I thought it was time to do some investigation into paper options.  I print on an Epson R2800 printer and have, up to now, been using Epson Premium Semi-gloss paper.  I like it because it has a nice sheen to it, neither fully glossy or totally matt.  I have been very happy with this paper but after a couple of courses I took with Aspect 2i on printing, I decided it was time to look at other papers.

After a bit of research I came up with three brands that I wanted to try, Ilford, Hahnemühle and Harman by Hahnemühle and from those I chose a selection of papers that I thought would suit my work. I have no idea how I convinced myself that it would be a simple process.  Downloading the ICC profiles for my printer and printing (I chose a bright colour photo, a more muted colour one and a black & white one for each paper) was simple enough but then refining the list down to a paper I wanted to use in the future was extremely difficult and took days of me studying each one, comparing them with the others, leaving them for a day and then coming back to study again, leaving them again and then coming back.  You get the picture.

In the end I narrowed it down to 6 that I liked.  It made sense to me that different papers would be my top choice for a black & white photo or a colour photo but even further I found that I wanted to then use different papers for different types of black and white or colour, ie  Harman by Hahnemühle for a true black & white print (true in my mind) and Ilford Galerie Gold Silk for something that required a more warm look. So it seems I shall invest in a few papers and now have the option of choosing a paper to fit the outcome of the print I had in mind.  My final paper choices are Ilford Galerie Gold Silk, Harman by Hahnemühle Gloss Baryta and Gloss Art Fibre, Hahnemühle Fine Art Pearl and Fine Art Photo Rag Pearl and Ilford Galerie Smooth Pearl.

I know Epson have a range of Fine Art papers that I would love to try, particularly as I have an Epson printer, but Epson UK have just told me they don’t have sample packs.  To try 6 of their papers that I like the look of I would have to buy their 25 sheet packs which would cost about £510, why when all the other companies have test packs, do Epson not.  How very frustrating and, surely, a little short sighted.

I am sure I am not the only one thinking it, but where did 2011 go?! I can't believe we are into 2012 already! Sitting here today I thought I'd take some time to reflect back on the year and make some photography resolutions for 2012.

It really has been quite an amazing year photography wise, starting with a trip back up to Arctic Norway for 3 weeks.  I had been there 2 years ago in search of the Northern Lights, and like many people came back a bit disappointed as I didn't see it once in the whole 3 weeks I was there.  Things were a lot different this time, I was lucky for it to appear on 6 nights of my trip, it really is hard to explain the feeling of when you see it, something that I will never ever forget.  Here is a photo of the first time I saw it.

In May I decided it was time to concentrate on getting my work out there.  My main job was keeping me rather too occupied so I decided to get a social media company to help me out and what a great idea that was. Holly and Jan (http://hollyandjan.co.uk/), specialists in social media for creatives, have been brilliant in getting me started - I now have a facebook page for my photography, a blog, am on twitter and have become a member of various photography groups on LinkedIn. 

I also joined The Postal Photographic Club (http://www.postalphotoclub.org.uk/) which 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. I belong to C1 group and I love it.  In August I found out I had come first in their Projected Image Annual competition with this photo, I even won a Salver!

In September I participated in the New Artist Fair's (www.newartistfair.com) first fair in East London, it was great to get my work out there for the public to see and I even won the public vote for 'Best Artist' which gave me a chance to exhibit in the Finalist's Fair in November, such a great experience. 

October was a busy month, I exhibited some work from my Trees Collection at Colorida Art Gallery in Lisbon (www.colorida.pt) and I went to Morocco for the first time.  I had wanted to visit Morocco for years but was a little concerned about going on my own.  I decided to just get on with it and am so glad I did, I was only there for 12 days but oh how I loved it, what an amazing country and what fabulous people.  Here is one of my favourites from Fez.

In November I took part in the 'Something Blue' exhibition at Cultivate Gallery (http://www.cultivatevynerstreet.com/) in East London.  Here is one of the pieces I had in the exhibition.

The year ended with two very exciting things. Firstly the Society of Authors used this photo for the front and back cover of their quarterly members magazine, it was so great to see my work published!

and I got shortlisted in the National Geographic Traveller Photo Competition 2012.  Who knows what will happen with that but what a great way to end an amazing year!

So what to do in 2012?  Well Morocco is definitely on the cards for April/May time, I want to go back to Chefchaouen and Fez but also venture further afield to Marrakech, Essaouira and then into the desert.  I need to concentrate more on the social media and marketing side so need to get more organised on that front.  I have two exhibitions already booked in, one at The Palmerston Bar & Dining Room (www.thepalmerston.net/) in February/March and a four month exhibition from May to September in Mayfair, so already it's a great start to the year!

