I took one final check online of the forecast for the day. 'Mostly cloudy. A bit of sun may break through. A small chance of rain'. In good old British spring weather tradition, 'Anything could happen. Be prepared!'

But as I set up the light for the 10th headshot of the day, the clouds broke and the sun peaked through the trees, illuminating the back of her hair and I knew I had made the right call, deciding to set up for the headshot shoot outside.

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As I write this the new year is already eleven days old. After an incredible 2018, the busiest December ever, and a long well-earned break, I was faced with the challenge of trying to edit all the people, the headshots,the portraits, and candid moments down to sixty seconds of video. in the end I settled for one minute and nine seconds!

It’s been amazing year full of lots of opportunities and pictures that of course wouldn’t have been possible without you, so thanks to everyone who worked with me in 2018. And thanks to all for taking a peek at my year in pictures! I hope to work with you 2019, but if not whatever you do with the next twelve months, make it count, and have an amazing year!

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When the opportunity arose to work at Aeromart 2018 in Toulouse, of course I had to say yes. It was the chance to spend a few days in ‘the Pink City’ in December when the city is filled with Christmas markets and lights, ant the opportunity to practice the French and above all to photograph some of the world’s leading companies working in the space and aerospace industry. So here is a link with a small selection of images from the three days but to anyone who was a key speaker at Aeromart that I didn’t meet on the day, feel free to get in touch if you did want to see images from your talk.

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The Igbo people, an ethnic group native to Nigeria, believe that all things come from Chuku, also known as Chukwu, the supreme being, who brings the rains necessary for plants to grow and controls everything on Earth and the spiritual world. I realised as soon as I had left that I had forgotten to ask her what was of the meaning of the name she had chosen to call her pop-up restaurant in Morning Lane, Hackney. I was there to photograph Ifeyinwa Frederick, who was listed in The Forbes top 100 Women Founders in Europe as co-founder of Chukus, ‘London’s first and only restaurant serving Nigerian Tapas’, which she set up with her brother Emeka.

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‘….Yes that’s perfect! Just move the leg round a little, and bend the knee…..’

The leg was only fifteen inches long and detached from the rest of the body. It was a wooden leg. In the background was a workbench filled with various other body parts. A head on a post, two arms and the other leg. Marionettes reclined on a table to the right, and a small figurine sat to the left.  Several sets of wooden beady eyes peered at me. You could be forgiven for thinking I was in Geppetto’s workshop, but I  was actually in the office of North London Puppet Maker,  Catherine Thomas.

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One tripod, one full frame camera, one alarm clock set to 3am, two  tired, red, bleary eyes and 888,246 red flowers.

I wasn't quite so enthusiastic  about them at first.  The first I knew of them was early November,  on the daily cycle into the city. Weaving my way through the 'sea of tourists' that had descended on East London to glimpse the 'sea of poppies';  being shepherded and directed by policemen in HI Vis  jackets with megaphones. Hastily erected street barriers doing little to stop the flood of people spilling from the pavement. But then after a few mornings of battling my way through the crowds, I relented and thought maybe I should take a look for myself; and I'm glad I did. 

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This time last week I sat at my kitchen table editing pictures on my laptop, gazing through the window wondering if this incessant wind and rain would ever stop, and when it did, what would I do with the remains of my garden fence. I write this, one week later, gazing through the window of my 'media-distancia' train from Seville to Malaga, to sun and blue skies and rolling fields of orange trees punctuated by the occasional 'casa blanca', wondering how soon I can get back here again!

I landed at Malaga - Costa del Sol Airport a little disorientated after only 45 minutes sleep the night before, but knowing Malaga well , I took the ten minute train trip to Maria Zambrano, had my first fix of 'Churros con Chocolate' and jumped on the train to Seville. I arrived at my flat to be greeted by my host, Javier who was understanding to the fact that in my current state of fatigue my Spanish was far from fluent and my English equally as bad. So I dropped off my bag, heavy camera and lenses, before heading out to explore the local area, armed with my more mangeable, lightweight point and shoot. After a quick 'paseo' and a pit stop at the local 'Mercadona' to pick up some things, I went back to the flat to get a good night's sleep in preparation for an early start the next day.

