Roses in the city

This blog is devoted to the representation of roses. I’ve encountered roses in a variety of ways in the last few months; these images encompass different genres including documentary, fashion, still life, travel and street photography. Last year I wrote a piece about the Sant Jordi Festival in Girona, a Catalan St. George’s Day celebration … Read more

Inspired by Eyeliner: Visuals Old and New

The other day my friend Alicia, a fellow film lover, posted a link on social media recommending a documentary about the actress Rita Moreno. The accompanying image showed Moreno standing in front of a mural depicting her in her youth. I remembered I had photographed this piece of street art several times in New York … Read more

Januhairy 2021

In recent days whenever I look down at my bare knees I think to myself that these could do with a wax. On the other hand, why bother? It’s January, freezing cold, and we are in Tier 5 lockdown. I then remembered that there’s a campaign called Januhairy which started in 2019. Women are encouraged … Read more

Woman at a dressing table

The images in this post have been selected around the themes of sitting at a dressing table, looking into a mirror and applying makeup. Firstly here are a couple of portraits I took of my mother from a project I did at college in the late 80s: In the next photo I appear in the … Read more

Fatoumata Diawara

Last Wednesday evening I was privileged to see Fatoumata Diawara.  It was the launch of the Paris-based Malian singer songwriter’s new album Fenfo (Montuno/Wagram label) at Rough Trade East In London’s Brick Lane. She was performing solo, just voice and guitar and some backing tracks to occasionally multiply the chorus. She finished the set with an emotional … Read more

Signs of Spring so far

Weather-wise It’s been a cold March and miserable, rainy and dull early April. I can hear the wind howl as I write this post. This was the scene on a waterlogged Parliament Hill, Hampstead Heath on April 1st : The following photograph looks as if it were taken in black and white – it was … Read more

Life in Death: Emerging from Winter to Encounters with Buds & Florals

The other Thursday the weather was crisp and dry so I decided to seize the day and pop into Kew Gardens.  Here are a series of pictures I took of buds against the dappled light; I think they are pussy willows:     Here’s a landscape format version where the diagonals suggest to me a … Read more

George Michael: George’s Garden in Autumn

I walked through Highgate the other day and spent some time in the memorial garden for the late George Michael who died on December 25 of last year. The garden is in the small green bordering his home on The Grove. Here are some photographs I took at George’s Garden, which is lovingly tended by … Read more

Dalia: the older the violin the sweeter the music

It was my mother’s 80th birthday this week. A former ballerina, Dalia still keeps fit and goes to the gym several times a week. A few days ago I posted a short video to Facebook where I filmed her dancing at her birthday tea party which was viewed to a quasi-viral level; her glamour and … Read more

Beauty in Regents Park

I popped into London’s Regents Park this week and took some photographs. One of the blooms that really caught my eye was the wisteria in Queen Mary’s Garden which had the cascading waterfall behind it: I also liked the ferns – I think I’m more aware of their graphic quality now having seen Karl Blossfeldt’s … Read more