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An early morning drive down to Sussex left me with some spare time before a rehearsal so I took a stroll along the quayside at Bosham. I’ve rarely seen the tide so high and the road along the foreshore was completely flooded.
Photos taken 8 March 2024
For our final day in Malta we headed for the southern end of the island and the village of Marsaxlokk. This harbourside village is known for its colourful fishing boats. Down by the water we found some geese resting among the boats and they seemed only too happy to pose for me.
The fishing boats have the eyes of Osiris painted on the front as an amulet to keep the fishermen safe while at sea.
Marsaxlokk was another great hunting ground for interesting doors and architectural details…
More colourful fishing boats…
Photos taken 23 November 2023
The first day of our Scottish holiday began with a low tide on the estuary outside our window - the perfect opportunity to go and explore Cramond Island. This small uninhabited island sits at the mouth of the River Almond, just north of Edinburgh, and it’s accessible on foot at low tide.
The causeway is lined with dramatic concrete structures, built as an anti-boat defence during World War II. I think they look like dragon’s teeth, the only visible part of an animal snoozing beneath the estuary sands. Today the island is mostly given up to nature (although there’s a small cottage hidden in the central among the trees) but a guard station remains on the hill top at the end of the causeway.
Views from the causeway…
A heron hunting among the sea defences.
Looking back towards the mainland from the derelict guard’s station.
With the tide about to turn we headed back to the mainland and set about exploring a little more of Cramond village.
The church and graveyard looked lovely in the sunshine, although sadly the church was firmly locked.
Strolling along by the River Almond.
These two ducks were regular visitors to the promenade outside our flat - we’d see them sitting on the wall most days during our holiday.
Photos taken 25 April 2023.
My final day in Edinburgh was a sunny one so I made the most of this and went for a stroll by the Water of Leith - the river which runs just north of the city centre. The crisp shadows and strong contrast just demanded a monochrome approach.
St Bernard’s Well
For most of my stroll the walkway was well above the river, but I did find one spot where I could sneak down onto the riverbank.
Playing with longer exposure times to capture the movement of the water as it rushed by.
Further west I found Dean Village, where the buildings tower above the river.
After lunch I wandered back into the centre of the city and spent some time exploring the graveyard at St Cuthbert’s Church, just beneath the castle, which looms on the Edinburgh skyline.
Click on any image to see it enlarged.
Photos taken 3 April 2023
Every January the Canary Wharf area of London’s Docklands puts on a light show, with illuminated installations dotted among the buildings. I’ve never been able to go before, but as Peter and I were in London to visit St. Paul’s Cathedral last Monday we decided we’d stay on to see the lights.
We started off at the new Elizabeth Line station at Canary Wharf where the access tunnel was covered in an ever-shifting display of colours.
One of the installations was a tunnel full of fine fibre optic cables hanging down from the roof. I used their movement in the breeze to create an abstract image with some intentional camera movement.
Striking a pose in a crimson tunnel
Photos taken 23 January 2023
Hot on the heels of my pinhole photos from our Northern Ireland holiday, I’m back with my digital images. I travelled light for this trip, taking just my little Fuji X100V, which has a fixed 23mm lens. Some people might find this limiting but I’ve known for a long while that I ‘see’ best with a prime lens - it just makes me work harder to seek out compositions.
My photographic explorations began before we’d even left England, taking a few photos from my seat on our aeroplane, including a view of Hatfield Forest as we took to the skies.
Our first view of Northern Ireland - so green!
When we arrived we went for a jaunt around Castlerock, the village where we were staying and after a rainy start the sun came out!
The next morning we explored Portstewart, where we found some great street art, including a small painting which may or not be a Banksy…
A duo of digital images from the Mussenden Temple to complement the pinhole photos I took there. It’s amazing to think that once upon a time you could drive a horse and carriage right round this building!
Looking across the harbour at Port Rush
My main photographic focus at the Giant’s Causeway was my pinhole images, but I did take a few digital photos on our walk from the visitors’ centre.
Towards the end of our holiday we visited Derry City but chose to take the train rather than driving. The views across the river estuary were glorious so I took some minimalist photos of the landscape as it whizzed past the train window.
One of Derry’s most striking landmarks is the Peace Bridge, crossing the River Foyle which runs through the centre of the city. I love its curvaceous lines - so photogenic.
The Peace Bridge, crossing the River Foyle in Derry
While the lines of the Peace Bridge seemed to call for a monochrome treatment the rest of Derry was too vivid for me to remove the colour!
On our last day we took a diversion to the Titanic museum in Belfast. Such a wonderful structure and it was astonishing to see SS Nomadic, a tender which ferried some of the passengers to the Titanic when it moored just outside Cherbourg Harbour.
Photos taken in June 2022
