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The Olympic Stadium, Stratford


I’ve been to the Olympic Park a couple of times recently, photographing some the grounds and landscaping set out by Nigel Dunnett. After one of these visits, I was allowed to stroll through the stadium itself. I just wonder if the red notice is a warning to Mr Rooney! It was interesting to see though. The football pitch seemed dwarfed by the bank of seats, and without the track in place, looked no bigger than a tennis court!

Eradicating ecocide mock trial


The concept of ecocide, or crimes against the planet,  has been brought into the consciousness of many people by the barrister and author, Polly Higgins. She has been campaigning for several years, negotiating with the UN, and governments around the world, asking for ecocide  to be adopted as the 5th crime against peace. Her book, ‘Eradicating Ecocide‘, highlights the problems and why it is necessary for large corporations be environmentally responsible and accountable for their actions. On Friday a mock trial was held at the Supreme Court in London, where the proposed new law was tested. Two company CEO’s (played by […]

Conil to Cape Trafalgar


The coastline between Conil de la Frontera and Cape Trafalgar, Spain, is something I am quite familiar with. The lighthouse at the Cape is visible from the house we stay at in at Fuente Del Gallo, and beyond that, on a clear day, you can see Morocco. Swinging round to the right, looking out to sea, is where the Battle of Trafalgar took place. 200 years ago, the top of the cliffs may have given a grandstand view to any spectator. I have planned the walk to the lighthouse many times, but it was only recently that I tried to […]

The holiday snap


I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been asked by people to take snaps of them in front of  important landmarks. A camera is thrust in my direction, usually a very small compact, with an impossibly slow shutter release, which makes me look as if I’ve never touched a camera in my life.  I fumble and eventually get an image, often after some quick tuition by the owner, showing me how the camera works. My recent holiday was no exception. Though this time, I kept a record with my camera too. This happy group ran up  saying, “Foto, […]

Giverny


A few weeks ago I had the chance to visit Monet’s garden at Giverny. Despite being grey and drizzly most of the time, it was still beautiful. Here are a few out-takes. The bit Monet missed – the tunnel that leads to the bridge. Some water lillies – the shop was doing brisk business with umbrellas. I stayed at a B&B called La Maison Bleue, run by a lovely lady called Françoise. Apparently Claude Monet bought the house and created an extensive vegetable garden there. He also rented it out to his friend, the impressionist artist Guy Rose, who painted many […]

Somme Valley


After  photographing the Fromelles WW1 cemetery for a job last June, I had an all too brief visit to the Somme Valley region. This was quite rushed, and I was keen to revisit the area to spend more time at significant sites. The opportunity arose a couple of weeks ago, after a trip to Monet’s garden at Giverny. There’s not a great deal I can add to the history, but here is a gallery of some of the photographs I took. A fairly small memorial commemorates the fighting that took place here at Mouquet Farm, where in all, around 7000 […]

RPS photography course at Mill Dene Gardens


After the success of the flower photography course Jason Ingram and I ran last May with the Royal Photographic Society, the follow up was held last weekend. This time it was for two days,  with detailed assessments and plenty of time for practical experience in the beautiful gardens at Mill Dene, in the Cotswolds. Again we had a full house with 10 students who all appeared to enjoy themselves, despite the fact that at 6am the expected beautiful morning light was, in fact, rain! Plan B came into play and a daylight studio session was held instead. Our next planned course will […]