Railway Hut

A little hut (complete with curtains) at a sleepy Swedish station in the countryside – but it could be almost anywhere; and any time. I was trying to emulate a little the style of some of those magnificent 1940s and 1950s photographic travelogues in American magazines like Life or National Geograpic, and was quite pleased with the result. Black and white seemed most apt. The background is a little blurred, but I think this brings more focus to the hut itself, and I was particularly taken by the thin, vertical wooden planks that form the wall, which contrast nicely with the many horizontal lines crossing the picture. The window and the half-drawn curtain is also something that intrigues me; I want to if there is anyone inside, and what they are doing; it's obviously some kind of worker's hut, but for an avid railway lover like me, I could ask for no better view! Location: Kil, Sweden

Semester's End

What is this, you may ask? In some circles I am sure it would pass as modern art. But it's simply a noticeboard at my old university stripped at the end of a semester. I made a nostalgic trip to see the old place and take some pictures, remembering with fondness the many times I hung posters here myself for some play or revue, or learned of a concert or exciting party, or looked for notices with books for sale. Posters were (and clearly still are) pasted with such frequency that one was lucky if it hung for five minutes before being covered with another. Along with nostalgia, I was attracted by the fierceness with which the board has been cleaned – almost as if an animal had gone to work here, but those pesky staples hold back a little piece of every poster and notice that has been here –on display until a new bevy of students have shows to promote, books to sell and parties to tempt... Location: Oslo, Norway

Waiting in Wannsee

Wannsee, on the outskirts of Berlin, is perhaps best known historically for being the setting of the notorious Nazi conference that was to decide the details of the "Final Solution", and it was to visit the house in which this heinous event took place that brought me there. The house is now a deeply moving, but chilling, musuem. Wannsee is however more than this – the lake itself is a magnet for day-tripppers from bustling Berlin, with a fabulous variety of boating possibilities, beaches, wooded walks and shoreside cafés. I took this picture at the end of a very pleasant day there, waiting for the train back into the metropolis. Everything here is so perfectly German – from the lettering of the station sign, the symmetry of the benches and two waiting passengers, and the striking colours of the S-Bahn on the opposite platform. There is a kind of beauty in the connection between the man and the woman – they are both alone, both waiting, but they do not speak. They must be aware of each other, but sit politely in their own individual worlds. Wouldn't it be magical if one of them turned to the other with a romantic smile... Location: Wannsee - Berlin, Germany

Seaside Café

This is another picture from a series I took one afternoon in Lowestoft on the eastern coast of England when the sky was dramatically magnificent and the light magical. It was long before the bright sunshine of summer causes this promenade to fill with life, but there's a vacant table. optimistically set up outside the café and a single guest – an equally optimistic seagull hoping for a treat. I took some shots here in black and white too, but I found the pale yellow light in the distance particularly beautiful and mellow. I am also constantly fascinated by and attracted to the wistful emptiness of places that at other times of the year teem with life. Location, Lowestoft, England

Danish Mail Trio

Letter boxes (or mail boxes if you prefer) are a bit like taxis at the weekend – you can never find one, but when you do there's always several of them. Actually letter boxes seem to be a bit of a dying species, along with telephone boxes, public scales and various other bits of street furniture. It's understandable, I suppose, since the number of letters being posted has dropped dramatically since email became part of our daily lives. But I am always cheered at the sight of one of these boxes, and three of them together... Well, I can only assume that since I took this picture in the picturesque town of Odense, birthplace of Hans Christian Anderson, there must be a whole lot of people still sending postcards – remember them? I liked the bright, cheerfulness of this little trio, taken after a rain shower that made them shine and appear as if brand-new. And huddling together they seem to cry out to the passer by, "We're here for you, use us, give us your letters ... please..." - a sentiment that Anderson himself could easily have expressed... Location: Odense, Denmark