Favourite Picture of the Year

Once again, it's time to post my favourite picture of the last year. And once again, it's a picture of a cat! Now, there is no feline nepotism going on here, for this year I have also photographed dogs and many other animals, plus people, buildings, sunsets, trees, views, boats, and a thousand other things; yet sifting through all the pictures I have taken, I somehow always come back to this one from late summer - of the cat I was babysitter to (or was it the other way round !?). Villem. His look is one of superior reproach, saying (patiently but firmly): "No, you're not going to use the computer now, nor look at those books, not while I'm here; you can just forget about anything else and pay attention to me, do you understand?" I love the way he fills the frame, blocking the view of those other things in my life that clearly are of less importance. He was only with me for a short time, left so much of a mark that my flat seemed empty for weeks afterwards. The photograph makes me smile every time I see it. Happy New Year to you all, cats and humans! Location: Oslo, Norway

Summer Longing

With Christmas all but over, and yet the winter barely begun, we are about to enter what I find the darkest time of the year - the long, (usually) cold month of January. At this time, I find myself often turning to thoughts and dreams of summer -both those of the past and those to come, and somehow just thinking of sunshine, beaches, warm seas and lazy evenings helps to get through weeks where, if I could, I would preferably hibernate. But, if awake we must be, it's a great time to go through all those summer photographs. Here's one that exemplifies for me a peaceful summer idyll: a perfectly quiet café by a calm blue sea, with chairs that are calling out "come on over, sit down, relax..." I like the cleanness of the image, the feeling of space, and the warm colours, with all the white surfaces reaching out to match the true pale yellows. I also like the tree a lot. Now, excuse me, while I go and sit down, I have a large, cool beer waiting over there... Location: Corfu, Greece

Merry Christmas !

A couple of years ago, close to Christmas, the famous statue of Eros on Piccadilly Circus was encased in this magical transparent globe, which, at regular intervals dispersed "snow" like one of those fascinating table-top trinkets that used to be so popular (perhaps they still are, somewhere?). Now this effect was both delightful and seasonal, and proved to be very popular with tourists and anyone else who passed by; it was an iconic landmark given a cheerful little makeover to mark the season of goodwill in a city that doesn't experience snow all that often. What it does experience, however, is wind, and hereby hangs a tale. For, shortly after this picture was taken, this globe was no more. A very troublesome little storm brewed in the West End, and a vicious gust of wind ripped a tear in the fabric of the globe, thus causing it to collapse like a deflated balloon. But not, however, before the thousands of plastic snowflakes swirling inside had been dispersed gleefully over much of Piccadilly Circus, and got into all sorts of places for days afterwards. But perhaps such is Christmas itself -a bubble that is there for a short time only; beautiful while it lasts but gone all too quickly. May I wish you a Happy Christmas, free of strife, worry and bursting globes. Location: London, England

View of a City

I shall shortly be traveling to one of my favourite cities – that grand metropolis, dear old London. And, as always, I am looking forward to it immensely as its fascination is endless, and I never tire of it. And I tend to use my camera a lot there, for there is something of interest at every corner, and every cobblestone seems to exude masses of history. And it's a modern city too, of course, with a skyline that changes a little every time I get up high to observe what's new. One of the best views of London (and the City of London as opposed to the City of Westminster) is from St.Paul's Cathedral where this picture was taken, here looking up the Thames toward Westminster. Unlike some of the other popular high-up observation spots in London, here you are actually outside, on a rather narrow balcony that encircles the tower on the top of the famous dome. You're exposed to the wind and cold, and it's a long climb up inside the dome to get there, but what a thrill when you step out and see the magnificent city sprawled all around you, the majesty of the cathedral itself directly below, and the busy silver river beside you. Breathtaking. And no single picture really does it justice; you have to be up there to experience it for real. However,this didn't stop me from shooting away like mad in all directions as I recognised landmarks and buildings and saw the busy city going about its business. For though you are high up, you are still essentially part of the city, and its sounds waft up towards you; so the experience is much more visceral and immediate than for instance seeing a city from a plane window, or an enclosed observation deck. And when you get back down on the ground again, you will always look up at St. Paul's with greater familiarity, proudly saying to yourself every time you see it "I've been up there!" Location: London, England

Simply a Police Box, or possibly...?