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 With my prized 'point and shoot' in for repair, and no camera to pop in my pocket when I'm out and about on the streets of London, I really had no idea how I'd continue the blog! So I decided to dig through my archives, to see if I could find one picture that might offer some sort of inspiration.  

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I used love going to Brick Lane on a Sunday afternoon. The laid back bohemian vibe with a mixture of artists, writers and its traditional Bangladeshi Community.  Would I have the sweet potato curry or an Ethiopian Injera wrap, from one of the many stalls offering an array of world cuisines at the indoor market.  Browsing the oddities on sale at the makeshift market stalls set out on old bed sheets covering the pavement, wondering, would anyone ever buy, one size nine black leather gentleman's shoes, with the lace missing.  

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A new dawn. A new beginning. Who will take the mantle now. Who will fill those colossal shoes left behind by the man who started life as a shepherd but went on to lead a nation from oppression and racial segregation to democracy and unity.

 

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When I was young my mum took me on holiday to The Gambia.  We went on a day trip to James Island. I remember collecting beautiful coloured stones buried in the sand - slave beads - I knew what they were and I felt a connection, but I didn't really understand their true significance. Where are they now?  I don't know. But this Christmas I'd planned to go home and sort through old boxes stored in the loft,...I hope I can find them.....

 

Nelson Mandela 1918 - 2013

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I moved to London because after two years travelling my back pack was worn out and I had run out of money. Well not strictly true . I also  had an amazing job offer that I couldn't refuse, working as a photographer at the then Trident Communications based in East London.

The plan was to travel for a year,  'mata la curiosidad' - get it out of the system and come back and settle down. But one year became two and when I finally returned to England, I realised the plan hadn't worked! I still craved learning new languages, experiencing new cultures and meeting interesting people from all over the world. Read More

Last night was  of the most incredible and unique nights of dance, theatre and music I have experienced in eight years living in London. At the same time it was one of the most frustrating because for once my trusty Samsung Galaxy S3 wasn't up to the job, and I wished I'd taken my proper camera with me. No disrespect to my S3 as the lighting conditions were such that many a compact camera would have struggled. So it was a welcome relief when finally my phone battery 'gave up the ghost' and I was free to fully immerse myself in the rest of the show.

 

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Look at any recent picture of London City's skyline and there's one building that stands head and shoulders above the rest. While The Gherkin ( 30 St Mary Axe) is possibly the most recognized of London's tall buildings , The Shard is undoubtedly the tallest. Standing at 309 metres it is currently the 2nd tallest building in Europe( missing out by 30 metres to Moscow's Mercury City Tower).

Opinions are still divided on The Shard with Boris famously describing  it  as 'an intergalatic spear' , whilst Prince Charles called it 'an enormous salt cellar'.

Love it or loathe it you can't deny The Shard's domination on the London Landscape. With The Gherkin, The Cheese grater and the Cucumber Tower to come,how many more vegetables or kitchen utensils  will it take before London has a new tallest building.  Who knows? The sky's the limit.

 

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I missed the best light on my morning cycle today ,after meeting a young friendly web developer from Pakistan on Westminster Bridge. He was walking home from Elephant and Castle to Basildon!!! after trying his first ever alcoholic drink and 'some sort of tablet ' he'd been given  at the Ministry of Sound, nightclub in London. He didn't seem worried that it was a 25 mile walk as it '....truely is the most wonderful of mornings in this beautiful city.'

Pavel , good luck! I hope you make it home!!!

DISCLAIMER - This actually happened on 28th September and not in the early hours of November 1st( if it had, I fear poor Pavel may have ended up with a touch of hypothermia on that long walk home!).

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As a photographer there are no excuses for not getting the shot ( and not getting it sharp!). .But here's my excuse anyway . The combined weight of me, knees planted on the tarmac and my Galaxy S3 in hand, were no match  against the force 5 gales this morning!!!

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