Fishing

This is my personal favourite of all the photographs I took last year –a little more than a month ago now, in December. I was visiting Lowestoft on the Suffolk coast one Sunday, and found the light to be incredibly evocative and beautiful. There was a fresh breeze and lots of spirit in the water and as it was rather cold there weren't many people on the beach; most people preferred the promenade above or the warmth of cafés. The pier was closed, otherwise fishing would probably have been done from there, but fortunately for me the two people with their rod made a perfect human motif to the otherwise barren composition. I loved the variety of lines –horizontal, vertical and diagonal, and was particularly pleased to capture the crash of the wave opposite the two figures, and the hopeful stance they have adopted. No matter how much one plans, sometimes one is especially lucky in that everything comes together right for a photograph. This is one of those happy occasions. Location: Lowestoft, England

Ivy Window

It's been a particularly dull and grey day today, and though I have been out photographing snow scenes all afternoon I didn't feel particularly up to posting anything to do with winter tonight; rather I had a need for colour and the cozy glow of warm interiors. Well, I think this picture is rather bright and cheeful, and certainly cozy. It's a window of my favourite restaurant in London, The Ivy –a legendary place that seeps with theatre history and chic glamour. It's exclusive and admittedly quite expensive, so I only dine there when I am feeling particularly rich or have been invited, but in terms of food, service and elegant panache it's the tops. I took this picture on one of those occasions when I couldn't afford to go in, but could only gaze at or through the frosted windows, with their coloured glass diamonds. The lights and coziness beyond beckon, but are hazy, and the window is as much a barrier as a tempting invitation. Soon I shall step inside once more! Location: London, England

Jackson Square

A clear blue sky, lush foliage, perfectly groomed grass and the clean lines of three historic buildings -the Cabildo, Saint Louis Cathedral and the Presbytère. Also horses and carriages, wrought-iron gates, a famous statue of Andrew Jackson and a man with a bag. I liked the clean symmetry of the vista and the colours, especially the white of the carriage wheels. I was also quite pleased with capturing another photographer at work –the man taking a picture of his girlfriend in front of the statue. Yet the idyllic atmosphere has a sad element too –the flag at half mast, which somehow makes the picture rather poignant. Location: New Orleans, USA

Oslo Quayside

It's a bitingly cold day, but the sky is deliciously blue and the air clean and brittle. Snow has fallen, but the fjord has not had the chance to freeze even a little, so the water looks almost enticing. At the quayside Norway's royal yacht "Norge" is moored and mostly covered up for the winter, but its flag is flying. As the short day starts to dip towards evening the pale sunlight shines through the gently unfolding red, white and blue flag. I always think the Norwegian flag looks most beautiful in wintertime, and I was particularly pleased with this shot as it seems to capture an essentially Norwegian spirit. I did hope the flag would fully unfurl, and waited a long time to see whether it (and the breeze) would oblige. They didn't, but then one can't have everything! Location: Oslo, Norway

Out of Season Pier

The end of pier show is a very British summer tradition, attracting holidaymakers to an evening's light entertainment that can often be a very mixed bag. Variety is the key word, and comedy is key. Out of season, both piers and the seaside towns themselves are unsurprisngly empty, but I am very much attracted to them at such times as they are wonderful backdrops for photographs. I am in the process of working my way around the British Isles to visit many of these seaside towns, always out of season, –though I have no rush whatsoever and expect it will take me many years as I usually only manage one or two such places a year. One favourite such seaside town is Great Yarmouth on the Norfolk coast. It has lost some of its former sheen and edge, but still has plenty to delight. Here is the entrance to the Britannia Pier which stretches out behind this colourful facade promoting coming attractions. I liked the brightness of the orange –a very "summery" colour against the moody winter clouds and the clean sharp lines. And I also liked the emptiness –this is a square that cries out for people, but there is no one about.. Location: Great Yarmouth, England

Puppets

I had a dream about puppets last night. I find them a little scary, even when awake, but then I have a vivid imagination as am sure they have lives of their own! The odd thing is that it is not puppets in performance that I find, well.. disturbing; it's only when they are stationary, "resting", waiting... Fortunately I do not have too much to do with them, but sometimes they cannot be avoided. This is certainly the case in Prague where puppets used to be as prevalent as people. They were frequently used in satirical performances of a political nature as they could somehow push the boundaries of what was acceptable far more than real actors. Somehow they could get away with it. Indeed, political puppetry became an art form, filled with double meanings, jabs at authority and parallels to specific events and developments, before the iron curtain was lifted on a completely new political landscape. After that puppets lost some of their edge, becoming once again toys, playthings and souvenirs. However, I would like to think that they are still occasionally employed in satirical performances. Here, beautifully crafted and brightly coloured puppets –or marionettes– hang nonchalantly waiting for fresh employment. Nice, but still somehow a little scary. Are they perhaps listening in on the two women's conversation...? Location: Prague, Czech Republic

