Delighted my photo of the Birsay Whalebone will be included in the fourth and final Summer Salon at Arti et Amicitiae, the Dutch fine arts society. Located on Orkney (Scotland),…
'Dreaming of Bridget Riley, Mr Coot contributes to Op Art' is a caption to one of a series of social media posts about a feisty coot with an unexpected knowledge…
Since this photo of a year ago, Artic Willow has become a mum to daughter Aspen, who’s already won the best kid class at an agricultural show on Orkney where they both live. In a couple of weeks time I’ll back on the Northern Isles and hoping to photograph both of them. Goats are extraordinary animals but tough to work with because they’re in a state of constant motion. So making a portrait like the one above involves at least as much luck as skill… In short, I’m crossing my fingers and hoping to get lucky again!
Is there a family resemblance between these two cats? Both were photographed in Fez Medina in Morocco. The top photo of the elderly gentleman was taken by me in 2013…
When this bird sqauwked loudly above my head, I had no idea that it was an arctic tern and one of the most extraordinary creatures in the world. I did realise it was trying to warn me it had a nest and was imploring to stay away from the chicks. Although I didn’t know where the nest could be, I soon learned that no squawking meant I was moving in the right direction and that frantic squawking indicated that I was risking a re-run of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”. (more…)
Arctic Willow is a prize winning goatling, an adolescent kid who is by turns stroppy, feisty and beguiling. Over the last six weeks I have been photographing her, which is not without its challenges because she’s in constant motion.
Animals are certainly one of my “subjects” and I try to go beyond the furry cuteness to catch a sense of the being itself. In Artic Willow’s case, she’s such an in-your face- flamboyant diva that she overwhelms you with her “beingness”.
However, goats are also famed for their “devilish” qualities. Or, as a farmer recently remarked to me on Facebook, “Goats are just like sheep only evil”. But Arctic Willow is far too much of a drama queen to be called evil… although maybe, just possibly there’s a hint of the dark side along with the endless mischief. (more…)
An elderly gentleman cat living out his days in the Medina of Fez, which is both a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the biggest car-free urban area in the world. Also known as Fes el Bali, the Medina is the oldest walled part of the city, and was founded as the capital of the Moroccan Idrisid dynasty between 789 and 808 AD. The Medina of Fez also boasts the oldest university in the world, the University of Al-Karaouine, and houses a population of 156,000. (more…)
Random car photo Loch of Harray. Location: Orkney, Scotland.
Camera went click and I had nothing to do with it. Hoping for more of these happy coincidences when I return to Orkney in a week’s time. (more…)
According to reports, this is the first antiquity to be destroyed by IS in Palmyra. His name was the Lion of Al-Lat, and he and the antelope lying peacefully between…
