Category: Personal

Normalisation

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Well, Obama shook hands with Castro in Havana today. The US national anthem is played over and over in front of José Martí’s memorial in Independence square. Historic day indeed, as President Obama is the first US president to set foot in Cuba since 1928.

The people of Cuba long for a better life with less restrictions, to travel and run businesses. Only 90miles from US soil, young Cubans hang out on the Malecón sea wall in the evenings, to cool off, but mainly to drink, sing and just chill with mates.

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I brought a group of keen photographers to Cuba in 2011 to photograph Havana and the countryside. The Cubans are warm and friendly but in a wary way. The service industry is patchy and the food is only average (apart from several amazing restaurants) but the music and smiles will charm you.

Take a look at what our group photographed in 10-days here.

Niedziela Palmowa

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Christians today commemorate Christ’s entry into Jerusalem on a donkey, and this Sunday is also known as Palm Sunday as palm branches were laid on the path of his entry into the city, before he was betrayed and crucified on Good Friday. Hence, today marks the beginning of Holy Week, the last week in Lent.

I was fortunate to attend a choir performance of Faure’s Requeim at the Polish church of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Islington, a friend was singing Baritone, and got this photograph of three Polish shool boys selling homemade palms and cakes by the church entrance. These palms are wholly different from the ones handed out in the other churches.

100 Days

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Just 100 days to the Brexit referendum, on June 23rd. The public is getting informed by polls and opinions from both sides of the campaign. No one really knows what the effects would be for Britain if there was an ‘out’ victory.

What lies beneath

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Got off my backside and forced myself to go for a walk in the cold and dank weather yesterday down in Shanklin beach. The tide was low and exposed a great distance of the pebble-sands from the steep 150m drop cliffs. What a find, as I was to discover these two ancient trees trunks lying, rotting, hardening, prone like two giant carcasses left to the forces of nature.

InstantLondon : Dearly Departed

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Brompton Cemetery, Fulham

One of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries of London, the Brompton Cemetery was first opened in 1840 and houses over 200,000 burials with some 35,000 headstones, mausoleums and simple plots. Some parts are overgrown with hedges and creepers, making it a favourite for photography and movies. It is located right next to Stamford Bridge the home of Chelsea F.C. One can’t help imagining the souls of the departed bearing up with the roar of the stadium as the home team scores each time.

InstantLondon ~ Man with pint

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One of my favourite pubs to relax in London, The Churchill Arms. The pub in Kensington was built in the 1750s, and is famously known for it’s amazing external floral display in the summer. Churchill’s grandparents used to frequent it in the 1800s hence the name, after WW2. It is also the first pub in London to serve Thai food and still does. I hear that the Thai restaurant is now owned by an Irishman.

One-horse race

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This chariot-trike bike is such an amazingly simple design that can bring tons of adventure to young children. It reminded me of the 70s Chopper with three gears and the extended handlebars which I had. I used to do wheelies on it and race my brother around the local streets after school. But this trike is even better, it has no handlebars, instead, to make turns, it has a pair of leather reins controlled by the child as he or she pedals.

Promenade, Menton, Alpes-Maritimes

Le Café Marly – Paris Review

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Been looking through my archives this morning searching out my past Parisian images, after seeing a brilliant image of the Eiffel Tower in the snow, with a military-geared young couple racing towards the photographer in the foreground, taken by Lee Miller in 1944.

I have photographed a lot of Paris, since 1999 to 2003 and several other shorter periods later on, in fact, my second exhibition was held at the Light Gallery in London in December 2004, jointly with my friend Andy Craggs, with our Parisian images in tribute to Cartier Bresson who passed away earlier that same year. I think any ardent ‘street’ fan would safely put hand on heart that he or she was once inspired by HCB’s amazing work, in no uncertain terms. In any case, HCB would stand high up on the list of the greatest photographers in the world, in terms of inspiring new artists to taking up street photography.

This image was taken at the famous Le Café Marly on the Rivoli, by the Louvre in 2001. It is a ‘must see’ spot for any Paris visitor as it affords a grand view of the glass Pyramid, set amongst the amazing historic site.

I hope to post more of these Parisian images, as I find them.