Recent images

 Two new images I took recently in London. July, 2025. 

'Vogue' A colourful girl in East London, I liked the juxtaposition going on here. Taken with my Lumix LX100, because I like to travel light. 

'Baggie smalls' Saw this character on Camden high street. 

 

Debatable

People often ask me how long I have been into photography. It's debatable when I got into photography on a serious level, what qualifies as a serious level? I know I was aware of it from a very young age as my old Dad (no longer with us) was a keen photographer. I remember taking some cool shots of my feet accidentally triggering the shutter while walking around Trafalgar Sq on school visits to London aged about 11 or 12. And I travelled overland to India aged 19, I don't consider myself to be a "serious" photographer back then but I documented the journey with a Kodak Instamatic film camera (still have the prints, and one image from it on my Insta) I had an unplanned stay in Iran because of the Islamic revolution of 1979 (I'm older than I look) The Kodak Instamatic was a basic point and shoot with symbols as a crude distance scale, and I don't recall any control over the exposure, maybe a symbol method again? The film came in a cassette which just clipped into the back of the camera, smaller film then 35mm, really just a glorified pin hole camera! But it worked in a fashion. 

My first decent camera was an Olympus Trip 35, 35mm film camera. I started doing the obvious landscapes, and pics of people I knew. Later I started using Canon 35mm SLR cameras, and medium format twin lens film cameras...more landscapes, yawn. I had a spell doing wedding photography, even bigger yawn, which I was good at, but the novelty soon waned and it got to the point where it was actually stifling my creativity! I did a stint at College doing a BTEC diploma, which was a waste of time really, the Tutor was a waste of space, I learnt more through my own efforts and I am still learning today. The only landscapes I do now tend to be Cityscapes. It wasn't until 2001 during a visit to NYC and San Francisco that I slowly discovered/developed my love for street photography, and documentary style photography. so maybe that's when it became serious? As I say it's debatable. I could do a post on what qualifies as a professional photographer. When I used to do wedding photography my own definition for a professional was someone who can deliver the goods, no matter what! I know some people who think simply having a degree on the subject makes them professional. 😂

The raw and the cooked

My latest street portrait, (a phone shot of my camera screen) not worked on them yet but spent a day recently in Sheffield, a great place for street photography. I always shoot in raw mode for several reasons, one I just enjoy working on them, and I also end up with large files great for printing large. Took it with my Canon 6D and my Canon EF 24-105mm f3.5/5.6 IS STM lens, don't be fooled by the lack of a red ring this lens is super, I have a few lenses including some with red rings (L lenses) I enjoy using this one, in fact I prefer it over the f4 L version mk 1, not tried the mk 2. For those unaware a raw file is like a digital negative, unlike a jpeg which can be used straight out the camera a raw file needs working on. It retains all the information, data etc its possible to get from the image rather than the cameras own processing messing with it. 

I'm available for talks, photo walks and seminars worldwide... Joking 😃 I am not one for blowing my own trumpet, I don't really need to my work speaks for itself. I have turned down offers of exhibitions at some great venues for various reasons, such as the Brick Lane gallery in East London, they just want too much £ up front, all these galleries operate a bit differently and there is no guarantee of selling anything to recoup the costs involved. I was keen to do one in Havana, Cuba (Cuba, how could one not do it) but unfortunately the Lockdowns happened and it never got off the ground!

Lensculture

Another one of my Street Portraits selected by the guys at Lensculture 

 "The Competition Gallery is a highly curated group of images showcasing the best photos" 

 Lensculture Portraits awards 2025

Street Portraits

A collection of my street portraits, old and new. A work in progress, an exhibition in the making.

Link to Youtube 

The Canon EF 24-105mm f3.5/5.6 IS STM

 

I recently got the Canon EF 24-105mm f3.5/5.6 IS STM lens, I was undecided but having now tried out the f4 ‘L’ incarnation there’s really nothing in it! In fact I prefer the look and also the handling of the variable aperture STM one. Considering the Canon 6D is good in low light the smaller aperture at longer focal lengths is irrelevant, I can put the 6D on a 1000 iso in dull light such as today 20/12/2024, stop it down to f11 at the long end 105mm and it looks sharp across the frame, and very sharp where you actually focus at. (I wouldn’t go any more than f11 due to the diffraction effect when smaller apertures can start having a detrimental effect)

If I’m up close and personal as I usually am when doing street photography... and its dull/overcast I can always pop my portable flash on, as I did with the above image of a street portrait in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, UK. @ ISO 100, f5, 1/60s, direct flash, taken with said Canon EF 24-105mm IS STM variable aperture lens @ 35mm focal length on the Canon 6D. An overlooked, underrated lens, whereas in reality it’s a solid performer with great optics. 

The benefits IMO of the variable aperture one far outweigh any advantage of the constant f4, indeed if there are any advantages? Better build quality for sure on the f4 but the other one isn’t going to fall apart on you, it’s not built like a kid’s toy! One of the main advantages of the ‘L’ lenses are the build quality and weather sealing, and is where a lot of the extra cost goes, great if you photograph in torrential rain or thunderstorms, but I’m a bit of a fair-weather photographer I like a bit of sunlight.

In fact my reliable sources tell me this lens performs better with the new Canon mirror less cameras than both the constant f4 AND the newer f4 mk2 model! There’s a lot of snobbery in the photography world, “photographers” more into the equipment than actual photography (and don’t the manufacturers know it!) many “photographers” would look down their noses at the “old” equipment I prefer and choose to use over mirror less, etc. Reality check… the only camera that really matters (even more than a Leica 😀) is the one in your head! That’s where images are really made, sometimes I even construct an image in my head than go out and make it happen. The camera is just a tool in-between you and your vision, creativity and the subject.