First, I must apologise for not having posted anything here for a few months - massive technical problems, travel, illness in the family and simply not having enough time have sadly kept me away from my computer and blogging activities. However, all issues have now been happily resolved, and not only have I replaced my temperamental computer with a sassy new Mac, but I have invested in a brand new camera (my first DSLR) and some lenses, and look forward to sharing some great new photographs taken with it once I get to know it a little better. However, I have as always by my side my trusty small camera (a Canon Ixus 135 if you're interested), and though I have not been blogging of late, I certainly have been taking pictures. Lots of them! Here's one I took in Glasgow a few weeks ago, posted in celebration of my favourite television programme which celebrated its 53rd birthday today (if you can't guess what it is then just enjoy the iconic solidness of the Police Box!). It was a chilly evening, people were scurrying home after work, and only I seemed to be captivated by the bright blue box - my imagination was already working overtime, hoping that it would transport me somewhere across the universe... What I particularly liked was the way the Police Box stands so unapologetically in the middle of a pedestrianised thoroughfare; seemingly unobtrusive and captivating at the same time. The glare from the lights behind give it that magical edge, and I was particularly happy with the way the blue, red, green and yellow colours layer the image. The lack of sharpness is due to my old camera's reluctance to do pictures at night and my own hands probably trembling a little when faced with a TARDIS! Location: Glasgow, Scotland

Bicycle Time

I thought a picture of a bicycle would be appropriate seeing as this year's Tour de France is just about to begin. Of course, this particular bicycle has nothing to do with the race (other than that the yellow wheels may presume to desire a yellow-jerseyed rider), and this is Denmark not France. But I liked the colours, the casual way the bike is parked against the wall, and the potential for adventure it holds... Who wouldn't want to jump on and take a ride. Location: Copenhagen, Denmark

Coloured Bowls

I am a sucker for anything colourful and circular (was I in a former life mesmerized by shiny beads?) so it was inevitable that these bowls caught my attention when I came across them at a local flea market. They seem to evoke opened pots of paint, or perhaps planets; they are certainly inviting, and their brightness has an irrepressively uplifting effect, at least on me! Location: Oslo, Norway

Street Library

Being a book fanatic, I wish there was a little library like this on every street in every town in every country –a place where books can be left and picked up at random and you never know what you may find. Happily, there are more and more of these joyful communal repositories popping up, some in parks, or old telephone kiosks. I even saw one at a tram stop a couple of weeks ago. Hotels, guesthouses, hospitals and cafés have had them for ages, but wouldn’t it be great if airports or train stations had such pocket libraries scattered about. They won’t of course, because there’s no profit to be made from it and they’d prefer to have you spending money than quenching your thirst for literature, be it romantic, educational or enlightening. Here, I liked the fact that someone has stopped to peruse the books even though it’s raining. I felt an immediate sense of identity of solidarity –that person could be me! And often when we take pictures we are actually taking pictures of ourselves –not selfie-style, but expressed through what appeals and reaches out to us. Keep reading folks, and support these schemes by leaving a book or two when you come across such places. Location: Heidelberg, Germany.

Through the Wardrobe

One of my favourite childhood books was The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and the whole series of Narnia tales. Being one of the first novels I ever read, it made a huge impression on me, and I still return to it quite regularly and find myself magically enchanted by the same sense of wonder and delight that first got me "hooked". Who of those who have read these books has not on some occasion opened their wardrobe and longed to find a different world behind the coats? And dreamed of being beckoned by a shining lamppost, oddly located in the middle of a wood? The lamppost in the book seemed so ordinary, yet also so bizarre –out of place, yet strangely seductive and comforting. The moment I saw this lamp while out walking in the Malvern Hills recently I cried "Narnia!", and it was only later I learned that it is indeed here C.S. Lewis got the idea for the lamppost in his books. These lampposts were set out decades ago as a source of illumination, to aid people taking their daily constitutional in dim light. They seem somehow out of place –like they should rather belong in a city street– and yet at the same time they seem perfectly in place! Such an anomaly is truly in the spirit of Narnia. Of course, the picture should have been taken in the dark and with snow on the ground, and ideally there should be a Mr. Tumnus lurking about in the trees, or perhaps a witch? Who knows; perhaps they are there in the shadows... Location: Malvern, England

