Author Archive

‘To see a world in a grain of sand and a heaven in a wild flower’ William Blake (1757-1827)

In an earlier post – Urban Safari – I wrote about my trials and tribulations photographing wildlife in Zambia. Now that my embarrassment has faded, I’m ready to talk about it again. Starting with the wildlife itself, you can expect to have a marvellous time in Zambia. Its national parks are relatively

When I say ‘London’, what do you think of? Congestion? Famous landmarks? Galleries and museums? You might say ‘I love its green spaces’, but I doubt it. I worked in central London for more than twenty years, which probably explains my love-hate relationship with the place. When I had enough time, I

‘To achieve his best work, the young photographer must discover what really excites him visually. He must discover his own world.’ Bill Brandt (1904-1983) ‘What shall I photograph?’ Young male photographers aren’t the only ones asking that question. Nor should they stop, even when their hair turns grey, as mine has done.

Born in New York in 1926, Vivian Maier worked as a nanny and took photographs in her spare time. As far as the public is concerned, the story nearly ended there, because she didn’t share her passion with others. Towards the end of her life, her archive of more than 100,000 negatives

‘We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.’ Anais Nin (1903-77)

This year the rainy season was late in Zambia. But once it started, the rain came with a vengeance. Where we live in Lusaka, the area between the blocks of flats is for car parking. Drainage is poor and the ground has been compacted by the weight of cars. Not surprisingly, the

On 15 February 2003 I joined the Peace March in London, protesting against war in Iraq. The number marching that day has never been agreed. Organisers said 3 million, the police estimated 750,000. Undoubtedly though, the London march was part of the biggest group protest ever held. It didn’t stop the war,

During my Town Dogs project I often went to Bookmongers, the secondhand bookshop in Brixton, south London. Rosa would usually be there, greeting customers and enjoying their attention. And I would always leave with too many books. Over the months I took many pictures of Rosa and this is one of my

‘If at first you don’t succeed – failure may be your thing.’ Attributed to George Burns (1896-1996) As a comedian, George Burns often had his tongue firmly in his cheek – never more so than here. Fortunately, I ignored his advice when a friend challenged me to take a photograph of ‘wetness’.