Visiting Dover a few weeks ago, the weather was typically wintry for January. Inclement in a tempestuous sort of way. Stormy clouds threatened with sunshine breaking through at times, or even lighting the clouds from above.

I felt drawn to photographing the sea and the landscape, as well as the surrounding city – particularly from Dover Castle. How could I not? It almost felt rude not to. The city, the sky and the seafront spoke, and I listened.

The sun and clouds danced with each other while the light and shadows played on the earth below. Life went on in it, whatever it decided to do.

I found the results rather dramatic. The ship sailing through stormy waters with the sun bouncing off the clouds above.

A rugged stone wall with plants trying to hug the storm-cloud sky. 

And a valley lighting up with rays of light. 

The photos would have worked well in either black and white or colour, but I had run out of black and white film. I think it worked well, and am happy with the nuances the colour film brings. The photos would have had a different stormy feel in black and white, but colour portrays another side of the tempestuous weather. 

On a recent ramble between Welwyn North and Hertford North, a group of us wrapped up for a chilly walk through the beautiful Hertfordshire landscape. I am not familiar with the counties lying north of London, but enjoyed exploring what Hertfordshire had to offer.

The near freezing temperatures gave a beautiful, crisp atmosphere. The crispness of the air, the frost on the ground and the fogginess lent itself to being photographed. The trees and the frost covered fields contrasted against the chilly fog.

There was a certain sleepy stillness on the walk, and the smell of log fires added to the atmosphere. 

There is something magical about winter scenes. Often they are associated with Christmas, but we tend to forget that winter lasts past Christmas.


I enjoy taking photos when it’s crisp and cold outside – although it can be a bit difficult on the fingers. 

The Sphinx statues in Crystal Palace Park are remnants of the park’s glory days when it was the Victorian playground - a playground which housed The Crystal Palace, which occupied the area from 1854 to 1936.

The Park may not be as glamorous now as it was when The Crystal Palace stood in its boundaries, but its charm and character draws me back. The graffiti-ed Sphinx statues, the crumpling statues and stairs, and anatomically incorrect dinosaurs are reminders of Victorian grandeur, curiosity and scientific thought.

I have photographed Crystal Palace Park in all seasons, and have enjoyed the changing moods, colours and difference in light. While I enjoy photographing the dinosaurs, I am increasingly drawn to the other side of the park, which isn’t as maintained as the area of the dinosaurs. The decaying grandeur of the statues and stairs draw me in.

A week ago, I was walking through the park and taking photos along the way. I was enjoying a bustling park on a Saturday afternoon with nature in slumber. The muted colours gave me a subtle palate to work with, and accented the crumpling remnants of Victorian splendour. The 2 films I was shooting on focused my attentions on what really caught my eye.

I was photographing the Sphinx statues, and was really enjoying the light falling across the faces of a couple of them. I was particularly drawn to one. Its eyes had been drawn in with black marker – making them look less dead. The statue looked as though it was still surveying the park from its perch. The statue has seen many changes since it was placed in the park – and I am sure that it will bear witness to future changes.

For me, the eyes drew me in – and I could relate at its gaze. The parallel is I often feel like I am perched somewhere taking photos of what is around me. I have sometimes gone back to re-photograph something or an area and have picked up something different or any change that has happened – however subtle. 

I was passing through Westfield shopping centre in Shepherds Bush, West London recently, and they still had their Christmas lights up. It was just after Christmas, and I had a slight ‘after-the-event’ feeling.

With the build up to Christmas – as with other religious celebrations around this time of year, there is such emphasis on light and colour to offset the darkness and bleakness of mid-winter. I really appreciated that the lights were still up at the shopping centre because the days are still rather short.

The lights at the shopping centre were just asking me to take a picture of them. The pictures I took were snaps as I didn’t have much time. However, I did managed to get a few that I really liked.

Not all of my photos turn out when I am taking them in haste, but sometimes I do get some that turn out quite nicely. The nice thing about digital is I can delete any that I don’t think – although, I have deleted some I liked in haste, which can be irritating!

I am sure that the Christmas lights will slowly disappear over the coming days and weeks – not only at Westfield’s, but around London. My Christmas tree has finally been tucked away.

I find there is a certain sadness to putting away the lights – I wish to hold onto them when the nights are so long.

Snow in London isn't a usual event in London, particularly at Christmas. There wasn’t much, but as a Canadian, I did feel at home with some of the white stuff on the ground.

The images we have of Christmas in the West is of holey, Christmas tree, lights, family, carols, food, drink, presents, amongst other things …. and snow. In Canada, it’s hard to miss snow at Christmas. It’s something that’s taken for granted.

But is snow really all that important at Christmas?

It depends really on what you expect and want at Christmas. Many countries never see or experience snow. Many do.

I feel rather ambivalent about snow, which may sound strange considering where I come from. Snow can be beautiful and pristine when it first falls, but can quickly turn into slush, and become dirty. After months of snow, it can becoming a bit tiresome, unless you’re into winter sports like skiing or sledging.

That said, I don't mind getting my fingers frozen and nearly frost bitten to capture the beauty of snow. It’s character is quite contradictory. It can be fluffy, and yet also have a crispness and frostiness to it.

It’s character is so dependent on the weather and how the air is at a particular time. In many ways, it reflects what the atmosphere feels like.

I can quite happily photograph snow in either black & white or in colour. Snow itself can be a bit bland so I am often finding myself trying to find some contrast. This can take shape in playing with light, or finding a leaf on the ground or in a fence.

Snow gives you a very white and blank canvas to let your imagination run riot.