Duelling Benches

Winter is coming to an end, even in Norway, and what little snow may have been left when this picture was taken a couple of weeks ago is now surely gone, for spring is in the air and the park will soon be teeming with life and filled with colour. My crazy imagination saw these benches as some street furniture kind of ”Jets” and ”Sharks” having a ”stand off” (or perhaps that should be a bench off?) to determine who’s going to be top bench in the park this summer. I liked the colours and the space between the benches, and the symmetry they form –a symmetry of different styles, and with the lamppost as a form of referee Perhaps the two types of bench attract different types of ”sitters”? I must make sure to check once the weather brings out the crowds. Location: Oslo, Norway

The Lane

Lanes are always somehow quite fascinating things, above the level of being a means of getting from A to B. They are places for thought, pondering, conversation (if one has company) and have a much closer, comforting environment than a mere pavement. A lane may take you somewhere, or away from somewhere on more than a physical level. This is a lane I used a lot in my childhood, and visiting it again recently for the first time in ages I was delighted to see that it hadn’t changed one bit. The trees are no doubt bigger, but they didn’t seem to be, because when I last saw them I too was smaller. The flint wall is typical of East Anglia, and I was struck by the way the afternoon light reflected on its uneven surface. Indeed, it was the light that made me want to capture this image. There had been heavy, heavy rain earlier, but the clouds were swept away by a strong Norfolk wind, and the air had a freshness that was uplifting and resolute. I made the tree the centre of the picture rather than the more traditional approach of shooting down the centre of the lane; this allowed me to capture the slight bend in the distance, which is at once both optimistic and renewing. Location: East Dereham, England

Bench in Greece

This is another one I took last autumn while on the island of Samos. Just an ordinary row of benches down by the small harbour. But I liked the unusual colour, and found it quite a nice parallel to the water alongside. The lights in the water also make a nice contrast. Often these benches are used by romantic couples at this time, but here they are empty, waiting... Location: Samos, Greece

Happy Bin!

I pass this rubbish bin almost every day, because it’s just down the street from where I live, and it always makes me smile! I don’t know whether it was the result of some campaign to humanize the lowly bins of Oslo by putting eyes on some of them, or whether it was just someone having a bit of fun, but the gaping mouth of this creature is always hungry for trash, and it seems positively delighted! It proves that street furniture does not have to be boring, and I wish there were more things like this around us to brighten up our days a little –it doesn’t take much! Location: Oslo, Norway

Sunset On My Street

Norway is well known as "the land of the midnight sun", and long summer days that somehow never end but merely mellow into warm, golden evenings are certainly one of the country's greatest attractions; but it is not only in summer that the sun creates beautiful effects in the sky. These past few weeks have seen some fabulous winter sunsets –perhaps nature's consolation for not providing Oslo with as much snow as some people would like. I took this shot just as I was returning home one afternoon recently. It's the street I live in, so I know it very well –a perfectly ordinary, humdrum street– but I was struck by how it was transformed into something quite magical and magnificent as the sun came down. Location: Oslo, Norway

Irresistible Sign

I came across this sign in the window of a cliff-top café overlooking the English Channel at the end of a long, bracing walk on the South coast. There was something very compelling about its message and the nostalgic gentleness of its fading paint. I remember such cups from my childhood, and cakes -well; how can one ever say no to that! I fancy the sign had been here for a long time, which added to its charm. Above all I love its Englishness. And of course, I indulged! Location: Hastings, England

Le Chateau Frontenac at Night

Although quite mild as I write the start of this year has seen some very cold weather, with temperatures dipping far below most people's comfort level. Wrapping up in many layers to stay warm is called for as such times, but as I do so I comfort myself with the thought that the temperature does not quite come close to the coldest I have ever felt, and that was in Canada a couple of years ago. Visiting the fine city of Quebec in February was probably not the best idea, but that winter was particularly icy, casting a chilled veil over the entire city and made even colder by a cutting wind that turned one's blood to ice –or so it felt. On my first evening there I took my camera out to take some pictures, but taking my gloves off to operate it turned out to be a very bad idea so I gave up fairly quickly. But not before taking some shots of the fabulous Chateau Frontenac hotel that looms high in the old city. I took many more pictures the day after when it was a little milder –clearer and brighter photographs, but this one for me captures the winter moment perfectly. I headed inside here afterwards, to soak in the Chateau's warmth –as magnificent as the building itself. Hope you too stay warm, folks! Location: Quebec, Canada

