Extreme Landscape Photographer or Quasmiodo
I am not sure I would ever be bold enough to call myself an extreme landscape photographer. To me this is someone who abseils down a cliff at twilight with a tripod gripped between his teeth or skies a lethal couloir in the middle of avalanche season to get a mystical action shot. And for those of you who know me well I think there the chance of me doing that type of extreme landscape at my age and level of fitness is as about as remote as Quasimodo getting a love bite!
Join a workshop and help a charity
Workshop opportunities with Gavin Gough, Matt Brandon, Karl Grobl and Marco Ryan that will help fund projects with NGOs
3rd prize in Polaris International Photo Contest
3rd Prize in the international Photo Contest sponsored by Nikon was won by Marco Ryan with 2 other entries by Marco being highly commended
Cosmopolitan Cairo and Boutique Hotels
I am fortunate in that my New Year has begun with a bang. On the 1st of January a feature article on Cosmopolitan Cairo for SilverKris –the in-flight magazine of Singapore Airlines – was published with 5 pages of my images used to illustrate the story.
England vs India cricket match at Fatehpuri Masjid Delhi
Located at the western end of the oldest street of Delhi, Chandni Chowk, Fatehpuri Masjid was built in 1650 by Fatehpuri Begum, one of Shah Jahan’s wives. The mosque is built with red sandstone on a large scale and is surmounted by a single dome.
Huge Pans and Panning in Chandni Chowk Delhi
The long, wide Chandni Chowk street which is flanked by narrow alley ways, small markets and stalls selling everything from books to saris, is perhaps one of Old Delhi more famous attractions.
Flanked at one end by the majestic Red Fort, who size and unusual red stone make it an imposing destination in its own right and at the other by the less substantial but equally bewitching Fatehpuri Masjid – an old Mosque and Madrassa – it is a location rich in cultural diversity, opportunity and local colour.
Why you need a pullover to visit Humayums tomb
The first of those was Humayum’s tomb, which I chose to visit at dawn, to catch the tranquility and the golden light and watch the sunrise over this beautiful mausoleum and park.
The early bird catches the early fish at Manachai Thailand
The early bird catches the worm or in this case, the fish. Despite my body pleading for me to turn over and to carrying on sleeping, I got up at 4am this morning and headed out the 60km South west of Bangkok to the small Fishing Port of Mahachai and then onto the Mae Kong [...]
Cambodia – postcards from Phnom Penh
It’s clearly time to go home! My final day in Phnom Penh and my camera has given up the ghost. I struggled yesterday whilst shooting the sombre Killing Fields and S-21 Genocide museum (read the post and watch the multimedia slide show) as my trusty Canon 5dMk2 became less trusty and began to play up. [...]
The Genocide and Tyranny of Cambodia’s Pol Pot
As a former Soldier and someone who has witnessed what man’s inhumanity to man can do – and which indirectly led me to found Focus for Humanity - I wanted to experience the museum and memorial, partly out of respect but partly to draw my own memories of those 1970s news reports and my misconceptions of this otherwise charming country to a close.
Back to School in Cambodia
About 45 minutes outside Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, lies Koh Dak or “Silk Island” – a dedicated community of Khmers who hand weave the silk and other materials that are so popular within (and outside) Cambodia.
Suburban Shanghai’s other face
I wanted to escape the Shanghai that everyone sees; I wanted to explore the every day Shanghai of the 20 million inhabitants that provide the “fuel” for this great engine of Chinese growth. This is the Shanghai of those who have been relocated to make way for the new city; the Shanghai of those who get around on electric scooters or the Shanghai of the pensioners content to play majhong or sit all day in the street and chat.
Low light and landlag – a winning formula
One of the few advantages of jet lag – or in my case as a cheeky friend pointed out given my mad travel schedule this should be renamed land lag – is that you are often up before the birds, which does provide you with the opportunity to take advantage of that magical time around [...]
Digesting the view
Sitting in the Pan Pacific hotel last night In Singapore with a friend from work, putting the world to right between sips of a cheeky little “digestivo”, there was a constant woosh above us as the space age lifts navigated their way up and down the 40 odd floors of the hotel. Tilting my head [...]