Finances permitting I'd like to do a LOT more travelling and visit some of my 'Wish List' places, but more importantly I want to 'man up' a bit and get over my fear of flying.  Travelling everywhere from London by train (even to Morocco, Turkey and the Arctic!) is a fantastic experience but if only I could get on a plane then the world really could be my oyster ............

_I have finally picked my photos to exhibit at the Finalist Fair in London.  I wanted to exhibit work from my recent trip to Morocco but had my work cut out a bit as I came back with 3650 photos!  These were reduced to 584 good ones, then to 48, to 15 and then finally down to 8.  It was really difficult to decide which ones to show but I think I’ve picked some good ones.  Well, I hope I have! Above is one of my favourites from my trip.

_Fez is an amazing city, a place I only just touched the surface of. Whilst walking around the Medina in Chefchaouen I thought I was in the real Morocco, turns out that was a ‘soft’ option compared to Fez! The taxi driver dropped me off at Bab Guissa, the gate nearest to my accommodation and from there I was thrown into the throngs of the Medina. It was like stepping back in time. It was only a five minute walk to my house, but in that time I must have come across more than 20 donkeys and mules and countless porters moving things around in carts. There are no cars in the Medina, so the only way of transporting anything is either by porter, mule or donkey. It was fascinating to watch them go about their daily life although I must admit, at first, a bit daunting. Having come from the laid back quietness of Chefchaouen I wasn’t prepared for this!

But by the second day I was absolutely smitten. Yes the streets are a little dirty and crowded, yes at a moment’s notice you have to jump out of the way so as not to be hit by a cart or a mule, but the people were incredible and the atmosphere magic and I am so glad I chose Fez as one of the first places to visit in Morocco. I put my amazing experience down to the fact that I had a fantastic guide. Without him I am certain I would not have seen or experienced so much – I wouldn’t have met the man who for 8 hours a day throws sawdust into a fire in sweltering heat to keep the local Hamam going, or the three families that live together in one house with their 18 children still drawing water from their well in their courtyard, or the local baker who bakes everybody’s bread in the neighbourhood, the man who sharpens everyone’s knives or the men who come in from the country to sell their chickens at market. I could go on but you get the gist, I met a lot of people and this was only due to Hamido, my guide (Hamido – Tel 00 212 66 174 2464). He was born in the Medina over 50 years ago and knew it like the back of his hand. Without him I would have been totally lost.

When booking him I had been specific that I was coming to take photographs and I was not interested in shopping. Of course that was before I had arrived in Fez – I was told it was the world capital of Handicraft and I can see why, so many talented craftsmen making such wonderful things. Of course I succumbed, who wouldn’t? So much so that I had to actually throw things out of my suitcase to make room for my return journey!

Did I pay more for my purchases to account for the guide’s commission? Sure, but I paid what I was comfortable with and as I said, without my guide I wouldn’t have seen half of the Fez that I saw, so for me it was totally worth it.

The Medina was busy and it was hard for me to photograph, I completely gave up on using the Manual mode - by the time I had my camera to my face the person I had wanted to photograph was long gone and the streets filled with new people rushing around, there was no hanging around. It really was a challenge but I think (well hope) I have come back with some wonderful photos for my exhibition in November.

I stayed in a lovely house in the Medina, highly recommended – www.dar47.com – a 5 bedroomed dar with live in housekeeper (who was an amazing cook!). It was lovely having breakfast on the roof terrace every day overlooking the sprawling Medina and was a great peaceful retreat to come home to after the busyness of the day.

We walked for hours every day for 6 days and I really felt that I had covered quite a lot of the 9400 streets of the Medina. When I asked Hamido how many streets he thought we had walked he replied “oh about 300 maximum”. Ah, well seems I shall have to return another time to delve in a bit further…..

_
Chefchaouen is quite mesmerising.  Every corner I go around I find another photo opportunity, it is taking me ages to actually get anywhere, especially if you include getting lost every 5 minutes in the Medina.  It’s actually quite a small Medina so it’s fine but god knows how I will survive when I get to Fez and it’s 6000 streets!

Everyone here seems very friendly and it’s quite a chilled town.  I really have wanted to take photos of the old men in their Djellabas - they look amazing and have such character in their faces.  I have asked a few for permission and they have said no.  I remember reading somewhere that some don’t like having their photograph taken because they believe the camera steals the person’s soul.  I am not sure if this is the reason at all but wouldn’t, out of respect, even consider taking a photo of someone that didn’t want me to.  So for now whilst I am in Chefchaouen I shall just stick to taking pictures of the beautiful blue doors and walls!

Granada wasn’t quite what I was expecting, it was much much larger than I thought it would be but you can’t deny the dramatic setting, with the Alhambra keeping it’s eye on the town and the mountains rising up dramatically behind. The main draw is the Alhambra and quite understandably so. Walking around the General Life gardens is beautiful but it’s when you get inside the Nasrid Palaces that you are really blown away. We went to the Palaces twice, once in the night time and once in the day, both times totally totally crowded with tourists – oh if only I would be allowed to go in just on my own!

