Gotta photograph that hat!

A few days ago I went for a walk to Swains Lane in Highgate to take take some pictures and try out my new camera lens. It was a lovely autumnal day. On the way back I saw  a woman leaning against a tree waiting for the bus. Her hat caught my eye, a warm … Read more

Snapshots of Turin

I was in Turin, Italy, last weekend on a very brief visit. I didn’t have a lot of time to roam and wander but managed to take a few shots of things that grabbed my attention. At Piazza Della Repubblica preparations were taking place for the impending White Night Festival, Notte Bianca.  In the picture … Read more

Japan: tradition and modernity in popular culture

I recently saw an advert on the London Underground from the Japan National Tourism Organisation who have launched a campaign entitled Japan – where tradition meets the future and it reminded me that I’d been meaning for a while to write a post on this very theme. I wanted to examine this theme using images … Read more

Top Hat

In the 1920s my paternal grandparents left Iran for Palestine before settling in the UK in 1928. Here’s a photograph from that era showing my grandparents all dressed up. David Aminoff, who I knew as BOBO is in a top hat and is holding a cane and his wife Dvora aka BIBI is wearing a fur coat … Read more

Omara Portuondo and senior glamour

Years ago – probably the late 1990s I was working at the BBC and I caught sight of Omara Portundo in the ladies loos at Bush House. I asked if I could take her picture and she kindly obliged. Her grace, glamour and style are evident – almost a surreal juxtaposition with the utilitarian, dull … Read more

Style: men’s fashion and originality

Here are some pictures of José that I took yesterday in London when I bumped into him at an outdoor dance event. I’ve seen José around the British salsa scene for decades; like me he is a veteran salsero! Originally from Sierra Leone but London based, he is always impeccably dressed. He designs his own … Read more