A magic day

As the year draws to its inevitable close, a few very good friends took me on a day trip to the north sea coast at the German spa town of Sankt Peter Ording.

The weather was harsh, but the vistas were great. The beach had disappeared during a spring tide, and we took shelter from a hailstorm inside the 'Arche Noah' bar & restaurant at the end of a long boardwalk. A few drinks later, the weather had cleared and we were treated to a rather nice sunset. I feel blessed to be holding a camera, surrounded by loving friends & family.
What a nice way to transition into the new year...

November Leftover

Time flies. I almost forgot these pictures taken in early November on a drab Sunday around Shoreditch. One camera, one lens (a 50/1.2) and an eye for the curious, funky aspects of the new hip side of town. There is so much street art, graffiti and all sorts of creative stuff lining the streets, it's truly worth going to have a look. Oh, and a coffee in one of Brick Lane's countless cafes.

This Is The Life

"Where you gonna go? Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna sleep tonight?"

It seems that Amy MacDonald's lyrics ring more true than usual lately. Been on the road a lot, and just about managed to get back in time for this assignment before heading off again soon after.

Thus it was a pleasure meeting the young songwriter for a brief portrait shoot in a dressing room before she went onto a TV show in London. After I explained what I wanted to do for our quick shoot, she just queried: "Where is your accent from???"

Unfortunately, we didn't have time to get into that, so it stayed short but sweet:

Romania Bear Rescue

Last week I came back from a moving assignment in Romania, home to the largest Eurasian brown bear population in Europe. Together with the fine people of the Zarnesti Bear Sanctuary, my colleagues from WSPA International paid two visits to the defunct zoo at Onesti in northern Romania and helped to remove three bears out of squalid captivity.

It seems that lack of adequate facilities and ultimately, funds, as well as  implemention of the EU zoo directive has meant that this zoo had to part company with some of its bears. An all too common story in Romania, where a multitude of bears have been found suffering in small and rusted cages where they were used as pets or as attractions for restaurants and petrol stations.

Once transferred to the Zarnesti Bear Sanctuary, the new arrivals underwent a veterinary checkup before being released into a training enclosure. With over 160 acres (70 hectares) spread over a wooded hillside, this is Romania's first bear sanctuary and today houses 67 bears rescued from ramshackle zoos and cages at roadside restaurants around the country.

See the story here.

Empty London book now on the iPad !

iPad aficionados, treat yourselves to the release of my book 'empty london' as an ebook!

It's been a long time coming, but finally I've had a spare few hours (and a borrowed iPad) to put this project to bed, so it's out now! A propos bed - this is a good Sunday morning read, costs less than a fiver and is definitely worth it.

Go on then, you know you want it - get it here and let me know how you like it.