Piering into a different world metaphorically
It seems that piers are in fashion. At least one particular pier in Koh Samed seems to have had it’s fair share of attention from Messrs duChemin and Chapman in recent weeks. Looking at their wonderful images that both exude tranquility and transport you in an instant to a world of hammocks, Pad Thai and [...]
Filtering the fun in Chicago
I am back in Chicago. It feels a different city since I was last here with Sabrina Henry, Mark Olwick, Sue Ables and Start Sipahigil, despite barely a fortnight having passed. Their companionship, sense of fun and shared passion for photography made the last visit so memorable. It s funny how emotions effect how you [...]
When lack of vision results in putting lipstick on a pig
I have learned – the hard way – that imitation is the anti-christ of inspiration. I was truly inspired this weekend by both Cartier Bresson and by the way in which my new friends explored their vision of Chicago right through to their choices in final post-processing. Feeling inspired, I set myself a number of exercises and books to read to anchor that new insight. This post is the final exercise that I set myself in Chicago and its purpose was to explore how imitating someone else can undermine and cheat you of your own vision. Whilst I am not able to show you ant images that were copied when we shot, I can show you how some of my images are altered if I imitate one of the other’s style.
A different perspective on Chicago’s architecture
I’ve got to be honest. Architecture is not really my thing. I appreciate innovative design certainly, I even recognize the clever mix of engineering and innovation that create architects can combine in a building and the impact that can have on a skyline – like a giant piece of art – and nowhere is that more evident than in Chicago. But a 90 minute floating lecture through the Chicago heartland in the heat of the day sat next to a deafening loud speaker is not usually how I would choose to spend my Sunday.
Inspiration by Cartier Bresson – Perspiration by Marco Ryan
I have just been to see the Henri Cartier Bresson exhibition at the Arts Institute of Chicago with Sabrina Henry, Stuart Sipahigil, Mark Olwick and Sue Ables (plus the enchanting JoEllen Sipahigil and the delightful Pat Ables). To be honest it was a treat just to meet up and spend time with 4 photographers whose [...]
Are you in denial? Is Cairo just a pretension?
Thankfully my day job is not as a comedian. Sorry! The “de-Nile” joke is pretty over used isn’t it, but its late and I needed something for the title. I bet Google would have preferred something different too! Last week, I announced the launch of the Cairo Photo Tours, part of a new and active [...]
I took that image – inspiration or plagiarism?
One of the challenges that I guess many of us face on a photo workshop is finding the unique angle or shot that allows our own style or approach to be translated into a compelling image, especially when 8 other of your new found photo friends are standing next to you trying to create the [...]
Jodphur, Burano and a Nubian Village – how color overcomes the desert sands of Egypt
One of the facts about Egypt that is hard to ignore is that the sand gets everywhere. And I mean everywhere. Heaven help you if you leave a window open, or a door ajar. It is that incredibly fine sand that seems to be able to permeate every nook and cranny, but also leaves a calling card of fine yellow dusting across everything it touches.
If you can imagine the world covered in sandpaper – slightly abrasive but ensuring that everything else is beautifully smooth -then this is close to what it is like living in Egypt! In fact, on second thoughts, it makes me wonder why Egypt’s main export is cotton and not sandpaper!
Heat, luxury and a land of opportunity – How Egypt offers great workshop potential
At 50c, a Canon 5d Mk2 becomes too hot to handle! Literally and figuratively. The L series lens with their metal fittings burn the hands and the camera body itself is uncomfortably hot. Sweat gets into the eyes and onto the palms making it difficult to see the settings or make any adjustments.
But, despite this, we are striking a rich seem of cultural images.
The clash of culture and tourism in Upper Egypt
The scene is almost biblical. The earthen streets, the half naked child peering out of the mud brick house or the old man resting on a simple wooden bed against a bright blue wall. Right up to the point where the child runs out and says “Hello. One dollar. Baksheesk”. Not even the usual “Welcome [...]
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