Ze Zeitgeist in London

Last week I had a pleasant little assignment: portray the sympatico owner of the German gastro-pub Zeitgeist at The Jolly Gardeners in London. Whilst in the middle of refurbishing the kitchen, a friendly Juergen Maennel opened the door and promptly offered me a beer at 11 in the morning. Phew.

Though we were both a bit pressed for time, a pleasant conversation ensued and we got on with taking the pictures - a travel section opener for a major German newspaper was what we were after. When I asked how and why he founded this place, former broker Juergen says that he simply swapped sides at the bar...enough said.

And what a bar it is - majestic German taps, a beer list that would put most pubs to shame and a generous menu featuring Schnitzel, Sausages, Burgers, German 'classics' and some sandwiches (we're in England, after all) suggest that he's got the concept right. The place is unique, but rounded enough so that there's something for everybody.

After the shoot, I was treated to a delicious Cappuchino and a salmon sandwich garnished with edible flowers...I'll be back there for sure!

Playing with fire

Don't worry: I don't have pyromaniac tendencies of any kind, but there is something fascinating about gas flames. Actually, I've been thinking of shooting this for a few years now, just never got 'round to it and putting it off for the same reasons as many other things, photographic and otherwise: not urgent, can do whenever, it's easy, etc etc. I'm sure this sounds familiar.

Well, a small commercial job finally gave me the right impulse to shoot in my own kitchen. Hey, a pleasant side-effect was that I had to clean and polish my kitchen hob - not something I've been looking forward to, I must admit.

Anyway, as the sun set and it got dark, the blue flames came to light. Perhaps I got carried away a little, but it was enjoyable - and I like the results:

Stylish Switzerland

Apart from being ridiculously expensive, uber-correct, efficient and polite, Swiss cities Bern and Zurich are also exceedingly stylish. We're not talking about hyper-modern, designer-only type of stylish, but rather an interesting, subtle blend of old architecture, retro-colours and the odd monument of world-class design by notables such as Le Corbusier. 


Also, the people meandering on the promenade of Lake Zurich or in Bern city centre appear to be straight out of a fashion catalogue, to an extent I find incredible. Like it or lump it, the jury is still out on this one. However, as a photographer, I am fascinated by all this and thus share a small glimpse of my impressions from a recent fly-by visit to this odd island in the centre of Europe.

Hard-hitting open air street gallery arrives in Windsor

Just been informed that the Tarnished Earth exhibition will open in Windsor on March 16th, 2012. The open-air gallery with illumination at night is at King Edward Court. Windsor City Council has also announced it on their website. More details here.

Minus 29 celsius

Ever been this cold? Me neither, probably. Well, actually, I have, but it's more than 10 years ago whilst on a trip to eastern Slovakia in the middle of winter.


But I digress. This time, I was once again in the Vysocina region of the Czech Republic working on a personal project when the big chill occurred. First signs were pretty fern frost, or window frost patterns on the inside of my windows. Later in the week I discovered that my car had been frozen to an almost solid state - the battery was flat, the door hinges creaked, the clutch seized and the engine oil turned to goo. Ah well, life during a typical Vysocina winter, what can you do?


So instead of driving, I took a long walk across the wintery landscape and enjoyed the views. I hope you do too, without shivering...