Happy Scary Halloween...

In the old days Halloween used to be... well, on Hallowe'en, 31st October, the eve of All Saints Day, but now, like so many other days of celebration or festivity, it seems to start earlier and earlier, and I have already encountered numerous witches, vampires and zombies -and myriad monsters, mutants and malevolent miscreants, days before the day itself. For me however, more than anything else, Halloween is about pumpkins -carved and hideous. I don't know why they should be connected to this day other than that they make such wonderful frightening heads –good enough reason really! Here is one that particularly frightened me a couple of years ago. I returned from dinner one Halloween to the mysterious old inn I was staying at in Virginia. The entrance to my room was in a darkened courtyard, with shadowy trees leering above and the wind howling. It was the perfect setting for spookiness, and just in front of my door I found this... Location: Richmond, USA

A London Scene

I will shortly be going to London again, and I have been looking through my album of pictures I have taken there over the years as a sort of aperitif. It is one my favourite cities, and it never ever disappoints. One of the streets there I like most, is a little alley between Charing Cross Road and St. Martin's Lane called Cecil Court. It is a place of rare delight: a treasure-trove of ever-changing magic for collectors of books, photographs, coins, maps, prints and theatre memorabilia –like myself. And as it is a street without motor traffic, it has retained its Dickensian charm, and every time I pass through it I tremble with anticipation as to what I may find. Perhaps that is why this picture, taken there, is a little unfocused. I was going to trash it, but then realized that it captured something essential about London, and about this place in particular, and now I rather like it despite its technical faults. I find that many photographs that are "perfect" lack soul, whereas this one seems genuinely to capture a mood as well as a moment. I identify totally with the browsing gentleman, and am drawn to the bright allure of the interiors and the varied goodies on display, but it's that fish skeleton, hovering incongruously above, that really makes the image fascinating and compelling, and what makes London so utterly a city of delightful little surprises. I can't wait to return! Location: London, England

Glory of Autumn

Ok, so I can't quite leave autumn yet. The first snow of the season is forecasted for tomorrow, and winter-time proper starts with the changing of the clocks at the end of the coming week. But the last glorious gasps of autumn are often the most spectacular, especially when the sky is blue and the sun embraces each leaf with glowing, mellow warmth. I love to look up at the trees at such times, because their majesty is never more beautiful or comforting. Soon they will be naked, stripped of their finery, before perhaps being dressed again in a winter coat of snow. Each season has its rich gifts of course, but autumn remains my favourite, always. Location: Oslo, Norway

Boston Autumn

To round off this week of autumn/fall photographs here's one from one of my favourite American cities. This s a lake in the Boston Public Garden looking towards Beacon Street. The bridge is particularly beautiful, as are the cascading willow trees in all their glory. The green jetty on the side is, in summer, the embarkation point for the famous "Swan Boats" that have been a delightful feature of Boston's leisure pursuits for years and years and years. Sadly the swan boats have been packed away, though on this particular day they would have been great for further enjoying the beauty of these gardens –the genteel sister of the more knockabout (but equally pleasant) neighboring Boston Common. Location: Boston, USA

Leaf in London

Autumn usually arrives gradually, and subtly, seldom dramatically; but there is sometimes a particular moment that informs you of its arrival – as unmistakable a calling card in the progress of change of season as the first buds of spring. This leaf was the calling card of one such autumn, its fall to the ground stopped by being snagged by part of lamp-fitting outside a London Underground station, and staying there at a strange angle, signaling to all who left or entered the station that the change of season had begun. I found it rather beautiful -the mixture of nature and city, though I wish I had stopped for longer to take a closer, better picture. Unfortunately I was in a hurry; it had turned rather chilly. But I captured the moment that autumn arrived! Location: London, England

Autumn from the Olive Grove

I'm highlighting autumn all this week, and celebrating nature's transformation to warm colours. It's a season I always look forward to, though in Norway it is usually rather short. It started in Greece a little earlier, as can be seen in this picture I took a few weeks ago. Though there is still plenty of green, the golden browns are already making themselves known. I just liked the layered effect of the different colours as they catch the evening light. Location: Corfu, Greece

Enchanted Lake

Ok, so I finally must concede that summer has now said its goodbyes and autumn (or fall if you are so inclined) is impatiently and eagerly colouring gold and red the foliage that has been so richly green for the past months. Indeed it has been one of the finest summers I can remember. But autumn is always more glorious, more dramatic, and melancholy, and it is my favourite season –at least until the temperatures stoop and the winds rip off the last garments of magnificently dressed trees. Autumn is also a dream for photography, and I was particularly proud of this shot that I took of a perfectly still, little lake on Belle Isle, which is located in the James River that flows through Richmond. I came across it quite by accident while out exploring and at just the right time, when the sun was mellow and the air crisp and clear. The bare rock face in the background (which I believe indicates that this was once part of a quarry) creates an interesting blue effect in the palette of faded greens and gold, and the twin dipping trunks of the most prominent tree spills its reflection lazily into the tranquil surface to create an image of both graceful sadness and mysterious beauty. Location: Virginia, USA