Splash of Colour In London

A telephone box, the blue facade of a café, and green hoarding for Shrek at the Theatre Royal. A wet pavement, a waiter taking a cigarette-break. The effect reminded me of a 1990s music video, but mostly I just loved the combination of bright colours.

Location: London, England

Front of a Closed Shop

Abandoned buildings always fascinate me; they often continue to "talk", echoing stories of former days. I have no idea what was behind the windows of this closed shop in Poland, but I find the colours, ironwork and peeling paint bothe evocative and fascinating.

Location: Warsaw, Poland

Mountain Colours

The top of a (little) mountain in Norway in late autumn. The colours reminded me a bit of the film version of "Brigadoon" -which seemed deliberately artificial in their majesty. Well, now I know that such a wealth of colour does exist, when you climb and go "wandering through the heather on the hill..."

Location: Valdres, Norway

Le Chateau Frontenac

I just watched (again) Alfred Hitchcock's moody film "I Confess" from 1953, and realised just how much it had inspired my photography in Quebec earlier this year. The Chateau Fronteac features heavily in the film, and still looks exactly as it did in the film. Of course my photographs of it had to be in black and white too, and taken from obscure angles -my own homage to cinematographer Robert Burks.

Location: Quebec, Canada

Spanish Moss

Old Savannah, one of my favourite US cities -full of character, history and texture. The lazy trees, bedecked with Spanish moss are eerie by night, but provide welcome shade in the heat of day, as well as wonderful subjects for pictures.

Location: Savannah, Georgia

Jeans

Not really a story behind this one, just experimenting with my camera and finding lines and textures in everyday objects, like this pile of jeans -waves of them!

Riverside

I am always fascinated by old, seemingly deserted buildings. This one on the bank of the Thames in Hammersmith is interesting because of its curves and mellow and warm colours in the late afternoon sun. It also contrasts with the more formal building on the other side of the river in the background.

Location: London, England

Signs in American Shop Window

Notice boards and shop windows are fertile grounds for gems of the bizarre and out-of-the-ordinary kind. One wonders just how safe people may have felt when passing this particular window!

Location: New Orleans, USA

Links

I have been experimenting a bit with taking close-up pictures of small things that don't usually get much attention, but look great enlarged, like these cufflinks. Expect more like this as my roving eye seeks out other little things deserving more attention!

Peacock

There are few things more magnificent than the fabulous outfit of a peacock, feathers unfurled. I find it incredible and humbling that nature could produce something so beautiful, and was thrilled that this particular bird elected to show off for me.

Location: Bucharest, Romania

Another Glass Roof...or Ceiling?

One of Europe's most spectacular train stations is the Berlin Hauptbahnhof -an architectural wonder, not least because of the brilliant use of glass, creating a spacious, light interior and quite a classical overall look. Also rather good for pictures!

Location: Berlin, Germany

English Country Road

I love the total Englishness of this picture -the quiet country road and the eccentric placing of a telephone box, far from any form of civilisation and standing slightly askew. The bright red indeed contrasts with the green, but somehow the telephone box seems perfectly happy where it is -out of place, yet not out of place at the same time.

Location: Berkshire, England

A Day at the Musuem

The first time I saw the rebuilt inner courtyard of the British Musuem I just stood and stared in amazement. It was one of the most stunning interior spaces I had ever seen. The intricate glass ceiling is as beautiful as any of the objects on display, and informs the whole space, especially when the sun shines and creates a web of shadows on the pristine marble floors and stairs. I tried to capture some of the immensity and beauty in this picture, but this is only a small part of the whole.

Location: London, England.

Derelict Building

I have always found derelict buildings fascinating. Their stories are often somehow more tangible than buildings that are new or lived in. And surfaces, textures and crumbling features seem almost organic. This former apartment building unexpectedly has a sad beauty about it. I find the curved corners especially appealing.

Location: Warsaw, Poland

Those Autumn Leaves

Autumn in New England is always magnificent, and even in the cities. This tree on Boston Common seemed especially beautiful -delicate and somehow still full of life, with its few remaining, perfectly contrasting, leaves.

Location: Boston, USA

Autumn Vista

This photograph was taken in just about my favourite place in the whole world -the mountains of central Norway, and in the autumn when the colours become especially beautiful. Lakes, trees, sky and snow-topped mountains in the distance... and quiet, perfect quiet in the crisp air. Utter peace.

