Sky Over Shaftesbury Avenue

The heart of London's West End theatre district may be Piccadily Circus or Leicester Square, but Shaftesbury Avenue is really its main artery, with no less than four theatres visible in this picture –The Queens, The Gielgud, The Apollo and The Lyric. But it is the sky that obviously plays a more prominent role in this picture –unusually vibrant for London with masses of gold filling the evening air. The picture leaves me with a warm feeling, a longing for those rare summer evenings when the sun seems reluctant to go down, and the air is filled with the excitement of the season. Location: London, England

Guards Marching

The changing of the guard at Oslo's fort on a summer's afternoon. Such ceremonies are always great photo opportunities, but quite often one has to jostle with numerous tourists to get a good view or a perfect shot. But here there are no crowds. Next to me are only a few curious visitors who happened to drop by at this particular time. The soldiers belong to the King's Royal Guard and naturally always impeccably turned out. I liked here particularly the "clockwork" manner of their marching. Location: Oslo, Norway

Under the Pier

Continuing with piers –such a very British institution– here is a photograph taken on the east coast of England, showing the underside of Great Yarmouth's Britannia pier stretching across the wide, sandy beach before continuing into the water. It's not really spectacular, but I liked the lighting with the shadows and hues, and the promise of blue sea way out in the distance. Location: Gt. Yarmouth, England

Remains of a Pier

Derelict or crumbling structures, especially those with an illustrious past, always fascinate me and set me snapping away with whatever camera I have to hand. This is the sad skeleton of Brighton's once-proud West Pier, built in 1866 and genteel place of leisure and entertainment for over a century until it closed in 1975, and then suffered two fires in 2003 which more or less sealed its fate –at least for now (for there are strong calls for it to be restored). There is sadly little here to remind us of what it once was, but old postcards and photographs reveal it to be far prettier than the larger Palace Pier a bit further down the beach. Now it's a forlorn and jumbled mass of iron, yet somehow it still retains a certain grace -and I do hope it sees new days of glory in the future. Location: Brighton, England

Out West

I came across this picture whilst clearing out some unused photographs from a trip to the USA a year ago. I was travelling mostly by rail, and snapping away at the ever-changing landscapes through the train windows. It's very much a hit-or-miss pursuit because things flash by so quickly, trains generally vibrate quite a bit, and taking pictures through glass does not always work well. But nevertheless it's always worth a try, and sometimes the results can be quite pleasing –it helps a lot if the train is not moving too fast. This particular shot was taken from the Rail Runner between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, and reminds me a bit of old westerns. I like the way the two poles dominate the picture without distracting from the landscape beyond. Location: New Mexico, USA

Waiting for the Ferry

Late afternoon on a summer's day in Oslo –or rather on the island of Hovedøya, a beloved place for recreation, swimming, picnics and relaxation just a stone's throw from the city, which can be seen here in the background. It is truly one of the joys of living in Oslo that one has such places as this so close by, just a short ferry ride, though on the warmest days of summer the boats are frequently full, and some people have to wait for the next one. But nobody seems too concerned, after all: they have had a lovely day! Location: Oslo, Norway

Sweden in the Kitchen

It's Sweden's National day today, and as I am a quarter Swedish myself I feel justified in celebrating a little. My kitchen is particularly Swedish, and I don't just mean that most of the fittings come from Ikea, but that I have tried as much as possible to stick to blue and yellow colours. The bananas, had they been straighter, would have formed a more perfect flaga against the plates, and that melon should rightly have been a swede -but I am not out to be pedantic, just a little Swedish patriotic!

Near the Beach Just After Sunset

The "magic" times for photography are very early in the morning and especially that golden spell around sunset and just after, when the light is mellow and warm and inviting. Add some sea, a quiet restaurant by a beach and some unconcerned goats for good measure, and you end up with a picture like this. It sort of says "Thank you" to the beach for a good day spent there, and at the same time lets you know that you are welcome back again tomorrow. For me it instantly conjours up the gentle evening sounds, smells and atmosphere of a long, lazy holiday. Nothing particularly spectacular, but special all the same. Location: Crete, Greece