Travel
I'm lucky enough to travel a lot but I also aim to understand a place in some depth. So I like to find out about the local history, sociology, wildlife and local arts. I prepare for a trip by looking up photos of the famous sights, they're usually a good guide both about the local visual interest and also a warning of what has already been done or over-done.
I try to use the tools of modern photojournalism and photography to communicate how I feel about a place. You’ll see that I have used Portrait, Street, Interior, Historical, Abstract, Landscape, Historical, Wildlife, Phone-camera and Selfie genres at different times for specific effects.
“Valley of the waterfalls”: the protected Val Genova enjoys melt water from the glaciers and snowfields of the Dolomite Alps above Lago di Garda and the skiing town of Pinzolo in Trentino.
Touring in Tuscany revisiting some of the places I first saw with the GLME Summercamp of 2004 based in Pomerance. This time we’re staying in Volterra, the town is not at the top of the tourist lists but it’s a walled hilltop town with an Etruscan archaeological site, a Roman theatre plus fantastic views of the surrounding Tuscan countryside.
Perennially popular with bikers, one approach to Volterra is a series of zigzags, another is a ridge road with views either side, the third is like an ideal Sussex or Shropshire road winding through farmland and small woods with the occasional blind bend to keep you really sharp.
A Casey Jones moment in the cab of a Groupo 940 steam locomotive at Piazza al Serchio in the Garfagnana of northern Tuscany. Fifty engines of this type were constructed in 1922-3, they hauled heavy mainline freight on the Apeninne lines up and down Italy. 940.002 arrived in Piazza al Serchio in 2015 and is presented as a monument. Italians describe the wheel configuration as 1-4-1, which would be Class 2-8-2 in England’s Whyte classification.
Thunderstorm over the Alpi Apuae in northern Tuscany. We've seen thunderstorms in the mountains each afternoon but hardly any rain the Garfagnana valley, the route of the river Serchio.
Garavan district of Menton is renowned for its gentle climate without frosts, which allows gardens to flourish in sub-tropical splendour. Garavan also enjoys a fine view over to Menton Vielle Ville (Menton Old Town) and further to Cap Martin, around which is an enjoyable stroll on the coastal footpath.
