Hi Everyone

There you enjoying your new camera and always something has to spoil your day. A new model that is just that bit better is going to be launched in Nov. The Canon G9X appears to be even better.... but lets move on. To be fair I am loving the quality of shots I am getting from such a small camera. Together with a tripod so small you can easily carry it... well lets just see where it takes me.

A return to Chicago where I expected a quiet Sunday to take photos was met with masses of people watching the Marathon. So after a trip to the "Bean" I tried to get some shots contrasting the movement of the runners with the static position of those watching. One has to try new things.

I have been trying some slower shutter speeds on the traffic in Beijing and playing about with the feel of how they look. The traffic is a real issue and so it does help to capture the feel of the place, which as you will know is an area I am trying to explore.

See you next month.  A :)

Hi everyone

Well here I am with a new camera and I have learned that well its different to a Nikon. Firstly that means I am having to learn how to use Light Room as it does not work with the basic Nikon software. This is probably a good thing but still its a challenge. Also it has a feature that allows you to take one photo and the camera takes FIVE and adds some effects. These have proven to be really great. So when you start seeing some new styles coming through onto the site - that's why!

Recently I visited the The Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi and it is brilliant. I have added not only photos but a brief review to encourage those even passing thru Abu Dhabi to pop in.

I have added a single photo here for a change to brighten up this blog post :) All the best  A

  Sheikh Zayed Grand MosqueAbu Dhabi has the most brilliant Mosque I have ever visited. It is a wonder of the world and somewhere to be sought out and enjoyed.

I have bought a new camera... I have gone for a Canon G7X. It is a replacement for my now 4 or 5 year old Nikon P7000. The new camera has a 1" sensor and is small. The hope is that it will complement my DSLR and allow me to get better photos in those places where security concerns stop me carrying a bigger bit of kit. Lets see how I get on over the next few months!

The summer has been busy with a long trip to the middle of France. A few days in the Bordeaux region was great. A further holiday to Tokyo was simply brilliant. Finally a return to Hong Kong proved to have better weather than expected. Also I was able to get on the Junk boat that some 7 or so years ago I missed the sailing of through ...well I will not go into that one. Lets just say since then the Junk boat was sunk and rebuilt but still provides the iconic image of Hong Kong.

I am still adding travel trips and this month it is about my gear but also WHERE TO BUY A CAMERA. You will maybe shocked at the experiences I have written up for the benefit of others. Check it out in the GENERAL drop down menu.

Goto go, see you next month.

A :)

Hi Everyone,

It feels like an age since I have been online and doing "photos". I've been up London Bridge again and also saw the bridge raised, a first for me. Henley Festival had some great photos, always hard to take with a compact on a moving boat at night. In Boston a hot day out added a few more photos. A few hours and the sun will be coming up.... lets see what the day brings.

A:)

A visit to Blenheim Palace resulted in me bumping into Winston Churchill. For those that are not aware Blenheim Palace was the home of Winston and has wonderful gardens. His photo is below and his web site is www.winstan.co.uk.

A true professional along with a cast from the Army and RAF made my day and hopefully provided some great photos. They can be seen in the England section which is quite appropriate :)

Winston ChurchillStan is a wonderful Winston Churchill impersonation.

Well the site continues to evolve. A great trip to New York produced some decent photos. However I do tend to be trapped as to the time of day I 
shoot and this does hinder the quality of the images. To be brilliant one needs to be up early or to bed late to catch the light. I am starting to write 
more and more top tips. Be it where to visit, what to visit or just stuff I think of ... It's all helping to enrich the content. 

I have also reflected on what the aim of the site is... when I started out some 18 months ago I had no real aim but just a feeling.
Well my thoughts have come together and I think the aim is a simple one.... "To inspire world travel". 

The world is a beautiful place and hopefully a few images I have taken might like a Sunday supplement inspire a desire to visit. 
If this happens for you then do drop me an email and tell me how you got on. 

So expect more photos, more top tips and hopefully more inspiration.
 
 

Hi

Well a visit to Tokyo proved a great day out. The metro/subway system appears complicated but once you get going it really is great. I find the people of Japan simply wonderful. Before my first visit I had just read about the second world war and a soldiers account. It was terrible and my expectations were shall we say low. However when you visit today I find the whole country polite, respectful, helpful and simply one of the best places in the world to visit. They are going to produce a great Olympics.

The web site moves on with about 60 destinations from a host of nations. I am not only adding photos but a few reviews and tips when I get the time and the space. I've added a few banner links to Expedia and to a Car hire web site that I had used and was really good. I have kept this low key and out of the way so as not to detract. What I want to focus on now is increasing the number of hits to the site and also not adding photos but improving the quality. That will not be easy but lets see how I get on over the next year.

As always email me with any ideas or thoughts

A

Well a week long trip to South Africa was brilliant and I hope you like the photos. The weather was great which was a bonus. A visit to Robben Island, Table Top mountain, the Cape of Good Hope/Point and a drive along the Garden route were highlights. I have also added some photos of a rowing event in Oxfordshire England.

In addition I am adding more and more travel advice for destinations. These are just top line tips. The sort of thing a friend would tell you before you visited a place. I am not going to try and beat specific web sites. However I have found trip adviser not as good on giving you a big feel. It spends too much time trying to sell you a hotel room. Fair enough. So lets see how this evolves.

My search over 8 years for the best steak in the world has been concluded... check out the top five results.

So here we are, a photo web site evolving into a travel advice site based around photos and experiences. I do not know where the site will be in a years time. Its like a journey where the destination is unknown.

See you soon  A :)

Starting today I am going to add some top travel tips. You are going somewhere new and do not know what to do. Trip Adviser is OK with guides, books can help a little. But nothing is as good as just a few top tips. These are not going to give you all the detail but just a top line of a few things to look out for. Every little helps. A

Sorry for not posting for a while but I have been busy. I have just edited some photos from two grey days in New York. I promised myself to shoot less photos...say 50 - 100. Then I have started to edit today and had 800 photos! I hope you like them, especially the women in red.

Oxford in England was a welcome day out but again a bit dull. Denver in the US has just started the day with a wonderful sunrise... I will post it soon :) 

I am thinking about adding my advice for what to do if you visit a destination. I am not certain about the format but just in case you thought I was getting dull, plans are afoot. See you all soon

A

Hello Everyone

Lots of new photos to see and I forgot to BLOG in November. I have just edited and uploaded San Diego which had great light. Bahrain found some interesting buildings and a grab shot that although not technically brilliant is my personal fav. Argentina is always good and I was blessed with brilliant weather. Mumbai saw a few more shots added from a train station while messing around with the shutter speed. I may have even missed a country out as I do forget, I do live an odd life, but that's enough about me. Keep on looking at the different images and any feedback just email, enjoy.

Hello Everyone

Well the site continues to develop with some photos from India this month where the light was really good. We have passed the 400 hits point, thank you to everyone who has visited. I have just sorted and edited using new software my competition photos for the year and am posting these onto the home page scrolling photos folder. I will report back if any "do well". Any advice questions just email.

A:)

Hello Everyone

Well I made a decision today. I am not sure if it right but we shall see. I have gone back through all digital photos going back years and uploaded lots and lots. The early photos were taken with a compact so will not match today's level of technology. However I felt it better to have some pictures of Rome and Washington DC than no pictures. I do not expect to win any awards from this site but now I have all my digital photos in one place, sorted and on show. This makes me happy and I hope you like them too.... until next month. 

A:)