Tip: If you have pre-purchased your Palace Night Visit tickets, don’t wait like we did at the main entrance for 30 minutes waiting for it to open only to be told that the entrance to the palace is down the road!

Having a drink at sunset on the terraces at El huerto de Juan Ranas (by Mirador San Nicolas in the Albaycin) was another highlight of our trip – the mojitos were amazing. We then stayed for dinner and the food was delicious, especially the Lamb with couscous.

Another thing that totally blew me away was the stunning grafitti, there certainly is some talent there, here is one of my faves.

_Ah Seville what an amazing city you are. I hadn’t planned to visit Seville until my return from Morocco but we had seen a fair few of the ‘white villages’ and wanted a change so decided last minute to divert there for a couple of nights and I am so glad as it has been the highlight of my trip to Spain.

Seville is a wonderful place, even when it is baking baking hot! I’d love to know how may tapas bars/restaurants there are, it seemed to be one after another after another, not that I’m complaining. We only had a couple of days there but did ourselves proud with the amount we managed to fit in food wise! Some of my favourite places were:

El Rinconcillo (Calle Gerona, 42), Seville’s oldest bar founded in 1670 – very atmospheric.

Bar El Commercio (http://www.barelcomercio.com/en-index.htm) where we had the best churros with chocolate although it didn’t seem quite right having them for breakfast.

Casa Tomate (Calle Mateos Gago 24) in the Barrio Santa Cruz and with the largest ‘half raciones’ I have ever seen. We ordered 3 plates for the two of us and could barely get through one of them.

Vineria San Telmo (http://www.vineriasantelmo.com/) - delicious tapas and lovely desserts!

Aside from eating and drinking it is such a great place to just wander around, the buildings are beautiful and the atmosphere very friendly, The Alcazar is also definitely worth a visit, the interior rooms are stunning.

We popped over to the Triana District to The Santa Ana church which is the oldest parish church in Seville, dating back to the 13th century. It holds the lauda sepulcral where legend has it that it assures marriage to women by giving it seven taps with the feet. I only wished I knew what I was tapping as sadly it wasn’t until I left that I realised I had been tapping the wrong thing, oh well just means I will have to return to Seville and that is something that I will definitely be doing.

_25 hours of travelling non stop and I arrived at the most beautiful train station I have ever seen.  Jerez train station was apparently designed by Gustave Eiffel, the man that designed the Eiffel Tower.  I say ‘apparently’ as I was told by a local but can’t find any information on the internet about it.  The beautiful coloured tiles were certainly a nice welcome after such a long journey. I had arrived quite tired from my long journey, I don’t think it helped that the bed on the overnight train felt more like a park bench so I really didn’t get that much sleep.  David, the owner of the place I stayed at suggested I went to the Arab Baths to recover (www.hammamandalusi.com). It couldn’t have been more perfect.

The 18th century palatial town-house has been beautifully refurbished using traditional stucco, tiling and carving techniques. I booked in for a 2.5 hour session thinking there was no chance I’d survive that long, I felt sure I’d get totally bored in the water for an hour and a half. Cut to an hour later when one of the masseurs had to wake me up from my deep slumper in the warm pool! I was then taken for an exfoliation, all over mud masque, hair wash (at which point I was so relaxed I thought my head was going to snap off my neck as I had no strength to hold it up!), a lovely cup of ever so sweet mint tea and finally a massage. What 25 hour train journey?

Jerez is a city in Andalusia famous for its sherry, flamenco and Andalusian horses.  I did try a glass of Fino at the Feria and I can’t say it was exactly to my taste, but everyone else seemed to be enjoying it! I also saw a great little Flamenco show (not put on for tourists) and visited the beautiful Andalusian horses at the stud farm (www.yeguadacartuja.com). On Saturdays they do a very interesting tour (where I learned that they artificially inseminate the horses and don’t do it naturally so the horses don’t get damaged!) followed by a show with dressage, free running colts etc.

My accommodation (http://www.lafondabarranco.es/EN/Welcome.html) could not have been more perfect. It is very central, beautifully furnished and with a lovely little roof terrace where breakfast is served. David, the owner, was so welcoming and gave loads of good advice and local tips.

I really enjoyed my stay in Jerez, it was certainly a good introduction to my first stay in Andalucia.

_Here I was on an overland photographic trip from London to Morocco 25 hours in and I still hadn’t taken my beautiful 5d Mark II out of the bag. Yet I had taken quite a few photos that I really liked. Enter the I-phone and the wonderful App that is Hipstamatic. It took me a while to use the App for anything other than messing around, I was used to my Canon and just didn’t think using my I-phone to take a photo quite cut the mustard.

Now I have to admit I am pretty addicted and a little concerned my Canon might not make it out of the bag at all this trip!

_ 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 ………