Old quay

Here's a nice place to wait for a ferry, even if it takes an hour or two to arrive. There's a bench (orf sorts) to sit on, the scent of overhanging trees and dazzling blue water to behold. The building on the other side is an old Venetian fort, but this side has an even older historical footprint –a whole ancient city going back to long before Roman times. It is likely that in times past its inhabitants would have waited to cross the water here too. I like the sense of tranquility and also the expectation that a quay always holds. It suggests both departure and arrival, depending on your direction, and I liked th way it was framed by the trees. A peaceful picture of a peaceful moment in time.

Location: Butrint, Albania

Reflections in Puddles

I have found that one of the most exciting and interesting times totake pictures is after it has rained. Water on stone surfaces reflects light in fascinating ways, often creating patterns and colours that are not seen when it is dry. And I am particularly attracted to puddles or pools of rainwater because they can suddenly become exciting paintings, framed by their own circumference, reflecting wild sunsets or humdrum buildings and forcing you to look at the world from a slightly different angle. Here puddles in a car-park reflect the facade of nearby buildings but seem almost to create new little worlds of their own, like portals into the deep.

Location: Oslo, Norway

Board Among the Rocks

Though I intensely disapprove of littering and irresponsible discarding of rubbish, some objects of waste can be surprsingly captivating -such as this unwanted piece of wooden boarding lodged among rocks on a Greek shore. Perhaps it washed up from the sea, who knows, but there must be a story behind it –the broken board with its flaking paint, at least three colours, gives the effect of a map or a piece of modern art, and somehow blends in with the naturally created patterns and colours of the rocks and the swirling water. It is an example of how the seemingly mundane can appear dramatic; how everyday objects can take on a strange beauty.

Location: Samos, Greece

Blue Reflection

I like buildings that are not afraid to be bold with colour. Just because the material is conventional and the form functional, there is no need for greyness –which is sadly the default "colour" of so many modern structures. This particular building is a sports hall, and its setting by a large pond gives its colour the opportunity to reflect marvellously in the water, creating an exciting, vibrant, even slightly unreal look to what could so easily be a humdrum setting. The blue of the building and sky is nicely complimented by the green grass and water plants, and only a tiny splash of red (the sign) breaks the two-colour scheme. Just coming across something like this made me feel good; for all I know, that was its function. It certainly makes for a rather nice photograph, which is why I'm posting it here!

Location: Oslo, Norway

Summer Sky Ices

It's hot all over Europe at the moment and ice-cream vans like this are doing brisk business on promenades and beaches and in parks across the continent. Though taken at the seaside, this picture is from a colder season –a sharp winter's day on the coast of England. I found it somehow cheering to see the ice-cream van, even though it was parked and empty, resting before its big period of activity later in the year. the name of the van is optimistic –skies in England can be many things, even in the summer. Yet here, the clouds were rather beautiful, and though the day was chilly and the air sharp, it was an uplifting experience to be at the seaside.

Location: Lowestoft, England

Tower Bridge

This is probably not only the most photographed bridge in the world, but one of the most photographed man-made motives of any kind, and no prizes for guessing that we are in London. For some reason, many people insist on calling this London Bridge –for few things symbolise London more (well.. Big ben, The London Eye, Nelson's Column...). BUT, of course this label is wrong; for this is TOWER Bridge –named for its proximity to the Tower of London and for its two distinctive towers. It's one of the most distinctive bridges anywhere and it was a true delight to fulfil recently a little dream I've had of walking across it. But it's perhaps best seen from a distance from the one of the riverbanks, and if you're very lucky you might see it with the two halves of the bridge's road raised. Here, however, I have captured the bridge –as I try to do with all London bridges– with a bright red double-decker smack in the middle! On a purely technical level I realize I should have captured more of the sky above the bridge to make this picture more balanced, but sadly I was too awe-struck by the sight of the bridge itself that all my composition knowledge went for a burton. Sorry!

Location: London, England

Sunset on the Beach

The sun sets on the pebbled beach where fishing boats and fishing nets linger in the golden light. I especially like the way the late sunlight here transforms the net from a a mere untidy mass of tangled line into an object of some beauty and, perhaps, mystery. It becomes almost like some weird sea creature that has been washed up. I also like the way the jetty breaks the background sea and sky, and most of all I like the warm atmosphere –a moment captured before the sun dips for beneath the waves and darkness falls.

Location: Hastings, England

Southbank

Big Ben is currently surrounded by scaffolding and undergoing necessary repairs, but this picture is from before the time when this work started and thus the palace of Westminster is uncluttered and Big Ben itself magnificent and proud in the early evening. We're on London's Southbank looking across the Thames. I've always adored the ornate lampposts that line the embankment on each side of the river. Here they have not yet been lit and are in the shade of the overhanging bridge so the decorative dolphins that enwrap each post cannot be seen but they are as much a part of London's landscape as Big Ben itself. I just liked this picture because it captured for me a moment and a mood and so much of what makes me love London.