Snow and Sun

At last it has snowed in Oslo and "everyone" is beaming. Beaming because things are finally as they should be at this time of the year. There had been surprised whispers that no snow had appeared for Christmas, and even more vociferous wonder and even alarm at the extremely mild temperatures since then. Some have naturally been pleased that there has been no snow –there are always a few non-conformists- but, for most, something has been missing in these past dark, dull few weeks. This weekend however the darkness has been transformed into a bright and gleaming winter wonderland. the temperatures have dropped severely, and people seem delighted and have been out in their droves today! Snow lightens the night sky, flings a blanket of crisp freshness over damp lawns and parks, and when the sun shines in a clear blue sky, like today, there are few things more invigorating. We worship the sun, but here in Norway we worship the snow too! This sculpture in Oslo's famous Vigeland Park seems to express both. Location: Oslo, Norway

Sunset and Peace

Everyone loves a sunset, don't they? Photographers certainly do, although I think most of us have to admit that they rarely, if ever, can be captured in all their beauty in a photograph –no matter how well a single picture turns out. This is because a sunset is a process,constantly changing, not a single moment. However, this does not stop us from trying! One of the most spectacular sunsets I have seen occured in San Antonio, when the whole sky seemed to flow with glowing beauty, reddening into a magnificent finale. Thousands of birds seemed to be drawn to the spectacle as much as the people, for they (the birds that is) jetted across the sky with great energy, sweeping down to land occasionally on buildings and towers. I managed to capture a mere few of them here, resting on the impressive peace monument presented to San Antonio by Mexico. Like the monument, the evening was rather surreal, and certainly unusual. I was quite pleased with the picture, especially the diagonal streaks of cloud and the two larger birds, standing like sentinels on the top of the light. But of course, in reality it was even grander! Location: San Antonio, Texas

Aftermath of Rain II

With all the rain that has fallen on parts of Europe recently it is easy to think that it will never end. But it will, and despite all the woe that water can cause there can be something beautiful too -the air is always clean after rain, and there is a freshness in smell and feeling that is quite revitalising –even in a city. Here is a picture I took in London last year on a day that went from heavy showers to blue sky within a remarkably short space of time (but such is English weather). I loved the wet sparkle of the flagstones outside the National Gallery and the reflection of the blue sky in the puddles -it was as if the whole of Trafalgar Square had been scrubbed and polished, and I found it all rather beautiful –as I usually do when it stops raining! Location: London, England

Love Locks

I'm sure they can be found in other cities, and in other countries too, but I was particularly drawn to the number of padlocks that decorated several bridges in Berlin. They symbolize the joining of two people together in a romantic courtship ritual -locking each other's hearts together. Bridges are invariably romantic anyway, or can be, and it is uplifting to see so many pledges of love fastened to their railings and decorative ironwork. From a distance they look like colourful decorations on a tree, but close up you can see that each is a personal token of two people coming together –some even have the names of the betrothed and the date on which their love was pledged. I imagine that each of them keeps a key, though I was amused to see that some practical couple opted for a combination code lock instead -after all, what happens if one of them should lose the key...?

Location: Berlin, Germany

Aftermath of Rain

The start of the new year has seen some crazy weather both here in Europe where storms, rain and unusually mild temperatures have bereft Christmas of any traditional snow-decked coziness, and on the eastern coast of the United States where winter seems to have gone mad. It was a bit like this before Christmas too when I was travelling in England –there too it was the eastern coast that suffered worst, with cliffs crumbling, high winds, extreme tides and lots and lots of rain. I visited some of the places affected afterwards, and though the fishing town of Lowestoft was not the worst casualty it was very clear to see the effect of all the adverse weather. Strangely, perhaps, there was a kind of tranquility in the aftermath, and certainly a spirit of "we will not be beaten". There was also something rather beautiful about the pools of water that formed small lakes in places that usually are dry, such as here on part of the harbour quayside. The skies were still moody with clouds, but a pale sun struggled its way through them to demonstrate that after every storm there is calm, and hope. Location: Lowestoft, England