Gondola Pattern. A return to black & white after more years than I can remember! Actually converted from a colour image shot originally on the Nikon D100, using the Channel Mixer in Photoshop. Much of the subject, on a canal in Venice, was black anyway of course, apart from the fabric covers over the gondolas, but I think reducing the image to a series of shapes suits it quite well, especially in the very dull lighting. [posted July 2005]

Autumn Woodland. The base of an old tree in a leaf covered clearing in an English wood – caught in a shaft of sunlight – using the 12-24 zoom on the Nikon D100. Taken in autumn 2003 when this superb zoom was still very new; I've used it a lot since then. At 20mm (30mm equivalent on 35mm film) it gives a normal looking view of the foreground tree while preserving the spacious feeling of the surrounding clearing. [December 2004]

Grass Shadow. Three of blades of grass in strong sun on the dunes at Brancaster, on the North Norfolk coast of England. Shot very close up with a 12mm lens – actually the 12-24 zoom – on the Nikon D100 to pick up the grains of sand in the forground (almost literally!) and still hold the view of the footprints in the background. [September 2004]

Dali-Bike. A fairly common scene in the cycling-strong city of Cambridge, England: two bikes carefully locked to railings at Great St. Mary's Church, but unfortunately going nowhere. I liked the August evening sun and the added contrast of the puddle following a rain shower. Taken with a new toy at the time – a Nikon 2200 2 megapixel camera which I'd brought to use as a diary camera, and for grabbing shots like this. In choosing it I deliberately kept the pixel count low so that I wouldn't be tempted to use it for 'serious' pictures (I have the D100 for that), but it was great value for money and produced well balanced images straight out of the box – ideal for on-screen viewing and the web. [August 2004]

Early Barley. I love walking in the fields round here – virtually all arable farming – and watching progress of the crops. Right now the barley is almost fully formed and the heads are starting to bend over. It's a delicate crop and the fields have been swaying like the ocean in the breeze. Strong winds have almost flattened parts of some fields and I hope that won't cause problems for later. A few weeks of sun and we'll be into harvest time. [June 2004]

Beetle. I couldn't resist the colour contrast as I set out for a walk one evening. Ouch! The old VW 'Beetle' really is about that colour (nice paint job) and the last traces of light in the sky above emphasise the shine of the paintwork against the shadowed road and houses. Well, the brightness range between the car and the sunset was far too wide for a digital camera so it's actually two (hand-held) exposures combined. [May 2004]

Marathon Runners. The bustle and effort of the tightly packed runners in the 2004 London Marathon as they pass adverts at around quarter distance – only another 20 miles to go! If you're a spectator looking for someone in particular (four years ago my daughter ran a good time) it's almost impossible to spot them among the 32,000 runners as they blur past. [April 2004]

Still Life?. What the papers were saying at the beginning of 2004. There was much argument at the time (and since) about dodgy dossiers, what the politicians really knew about the Iraq intelligence, what the intelligence chaps had told them... The headlines seemed explosive. I set up a traditional 1950s-style still life, with the glasses, but brought up to date with the contemporary newspapers. The mottled sunlight through the net curtains was perfect, and I could neatly highlight 'Blair' in the headline. [February 2004] / more...

(Newspaper headlines © The Times & The Independent)

The Bridge. Wonderful engineering detail under one of the arches of Southwark Bridge over the River Thames in London. Taken as part of the Walk by the Thames series in the early days of the Nikon D100.

Bikescape. Bright colours and strong sun on a bike and scooter park in Zurich, Switzerland.