Location: Rundmellen, Valdres, Norway

Birds On A Wire

Just a simple photograph that I quite liked -the sun going down in Tennessee, birds resting or waiting on telephone wires, wondering perhaps where all the leaves have gone.

Location: Memphis, USA

People in Covent Garden

This is a very calm picture.The five main figures all appear to be in their own little world -waiting, resting, reading -each is somehow both alone and part of the whole. The portico of St. Paul's Church provide some shade from the sun and the bases of the columns a place to sit -as they have for several hundred years.

Location: London, England

Chic Loo

South Beach is rightly famous for its art deco hotel facades. But the style extends to such otherwise mundane features as public toilets, or restrooms- I liked the symmetry, broken by the tree and the bin, and of course the lighting.

Location: Miami Beach, USA

Keyboard Steps

So many people pass through London's Underground system that the steps need to be reinforced with metal treads so as not to wear away. But they give the impression of a stack of keyboards -or maybe it's just the way my eyes see them!

Location: London, England

Reflections

Late evening. After a rain shower. Red lights of barriers reflected in the pools of water and on the wet pavements. Horizontal and vertical lines. Some nice effects created by the combination of all these things.

Location: Oslo, Norway

Street Scene

Another monochrome photograph inspired by the Andreas Feininger portraits of Chicago in 1941. Taken many years later, of course.

Location: Chicago, USA

E.T. Cactus

I love cacti, but mine are pretty tiny compared to this one that I came across in California. In the evening sun it cast a shadow against the wall that looks rather like the head of a praying mantis ...or E.T.

Location: San Diego, USA

Fishing Boats and Nets on Kent Beach

Mid-morning on a Kent beach with the English channel in the background. The lobster-pots are piled up ready for the next day. I liked all the colours -painted boats, covers, pebbles, buoys- and always seem to smell the sea air when I look at this picture.

Location: Deal, England

Hungerford Bridge

Hungerford Bridge's marvellous walkway across the River Thames on a surprisingly warm autumn early-evening. Most people take pictures from the bridge, but I was just as fascinated by the lines of the supports against the sky.

Location: London, England

Mountain Pool

Autumn in the mountains. Blue sky reflected in a beautiful mountain pool, creating an almost bridge-like effect. Colours, light, air...total calm.

Location: Valdres, Norway

Family of Mailboxes

Street furniture always fascinates me –and in many ways epitomises a country's identity. The American mailbox is a unique icon -familiar, heartening and quite cute. And here in Georgia I found a whole family of them!

Location: Charleston, USA

Soho

Soho is a pretty tame place these days, but the alleys and streets are fertile ground for photography. Here it is surprisingly empty, so the textures of the buildings and alley are more in focus. And once again black and white seems to work best.

Location: London, England

Smoke

Smoke billowing from one of the chimneys of Le Château Frontenac. I liked the play of light and contrasts and it seemed to work particularly well in black and white. And if you've ever seen Hitchcock's film I Confess you'll perhaps recognise the nod to the master's work at this location!

Location: Quebec, Canada

Paperbacks on Display

Used paperbacks for sale at London's South Bank, and the late afternoon just bouncing off their well-worn colourful spines. Very simple, but somehow beautiful.

Location: London, England

Autumn in the Mountains

I just returned from a week hiking in the mountains of central Norway, and experienced all kinds of weather, often on the same day. But the rich autumn colours and fabulous effects of light made photographing a dream -the colours becoming more golden each day. This picture was one of the last I took before leaving, but it is one of my favourites.

Location: Valdres, Norway

Palace of the Winds

Hawa Mahal -an Indian palace built in 1799, though it looks so organic that it really seems to have grown rather than be constructed. Most guide-book pictures are taken squarely facing the magnificent facade, but I found it just as interesting to see a little what was behind. Truly a remarkable building.

Location:Jaipur, India

Norwegian Countryside

Norwegian countryside and a colourful farm building in the height of a summer that has seen as much rain as sunshine, hence the verdant fields. The sun just caught the side of the barn as I took this photograph, giving the picture an extra optimistic brightness.

