_ No photo today.  That’s because I am just doing all my final packing for my next photographic trip – leaving tomorrow so all very exciting! Since 1997 I’ve had a terrible problem with flying, ie it terrifies me!  Not a great thing for a Travel Photographer!  Still not to be beaten I have managed to get to a lot of places by train from the UK, including Croatia, Serbia, Turkey and more recently a 55 hour trip to Arctic Norway!

I have promised myself I will sort out the fear but I have to admit, I like travelling by train.  It seems so much more like an adventure, you get to see amazing countryside and you meet some great people.

As I start getting the urge to venture further field I know I’ll have to fly but for now I’m enjoying the stress-free travel of international trains!

So my trip tomorrow starts from London on the Eurostar to Paris then on the night train to Madrid, a fast train to Seville and finally a change on to another train to my first destination, Jerez de la Frontera.   The total journey is about 25 hours (and a lot of train changes so must pack light!).  Yes I know, much much quicker by plane, but think of the potential adventures to be had!

I’ve got just under 3 weeks in Andalucia spending time in Jerez, Ronda, Granada, Alhama de Granada and Gaucin before I hop on the ferry and venture over to Morocco.  I can’t tell you how excited I am to go to Morocco, it’s been on my list for many many years.

I start off in Chefchaouen in the Rif Mountains for a couple of days, I am being totally drawn to the Medina there with it’s blue painted walls and am beginning to think 3 days isn’t going to be enough!  Next stop is Fez where I’m staying in a Dar right in the Medina for a week, maybe, with all the photographic opportunities that won’t be long enough either – just means I shall have to return!  And then, well who knows, maybe the trip will naturally come to its end then or maybe I’ll be tempted to venture on to somewhere else ………

_Here’s another photo that I shall be exhibiting at the New Artist Fair.  The landscape of Arctic Norway lends itself perfectly to my obsession of single or clumps of trees out in the snow fending for themselves!  I love the simplicity of this picture, I have a few that I think work really well and definitely want to build up my portfolio to include more - looks like I’ll just have to go back!

_Amazing.  The Colorida Art Gallery in Lisbon contacted me and invited me to exhibit some work from my Trees collection.  It’s very exciting but again very difficult to decide which photos to show! My work will be on show between the 22nd October and the 4th November 2011.  Information about the Gallery can be found at www.colorida.pt

_I finally made my decision and have compiled my group of photos that I want to exhibit at the New Artist Fair on the 8th - 12th September.  I can’t get over how hard it was limiting myself to only 12! The photo above is a little taster of what will be there.  I shall post another one next week.

This was taken in Portovenere in Italy.  I have to admit I didn’t do anything with this photo for a while as I felt the colour version was a little bland for my liking.  Then I bought Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 and voila - what a transformation!  The software is amazing, this only took me a couple of minutes, incredible!

_In 2007 whilst on my three month train trip around Europe I met up with a Turkish photographer in Istanbul for the day. Wherever I travel to I like to meet up with local people so I can gain an insight into local culture and also I get to see all the ‘off the beaten track’ places that tourists don’t venture to. This shot was taken in The Grand Bazaar, admittedly quite a well known place for tourists but with more than 58 covered streets and over 4000 shops there is no way I would have found this guy on my own, I definitely needed the knowledge of a local! His shop was really quite tiny, thankfully I had my wide angle lens with me which allowed me to get this shot.

He was really quite a shy man and not comfortable in front of the camera so I waited a while and then captured this moment when he sat down and had a ponder. It’s looking at photos like these that make me realise how lucky I am to be able to travel the world and meet such interesting and different people.

_Not long to go now!  I am able to show about 10 - 12 pieces and currently have my shortlist down to 24! I keep walking away and coming back to them hoping I’ll be able to refine the list but I want to show them all!

_Recently I joined a group called The Postal Photographic Club.  It consists of groups of members who circulate darkroom prints, digital prints (maximum size 7”x5”), or projected images by post in the the UK for everyone else within the group to comment on. 

Through my main job I receive hundreds of emails every day and I liked the idea of going back to a simpler time where post was the main form of written communication.  It’s quite exciting to receive a folio (a box of everyones photos to comment on) through the letterbox.

To catch up, I have received a few folios without having my photos included.  At first it was a little nerve-wracking, some of the other comments were very direct, but then what is the point of doing something like this if you don’t want to hear anything constructive?  I also lacked confidence in my own comments on other people’s photos, what if they weren’t right? or not opinions shared by others?  I guess the world would be a very dull place though if we all had the same opinions on everything.

So far it has been a very enjoyable experience (and extremely good value) and I have liked looking through everyones’ photos and the comments people have made.

I am waiting to receive a folio with my first photo in and am secretly hoping that the others have been kind, although, of course, whilst offering some good constructive advice!

If you’d like to know more about the club, you can visit their website http://www.postalphotoclub.org.uk/

_I  was lucky enough to be selected as one of fifteen artists to exhibit at The New Artist Fair being held at The White Walled Gallery, 4 Wilkes Street, London  E1 6QF in September.

I am currently going through my photographs to select which ones I would like to exhibit, quite a difficult task when you have thousands of photos!

For further information about the Fair, please visit www.newartistfair.com

_It took me a long time to get a frame I was happy with.  I knew from the start that I didn’t want to use a shop bought frame, I wanted something more special, something that I felt would fit with my photography more and so I decided to make the frames myself. I went on a framing course and then embarked on about six months of research for the best mouldings, the most suitable mount, a local supplier of glass etc. 

I know I haven’t picked the easiest way - I order the mouldings precut to size (which helps) but then have to underpin the mouldings together to make the frame, put two coats of black stain on, a coat of wax which I then buff off and then assemble everything together.  It takes times but, seeing the end result, it’s time I am happy to spend.

Above is an example of one of my framed prints - thankfully I think I am a better photographer and framer than I am a person who can photograph a framed print (the reflections just get everywhere!).

_I think I can safely say I have never seen a sunrise more stunning. I was staying in Svolvaer, the capital of the Lofoten Islands, at Anne Gerd’s bed and breakfast, basically her home where she rents out a couple of rooms.  She woke me up early to tell me to grab my camera and get out quickly.  So I did. And I was in awe.  I was in the Arctic overlooking one of the most beautiful, unusual towns I had ever seen as the sun came up over the peaks of the mountain range. Looking at this photo again, whilst sitting in my flat in London, makes me want to go back again! But oh to have been so lucky to have seen it just once.