Location: London, England

Quayside

Ice, though frequently treacherous to navigate or cross, often creates interesting textures to photograph, capturing and reflecting light in a more fractured way than still water of puddles, which The ice seen here probably started as. Here I was struck by the vertical and horizontal lines of the gates and fencing. The ship in the background suggests an invitation to get away, and the clear sky gives a promise of plain sailing. I like the stark ordinariness of the picture, taken late-afternoon on a winter's day.

Location: Oslo, Norway

Quayside Sunset

The long, long hot summer seems to be drawing to a close, and though there are no doubt many warm days and evenings still ahead before autumn and winter sets in, the harsh and scorching heat of a couple of weeks ago have mostly abated. For many, the cooler days are very welcome, as is the rain that has started to pour over Oslo more regularly again –like in a "normal" summer. But no one can take away the beauty and mellow peacefulness of late-summer evenings and the sun dipping down beyond the fjord. This is one of my favourite places in Oslo to go for walks and bike rides –along the long quayside that sticks out into the bay and then circles around the castle on the other side, creating one continuous path. Here, a cruise ship is just about to depart in the distance having spent the day in Oslo. Usually along here you'll find dozens of people with fishing rods; some of them may be obscured by the shadows. Otherwise, it's usually a peaceful place -close to the city yet away from its noise and bustle. I took this picture as a snapshot while out biking, so though it's not perfect, I felt it captured very much the mood of a moment; a summer evening moment!

Location: Oslo, Norway

Summer

This summer seems to go on and on like those summers of childhood that stretched into infinity. The heat has taken its toll, but as I write there is finally a little rain –which is more than refreshing. In the countryside much of what is usually green at this time of the year is pale and yellow, the vegetation dried out by weeks of sun. However, in the lakes and ponds that are dotted around in the forests surrounding Oslo, there is verdant life. These water plants seem impossibly green, almost as if they have been artificially fabricated. Against the dark blue of the water they form an attractive pattern and may be welcome rafts for insects in need of a rest. The water is probably delightful to bathe in, though on this occasion I was happy just to photograph.

Location: Oslo, Norway

Boats For Hire

The harsh sun has dipped towards the sea but sends its last rays of warm gold across the water to reflect against the equally gold hulls of these boats, berthed close to a beach on the northern coast of Corfu. Fishing boats are berthed behind them, and out on the water a single little ferry is heading out into the sunset. These boats would have been busy taking tourists along the coastline earlier in the day but now they can rest gently until tomorrow. I like the calm of the picture; though there is a lack of people there is no sense of isolation. Also the picture has a nice temperature about it; the lingering warmth of a hot day giving way to a milder but sweetly tempting Greek evening...

Location: Corfu, Greece

The Day Off

A picture that smacks of relaxation, independence and the joy of free time. I like the neatness of the photograph, Without the white beach hut in the foreground I think the image of the relaxing man would be isolated, but here it has a comforting presence. I also like how he is placed between the two buoys out in the sea. The motive may make us smile a little but it is the the composition that really makes the picture, I feel.

Location: Deal, England

Footbridge in Nuremberg

I was watching a documentary last night about the last months of the Second World War. It partly dwelt on the city of Nuremberg which with its long Nazi past was particularly targeted and damaged as the conflict intensified. In fact, much of it was totally destroyed, flattened. Yet like numerous other cities that suffered a similar fate, it sprang up from the ashes to be reborn and to reclaim its historical heritage. When I visited the city a few years ago I was struck by how successful the reconstruction had been, and how little of the destruction and effects of war was visible. The city was not "modernised" or changed to suit new styles, but went back to its roots, recreating what was there before, without this seeming to be forced. A fine city to explore, especially on a warm summer day. Here we are by the river, looking at a quaint covered footbridge that seems to have been there for generations but is obviously -in its present regeneration– much newer than it looks. The vibrant colours of the trees and roofs and blue sky reflected in the water and the novelty of the bridge itself make this at least a mildly interesting picture; one to soak up and enjoy on an otherwise grey day in March when looking back (or forward) to hotter days is a tempting and rewarding pastime.