Location: Valdres, Norway

Old Railway Shed

Many old buildings are ugly when new but come into their own with age and wear, like this large shed in a sleepy English railway yard. The colours are all mismatched, the paint is flaking in places, but somehow the building has a soul, and seemed quite majestical.

Location: Norfolk, England

Colourful Street Corner

A feast of colour in an American city, just yards from the border with Mexico. The Mexican influence is clear to see. When I took the photograph I didn't notice the pair of abandoned shoes by the curb -or are they two birds? Your guess is as good as mine.

Location: El Paso, Texas, USA.

Cloud and Fjord

Evening sun and clouds over Oslo's inner fjord. Usually the water is the most photogenic thing in such compositions, but here the clouds stretching into the horizon seem more dramatic and watery, while the fjord itself is a silvery blanket.

Location: Oslo, Norway

Grecian Urn

A glorious summer's day on the heights the sleepy Greek island of Meganisi, with the larger island of Lefkada in the distance, boats on the water and urns with plants atop a romantic terrace. A very peaceful picture, and comforting amidst all the rainy days of summer in Northern Europe this year.

Location: Spartochori, Meganisi, Greece

London By Night

London's West End on a dark night. Pubs and theatres beckon with bright lights, but the mysterious long-haired figure with the bag and an impossibly long coat strides through like a determined ghost. I was experimenting with black & white at the time and the slightly blurred focus seemed to work quite well in capturing the atmosphere of the moment.

Location: London, England

Franz Kafka's House

Franz Kafka's house in a timeless-looking street in Prague, and a young visitor debating whether to go in or not. I like his casual pose, the colours of the buildings and the variety of textures.

Location: Prague, Czech Republic

Clouds Over Castle

"The round tower" of Oslo's castle earlier today, with clouds making a dramatic statement in the sky above. The grassy bank overlooking the water is one of my favourite spots in the city.

Location: Oslo, Norway

Birds Queuing to Take a Bath

Union Square on a hot day. These little birds are politely waiting for their comrade to finish his bath before taking their own; the tub doesn't seem to have room for them all. Fortunately, no dog is nearby, because this is actually a canine water trough!

Location: New York, USA

Cloth

Colourful cloth on display in Birmingham's rag-market -speaks for itself really, I just like the colours -and see if you can spot the two pairs of scissors!

Location: Birmingham, England

Sunset Over Miami

Most photographs fail to capture the glory and magnificence of sunsets and turn out quite disappointing compared to the real thing. But I was quite proud of this one, and it certainly captured the mood and colour of the moment, by the pool of a Florida spa, and the last photograph I took on a trip in the US prior to returning to Europe.

Location: Miami, USA

Bow

London's Science Museum has a fabulous hall filled with model ships in beautiful glass cases. It's been there for years, unchanged and much loved. The models are intricate and fascinating –one almost wishes one could be small enough to explore inside...

Location: London, England

Monolith

Gustav Vigeland's memorable "Monolith" and surrounding sculptures in the park bearing the artist's name. It's just a few minutes walk from where I live, so I have taken many photographs here over the years, but this is one of my favourites because of the mix of figures -stone and real- and the barely visible but supremely grand seagull right on top of the month.

Location: Oslo, Norway

Quayside at Sundown

Warm evening on a Greek island, the fishing boats are in. Lots of colour and a soothing atmosphere.. summer is here!

Location: Samos, Greece

Kiss

A large sculpture (or statue) of an iconic image next to the USS Midway in San Diego bay. The sun is about to go down, but the clouds created a beautiful canopy to a passionate moment.

Location: San Diego, USA

Golden Orbs

I am always fascinated by street furniture, and how it subtly creates the unique character of different cities. These bollards in Warsaw appear almost to have oranges balanced on them. I liked the continuation of the orbs further down the street on the crossing lights, and the yellow hues further reflected on the nearby buildings.

Location: Warsaw, Poland

Laughing Policewomen

Changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. Just about everyone else's cameras are pointed the other way, towards the palace, but I liked the cheerful interaction between these two mounted policewomen as much as the colourful pageant of the ceremony.

Location: London, England

The Homecoming

A school-ship in New England drawing near to its berth. It was a thrilling and unexpected spectacle, drawing dozens of people from the town to welcome the boat. Sadly the rigging is not swarming with seafarers, but the late-afternoon sky and the sailing boat itself were a magnificent sight.

Location: Salem, Massachusetts