The Ability Man

Andy Panayiotou, chairman of The Ability Group, self-made billionnaire and property tycoon allowed us and up-close and personal glimpse into his style of doing business. We accompanied him on a visit to the Chia Laguna resort in southern Sardinia and were allowed to tour the site with his entourage. Without further words, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

Holiday in Spain

Biking is my big passion apart from photography, and I love it all the more because it does not involve negotiating contracts, chasing late payers or spending tedious hours in front of a screen doing post-production. When I ride, it's like meditation - you focus on the road ahead, the traffic and your bike, and nothing else.

Exactly this was needed after four thrilling but exhausting days in Perpignan, southern France when me and a friend headed off into the Pyrenees in Catalunya, northern Spain. The rugged beauty of the landscape, the serpentine roads hugging the mountains and the rural charm of small villages were the first welcome break from a hectic schedule this year. I loved it and just wish there was more time to ride on, just go where the road takes you without regard for time, money and upcoming commitments. In the end, it was only a week on the road, but it was one I shall remember. Here are a few pictures from the trip:

Visa Pour l'Image

After the hectic intermezzo in London (being in town for less than 12 hours and having to shoot, edit and send an assignment, pack and get a motorbike ready for a 2-week trip across Europe), I finally set off for Perpignan's Visa pour l'image festival of photojournalism. It was invigorating, meeting my trusted agents, many of whom I had never met face to face before, seeing friends and colleagues old and new, and joining the renowned agency Polaris Images run by JP Pappis, a legend and gentleman in the photo business.

I spent a lot of time talking to people about my upcoming assignment in the Southern Ocean, documenting Japanese whaling for the environmental NGO Greenpeace. I am very excited about this trip - a four-month stint on a ship - and have a lot to prepare when I get back to London. As it stands I am due to leave the UK within a few weeks, and won't be back until the end of February. Watch this space...

The man behind BT's IT

Al-Noor Ramji, a soft-spoken man who is the grey eminence behind British Telecom's IT infrastructure is somebody I had often wanted to blame for BT's failings. Be it dysfunctional telephone lines, broken down broadband or simply the abysmal call handling of its numerous customer services departments, I had a lot of complaints in the back of my mind before meeting him.


However, I was in London for merely a few hours, a tube strike, blocked roads and a complete lack of parking space in the City of London assured my late arrival, and in the few minutes that I had to make a half-decent portrait, there was no time to lament. Shame, maybe next time...

Plums in Czech

For the first time in two years, I've had the opportunity (and time) to visit my home country. Needless to say, it was a quick weekend affair, but nevertheless soothing in its beauty and calm, having spent the entire weekend in a small village called Nedvezi, in the middle of the country with no large city or industrial complex in a 50-mile radius.


Unmolested forests and valleys, little villages and picturesque castles dotted in the countryside, peace, quiet and a star-filled sky were all aspects that are unforgettable. In short, it was great, and I intend to return there early next year for a longer stretch.