the IOTMImage of the Month archive

Hot Water. Part of the huge exhibition of glass sculpture by the wonderful Dale Chihuly at Kew Gardens, taken in October 2005. This boat full of glass shapes was one of the more obvious exhibits, and it got my attention as soon as we arrived, but there were many more subtle pieces almost hidden in every part of the gardens. I was shooting into the sun, which really lit up both the colours of the glass and the water from the fountain in the middle of the lake. [posted July 2007]

The Wedding Car. Outside a church in Warsaw on the last afternoon of an excellent two-week tour in eastern Poland. Lots of couples were getting married at other churches too, and they all seemed happy public occasions, with crowds gathering round in the street to watch. Suddenly everyone moved into position. The lady on the right holding up her flowers, the girl on the left in the fashionable skirt... No-one is paying any attention to the car, which is undoubtedly the star of the show at this moment. [posted June 2007]

Wild Tree. I liked this delicately gnarled tree near the edge of Crummock Water (the lake just north of Buttermere), set against a lowering Lake District sky. The weather was horrid – damp and not far off freezing; the forecast said worse was to come. So everyone stayed low. But by the time I reached the end of the lake by a circuitous route at lunchtime, the sun was shining and I was roasting. Shot on a short visit to the Lakes in March 2006 on the Nikon D100 with 12-24mm lens, and converted to monochrome in Photoshop. [posted May 2006]

Two Jags. Boys' toys. These E-Type Jaguars are irresistable, especially for those of us old enough to remember when they were new! There was a row of half a dozen of them at our local Classic Car show, including these gorgeous red examples, all beautifully maintained. Taken with the Nikon D100 with 28-85 set to 66mm (100mm equivalent on 35mm film). [posted October 2005]

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]

(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.

Shadows on the Bakery. Strong midday sun casts sharp shadows of the window boxes and old lamp onto the walls of this 370-year-old baker's shop in Zurich, Switzerland.

After the Storm. Descending into a valley after a superb day's walking in the Swiss Engadin, I was caught in a sudden thunderstorm. As it cleared, and with the air now fresh, I couldn't resist this silhouette of the trees against the brightening sky. My friends – who live in the valley – were concerned for my safety as they know only too well the danger of the frequent storms in the area, but I was well below the storm itself by this time.

Donate to Tate. The huge Turbine Hall at Tate Modern, the inspired gallery of modern art on London's south bank, which was created in the old Bankside power station. [April 2002]

Home from the Sea. On the beach at Cromer on the north Norfolk coast, on New Year's Day 2002 (the East Anglian New Year's Day photo seems to be becoming a tradition!). A small crowd of interested spectators was gathering as the fisherman drove the tractor and trailer into the sea to recover his boat – the only way to do it on this shallow beach – while a perfect blue sky is reflected in the wet sand. The 200mm lens on the F3 again, and Ektachrome E100VS film.

Blue Lagoon, Cumbria. Looking down at a sapling on the shore of Ullswater, in the English Lake District. after a walk over Place Fell. The colours were just changing in Autumn, and nicely offset the sky blue reflected in the lake.

Dome at the V and A. Looking up into the dome at the entrance of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, with its superb Chihuly Chandelier. A digital photo taken in October 2001, at the end of a four month exhibition featuring the exciting and prodigious glass artist Dale Chihuly... Luckily I had the then quite new Coolpix 995 with me, and there were notices saying that Dale Chihuly encourages people to photograph his work. This chandelier is actually a permanent installation. I shot it by setting the self timer, leaving the camera on the floor under the chandelier and walking away. No-one seemed bothered and I was well pleased with the result.

The Lead Singer. Jen, lead singer of London band blusher, at a gig at the Li'l Backyard Club. It was dark - very dark! - the only light coming from three random-position, random-colour lights (one of them is the red light here). So I was using Fuji Provia 1600, rated at ISO3200, and exposures around 1/8 sec at f/4.

The Day They Announced Foot and Mouth. Taken on the Minox at the end of a very wet day in the Lake District, at the end of February 2001. Water had seeped in the top of my gaiters and my boots were full. The Minox was soaked, despite being carried in its case. But I was drawn to the shapes and contrasts as the Herdwick sheep huddled together, and I grabbed a couple of shots, planning to come back the next day with different film and a different camera if the weather was the same, to try to make the most of these grey atmospheric conditions.

Timespan. The old and the new in the beautiful city of Vienna.

On The Beach. On the shore at Dunwich on the East Anglian coast, on New Year's Day 2001. A sudden burst of sunshine lasting only a few minutes. Luckily I had a 200mm lens on the F3 and had just gone back to fetch a tripod. Time for a dozen shots before the light went, as the groups of people (and one or two dogs) walked towards me; this was number 11, about the only one where the foreground couple is large enough in the frame to be a centre of interest, and there are no serious overlaps of the figures in the distance.

Out of Season. A nice arrangement of punts on the river Cam in Cambridge, England, during the winter when no-one wants to hire them. Shot on transparency film, but the picture actually works better as a print than a slide.

Brie. A different style of photo this month, this was shot for a camera club set-subject competition with the title of 'Soft'. A very sharp knife, and what turned out to be a very tasty piece of French brie! Strongly top lit with a lot of fill from a reflector just to the left of the lens. Negtive film (not my first choice but it was convenient for processing). The A3 print is retitled "The Big Cheese".

Ullswater Reflection. I caught sight of this rather nice reflection as I arrived in the Lake District in October 2000, and just had to jump out of the car and record it. I particularly liked the way the tree limits its growth to within a few millimetres of the surface of the lake. Minox 35ML and colour negative film.