I love the Cremyll ferry. It is the quickest way into Cornwall and takes you from Admirals hard to Cremyll in less than 8 minutes. They take foot passengers, bikes, prams and the staff are always helpful. In the summer months, they often finish after the sun has already set.

The hills of this area are a tough cycle but you are rewarded by the stunning scenery of the south east Cornish peninsula at the top of virtually every ascent. Once I had got to Looe I felt I had done some exercise, so on the way back I took it relatively easy and stopped along the way to take photos along the coastal roads. I’m still not used to being ‘locked’ into the bike, this resulted in a very comedic fall onto my side just before I started taking any of the photos below.

To try and save weight on the 60km cycle I took only two lenses a 35 mm FE f2.8 (which is the lightest lens I own) and an 85mm FE f1.8.  Next time, I hope to get a few more shots of the actual cycle including cycle bars etc. I am trying to do more photograph panels which work together and have a consistent tonal range of colours.

As always, feel free to comment below with any suggestions/alterations.

Mills Bakery reflections

I recently got a new lightweight travel tripod (Manfrotto BeFree) so I thought I would get a grip on the controls and set up in my local area. The Royal William (Victualling) Yard is an area I have photographed a lot but not often from the “blue hour” to darkness. For those unfamiliar with the term, blue hour is the period before sunrise and after sunset when the colours of the sky turn mainly blue. It was a clear and still night which led to some amazing colours in the sky and wonderful lights from the Royal William Yard staircase.

The Royal William Yard is a wonderful example of Victorian architecture. Designed by Sir John Rennie (the designer of London Bridge) and constructed between 1825 and 1831, the Yard forms the largest collection of Grade 1 listed military buildings in Europe. Restored to mixed-use shops and housing, the Yard is now living and breathing, having been decommissioned in 1992. At the end of the site is the Royal William Yard staircase. The cantilevered staircase was designed by Gillespie Yunnie Architects and links the Yard to the South West coastal path. A stunning piece of architecture, at night, the staircase comes alive with changing LED coloured lights.

Please feel free to comment on the photos below.

Clifton post box in Snow, Royal York Crescent

Now that spring has finally arrived, I thought I would reflect on and edit my photos from the last of winter.

Recently we were ‘trapped’ in Clifton village, Bristol during the “beast from the East”. The snowfall really changes the city. Clifton is a beautiful location to photograph at any time, but especially in the snow. The pristine white snow really provides a wonderful contrast to the Georgian architecture and the striking Clifton Suspension Bridge.

I focused on including people wherever possible in the photographs. It was freezing and slippery but I loved every minute of being outside with my camera in the ever-changing conditions. I hope I have provided some novel views of the village.

Please post comments or criticisms below the photos.

Cycling on vandalised bridge

I recently attended the European Association of Urology Annual Meeting in Copenhagen. This was my first time in Copenhagen and there is always something special about visiting a city for the first time. Denmark is the third Nordic country I have visited and like its neighbours provides clean streets, efficient public transport with an amazing Danish twist of style with substance. Copenhagen is a beautiful city. There is an amazing mix of colours and history and we were blessed with great (but cold “beast from the East 2”) weather for the conference. We were staying near Nyhavn and this is a great location for exploring the city.

The featured image is of a girl cycling on a pedestrian footbridge, Nyhavn, Copenhagen. It was inspired by Lartigue’s work and the bokeh is created by a vandalised piece of shatterproof blue glass which created an amazing light show in the morning light. The photos have been processed with a film emulation preset in Lightroom with some alterations including removing grain. Please leave any comments below.

Monaco Boardwalk

I rarely publish my photographs online or in print form. A habit that I am trying to change.

Often it’s that I’m either not entirely happy with the photographs that I have taken, or that I believe they could have been better.  Before I publish anything I often spend more than 12 months letting the images “sink in”. Sometimes, this process of absorbing the images takes me a lot longer. The time allows me some distance so that I can approach the image more logically and from an unemotional perspective. I am not sure this is always wise though, it’s just an approach that I find easier in terms of editing. It is also useful to have another person check your selection. However, you may not always agree with them!

I have recently updated the site with a few images from a photography shoot in Monaco in April 2015. The city of Monaco is a great backdrop for all types of photography, including sport, street, fashion and architecture. It truly is a great place to visit. Even though I had never been to the city or country before, I had “driven” the streets hundreds of times in computer racing games, and seen virtually every Formula 1 race on television. Everything was new, yet strangely familiar, and it was a surreal experience to be able to put these virtual memories in a real world setting. We even managed to cycle a few laps around the Monaco street circuit which was already being prepared for the Grand Prix. A lot of the shots are from either the Japanese Garden or the Larvotto beach area, but there are a lot of backdrops and stunning scenery to photograph in Monaco.

If you are visiting, I would recommend cycling from Nice to Monaco as it takes you through some amazing properties and spectacular coastal panoramas. A highlight for us was the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild. The gardens and the house are spectacular and a must-visit attraction in the area. There are beautiful properties throughout this area and Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat is only a short ride away from the Villa.

A difficult hill ride or a short car ride takes you above Monaco and towards Èze which is a great little village on the hillside.  The views are amazing from above Monaco. Èze has some great sheer cliff views, unfortunately, a cloud had moved in during our visit, though it was still good to get a drink in the Château de La Chèvre d’Or after the cycle ride.

How do you edit? Do you have to wait before editing?

When do you feel is the ideal time for editing or does it improve with more experience?

Please comment below, constructive criticism is always welcome.

The title image has been bought and used for commercial use by Diners Club International in a Twitter advertising campaign. Please get in touch if you particularly like an image or wish to purchase a digital copy or a print directly.