Fire Hydrant

When I was a child and had just arrived in Norway from England, I used to go for walks of discovery close to where our we first stayed. As I was young and in a new country, everything was an adventure, and even the most mundane things took on an exotic hue simply because they looked different to what I had known before. Once I came across an old fire-hydrant that very oddly was placed in the middle of a lawn, almost as if had grown there like some metal toadstool. I remembered it as being colourful too, and rather handsomely designed. This was 35 years ago. A short while ago, being in the vicinity of where I had stayed then, sheer curiosity led me to follow the old path from my childhood to see if it was still there –and to my delight, it was! Very little had changed in the area; there were still the same old farm buildings and greenhouses, and the landscape was just as I remembered it. The paint on the fire-hydrant had perhaps faded a little, flaked off here and there, but it still seemed to grow out of the ground and be both out of place and perfectly placed. It’s surprisingly uplifting to re-discover such odd icons from one’s childhood; of course this time I had to photograph it. Location: Valler, Norway

Underpass 5.25pm

One day last year the band of my wristwatch broke suddenly. It could, I’m sure, be fixed and one day I shall get round to it, but since that day I have not worn a watch at all but relied on other means of learning the time. And it is amazing how accomodating the world is to the "watchless" among us! Everywhere I look now I seem to spot a clock of some kind, whereas before (when I had my own watch) I hardly gave them a second glance. We observe only what we need to so much of the time, or rather: when we need something we start to see it all around us, as if our brain is actively seeking it out. With photography it is the right or appealing motive that we seek. Here, I think it was the clock that initially attracted me, but I then became fascinated by the light and shadows and the reflections and lines I also was intrigued with the position of the clock –at the end of an underpass; a sort of goal for those walking towards it, or a last, quick reminder of the time for those entering from the opposite direction; perhaps an incentive to hurry up? I also found the urban orderliness pictured here rather pleasing. Location: Nuremberg, Germany

Empty Car-Park

Places that are empty hold a strange fascination for me. I would never dream of taking a photograph of a car-park when it is full, and I try to avoid them as much as possible because I really don't like cars much, but over Christmas while out walking in my old home town in Norfolk I found the emptiness here to be rather magical. It had rained the night before (if course it had, this is England, after all!) so there were lots of puddles about, and because the surface of the car-park wasn't entirely flat there was something interesting going on, the water and reflected light on the large open area creating an almost alien surface that was at odds with the mundanity of the perfectly ordinary car-park. I thought it interesting enough to photograph, rendering it black and white to add to the mysterious quality. Location: Norfolk, England

ShakesYear!

Today I have launched a new blog to chronicle a year-long project I have long wanted to do, but which seems especially apt this year; namely revisiting the comlete works of William Shakespeare and reading through each play chronologically. There's a link to this new blog on the sidebar here, and plenty more about the project in my first post there. That will be a more text-based blog, but with appropriate pictures too, and needing a good photograph to launch the new blog I chose this one –a fine bust of the bard, taken in the Shakespeare room of Birmingham Central Library –home of the magnificent Shakespeare collection. I took it a little from below because I wanted to capture more of the books in the glass case behind, and the angle reflects Shakespeare's position as someone to look up to while at the same time not being so lofty and grand as to lose eye-contact with! I've always wanted one of these busts myself, but they're strangely difficult to get hold of –at least compared to busts of other notables like Beethoven, Socrates or Darth Vador. They're also extremely heavy so there was no chance I was going to steal this one! I was quite pleased with the picture though, so that's something at least. Do check out the new blog if you're interested, and don't worry, I won't be neglecting this blog just because I have another one! Location: Birmingham, England

Goal for the Year

I'm kicking off the new year with a picture that expresses my wish for the new year. I was walking about in London one afternoon in a rather gloomy sort of mood, thinking about this and that with my eyes cast a little more down than usual, when I suddenly came across this –"A sign!" I said to myself, dramatically (being an actor) and I was immediately put in a better frame of mind. Sometimes it is the most mundane things that may be the most profound. A simple instruction painted on the street, but with the arrow and direction there is an emphasis that I find uplifting -there is forever a road before us stretching out, and on it bravely we fare! Have a great year, everybody. Location: London, England