is Another Man's Comedy"
I'm not quite sure what was going on here, but they all left as good friends!
Carl Zeiss ZM 35mm f/1.4 Distagon on Sony A7s.