Location: Nuremberg, Germany

Mountain Water

Norwegian has a word that describes a body of water that can be somewhere between a lake and a pond, but either of these too! Confusingly, the word is the same as the word for water itself: vann. The English equivalent in this mountain setting would probably be a tarn, but I have always found that word rather bland and nondescript, and somehow "water" works for me –probably because I have been in Norway for so long. This particular "water" in the mountainous countryside of mid Norway is apt to grow in size –being at its largest in spring after the winter snows have melted, and –if the summer is a hot and dry one– retreating to a marshy puddle later in the year. But here it sparkles in the afternoon sun of an early July. Calm, tranquil, somehow inviting and yet also perhaps a little mysterious (in a pleasant way). I've rendered the picture in sepia to accentuate this, but also because I find the cloud formations quite agreeable this way. Beyond the "water" and trees can be seen the ridges of three separate ranges of mountains, some still with snow on them. There is no one about, and were the picture to have an accompanying soundtrack, the only sounds that would be heard would be the slight rustling of the wind in the trees and the occasional distant buzz of some insect out on a spree. I find the picture very calming.

Location: Valdres, Norway

Benches at Sunset

A fairly hazy but pleasant autumn day on the south coast of England with the sun going down and bathing the beach and surroundings in a gentle, pale luminosity heightened by the haze. The sunset has been more spectacular and vivid earlier, but noe people are heading home as the air is turning chilly. These benches would have been occupied earlier by people looking out to sea, taking in the salty air, calmly contemplating... Now the benches themselves get to contemplate. I was intrigued by the way the light hit the slats, lifting the ordinariness of the benches to something special and perhaps a little bit magical (helped by the haze). They invite, yet one almost dares not disturb. There's also a nice line into the distance with the slats and the railings contrasting with the lines out into the sea of the breakers and pier.

Location: Hastings, England

Lambeth Bridge

One of my casual ongoing projects is to photograph all 33 bridges that cross the River Thames in Greater London. I'm around halfway there now, and you may have some of the earlier posts featuring those bridges I have so far covered. Here's a new one –the often forgotten Lambeth Bridge, so often overlooked by its more illustrious neighbour a little further down the river (Westminster Bridge. But Lambeth Bridge is as equally an essential crossing and has charms of its own, not least the views of the Palace of Westminster from the other side, and a good deal fewer tourists. It's also a good place to cross over to explore the quieter end of the South Bank, excellent for a good walk either along the riverside or down into Lambeth itself. Interestingly, the red colour on the bridge is meant to refer to the colour of the seats in the House of Lords, which is closest to the bridge, whereas the more green Westminster Bridge refers to the colour of seats in the House of Commons, which is closest to that bridge! Though there's been a bridge here since 1862 (and before that a ferry crossing at this point), the present structure opened in 1932. It has some nice features, like the lamps seen here, and the bridge has now been listed and therefore protected. As is my usual whim, I have photographed the bridge with a red double decker halfway across –for few things symbolise London to me more.

Location: London, England

Boats and Ducks

Here is a little group of boats on a calm blue lake in Germany. It is a hot summer's day with a light, pleasant breeze and one would think that all these boats would be occupied and out on the water, but here they remain waiting, guarded by a pair of ducks. I liked the way the two boats at the front mirrored each other, their bows almost kissing, and the little splashes of red and yellow add a little vibrancy to all the blue, which I find quite appealing. A nice "summery" picture in other words, with no pretension of being anything else, but yet I am a little intrigued as to why there should be a barbecue out on the quay... Location: Nuremberg, Germany

Seaside View

This photograph was not taken at the height of summer - if it were I think you would see quite a different scene and lots more life here, for this is a busy seaside town that thrives on its summer visitors and then goes into a sort of hibernation off-season –which is a time I have always found particularly alluring, especially at seaside resorts. I don't know why this is, perhaps it has something to do with the emptiness and the grandeur of the sea and sky and vast, empty beaches. Things that are closed up have an interest of their own, I find, and I love photographing places like this out of season. Here, the long line of beach huts (that peculiarly English tradition) stretches into the distance, but none of the brightly painted doors are open. One or two people are out walking but otherwise all is calm and sedate. Yet it is easy to imagine the chatter of excited bathers, squabbling children with buckets and spades, families set out to enjoy at day at the beach and a dip in the sea. The clouds are a little moody but not at all malignant, and there is a stretch of low, late-afternoon sunshine giving a promise of hot summers to come... Location: Lowestoft, England

Beside the Sea

This is one of a series of photographs I took when I visited Deal in Kent last September, another stop on my quest to photograph 100 coastal towns around Great Britain. I had not visited it for many years, but it is where the English side of my family comes from and I spent quite a lot of time there as a child. In front us is the English Channel, and to the left can be seen the end of the pier. But it is the simple imperfect beauty of the telephone box along with the ornate streetlights that form the real subject of the picture. There is something odd about the telephone box's location, and of course its stance, but its iconic bright red form is somehow reassuring and optimistic, and the continuation of the red with the flowerbed backed by the white wall and above that the blue water forms a gentle manifestation of the French flag (on its side) –which is appropriate because France itself is right there on the horizon. I like the clean simplicity and becalming quality of the whole image. No cars, no people, blue sky. Location, Deal, England