Never Stand Up When You Can Sit Down & Never Sit Down When You Can Lie Down – Images of Rest & Relaxation

I remember reading that Winston Churchill’s advice for success included economy of effort. Never stand up when you can sit down, and never sit down when you can lie down. I was reminded of this again recently when I was on holiday in Palma, Mallorca. It was a very hot August and in addition to … Read more

Recent Reflections

The other day on my way to the 214 bus stop in Kings Cross I noticed a pig in the clouds: And today after a trip to the health food shop and garden centre in Kentish Town, this head – half in the clouds and half emblazoned on a building facade: These sightings give me … Read more

Surreal Facades: Illusions and Reflections in London’s Streets

I’ve gathered together a series of photographs shot in London in the last few months that have an aspect of surrealism and illusion and that include architectural elements as part of the composition. These are not double exposures or composites but suggest layering despite being single exposure images. To me there’s something a bit Magritte-like … Read more

Street Abstracts & Illusions featuring London Buses

When walking around London with a camera it becomes inevitable that at some point a red London bus will become part of the mise-en-scène. Mise-en-scène is a French term drawn used in theatre and film-making. In cinematography it refers to the arrangement of objects and people in front of the camera; with some directors this … Read more

Illusions in Kentish Town

Last night I was adding photographs to my Lightroom Catalogue and typed in the keywords facade, illusion and reflection. I then found myself singing a phrase from Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now – the phrase was it’s cloud illusions I recall. Apologies to Joni if I have misconstrued her text but it was an involuntary … Read more

The Demise of Topshop – a Surreal View

Topshop, the iconic store beloved for its trendy clothes and accessories at non-designer prices has bitten the dust. The former ‘high street giant’ which in its heyday was a buzzing hangout is a casualty of the pandemic as well as changing attitudes towards consumerism and fast, disposable fashion. The following photographs, all taken in February … Read more

London in Lockdown Part 3 – Focus on Mannequins

I started taking photographs of mannequins during in Covid-19 pandemic back in March 2020 in the week the lockdown was announced. I’d walked to Hampstead on the Friday to kill two birds with one stone – for daily exercise and to buy bagels and challah at a bakery there. Hampstead is full of high end … Read more

Mannequins and Street Photography – some new images

Abstract photo with mannequin head, NYC

I’ve posted several blogs in the last few years featuring images I’ve taken of mannequins. I’ve been drawn to photographing mannequins for a number of reasons. In terms of representation I like the ambiguity;  a human, yet not a human. I like the fact they can range from quasi-lifelike to grotesque and non-naturalistic. I like … Read more

Fish in the City

Last week I was in New York for a few days staying on the Lower East Side. The weather was quite unsettled – muggy and rainy.  One grey morning I saw a guy walking towards me in sandals and socks. These were not the frowned-upon socks and sandals combination formerly attributed to unstylish men with … Read more

Abstract Photography: Architecture, Skies & Illusions

The other day I went to The Barbican and walking down a side street near Moorgate I saw the sky and clouds mirrored in a glass-fronted building. Later, on examining the image I also saw a face in the centre of the image, with arched white wispy eyebrows and a round mane of hair framing … Read more