Western Australia: Skipping Singapore to fly to Perth Ah, Western Australia. Western Australia wasn’t initially on our travel plans when we set off from the UK. The plan was to go to Singapore and fly to Sydney from there. However, fellow travellers in Malaysia urged us to visit Western Australia. Intrigued, we changed our plans. skipped Singapore, and flew directly...
City of Ghosts Vietnam- Not on the usual tourist trail City of Ghosts – not what you expect to see on your tourist itinerary for the day. As indeed, it probably isn’t. Most tourists bus off to see the historical highlights of Hue, the former imperial capital city of Vietnam. Meanwhile, I had spied a colourful looking place on the internet while googling ‘what...
Mumbai: The haves and the have-nots Dharavi Mumbai slum? When leaving Mumbai, I took a video during take-off, and the astounding sight emerged of a vast ‘slum’. Families living alongside the major international airport in the prosperous part of the city came into view as we taxied down the runway. The sight appeared shocking to my unaccustomed, westernised eye. I had...
The Dilemma Landscape photographers and travellers all over the world have probably seen an image taken from Deadvlei. Most without knowing where on earth it is. Well, it’s in Namibia. Stuck 60km from the closest campsite or lodge, down a road going into the desert . It’s so much of an iconic site people come from all over the world just to visit it...
Taj Mahal: For the favourite wife – it must be love Taj Mahal, the sublime shrine to eternal love – meh, here’s the big misconception. I can tell you what really happens inside the Taj Mahal. Love, shmove, this is brutal. Approach the stunning Taj Mahal, and the route to this monument of love becomes, well, a bit less lovey. Built in 1648...
I don’t want to be a landscape photographer anymore. That’s it; I’ve had enough. I don’t want to do this anymore. For years now, I’ve put myself into a category of a landscape photographer, but I’m not. And I can’t understand why I have to be. Photography is not about a genre. It’s not about labels, and it’s...
Pack your bags for the Islands of New Zealand If you are serious about your landscape photography then sometimes you have to go to where the best compositions can be found. Some people think Iceland is the best. Some think my homeland of Scotland is up there with the best. Others believe that China and Southeast Asia are Mecca’s for landscape photographers...
Photographing People When you travel to far off lands or even just somewhere local, taking images that tell a story is key. When you photograph landscapes they sometimes look like they could have been taken anywhere, within reason. However, when you photograph local people doing local activities it tells a far more compelling story. I have been fortunate enough to...
So, you are leaving for a year and you need to work out how much gear to take with you. More importantly, what type of gear to take with you. When I started planning for this I just thought, well surely I can only take one camera and maybe two lenses. Then I thought that this would not allow me to get every shot I wanted to. I opted for more the “I’ll...