A late summer break saw us visit Halkidiki in Greece. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty where no part of the land is further than 40 kilometres from the sea. Pine forests tumble down hills to the waters edge, the air being heady with their scent. It is a land steeped in mythology and history, both ancient and modern. Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece, is a wonderful place for the photographer and offers subject matter diverse enough to satisfy all tastes. My first visit to the region was in 1983 and I always planned to return… but I never anticipated it taking more than 30 years. All images were taken using a Leica X Typ 113 which proved more than adequate for the task.
Not as well known as Pompeii but in our opinion, far more poignant, Herculaneum suffered the same fate in 79AD as its larger neighbour, Pompeii. The preserved state of many buildings is truly remarkable…carbonised wooden doors, shutters and roof joists tell something of the horror that engulfed the entire area, burying it in up to 16 meters of ash and pumice. Our visit coincided with a thunderstorm which lent the site an ominous atmosphere that, at times, gave the impression that the volcano was once again stirring. In a devastating twist of irony, what Vesuvius destroyed it also preserved.
The archaeological site of Pompeii needs little in the way of introduction and our recent travels to Italy saw us spend a day there. Avoiding the crowds was the largest challenge when it came to photography, but patience prevailed and rewarded us with images that give the illusion that we had the site to ourselves. Reproduced here is a sample of our work and not a true representation of the bun fight and constant dodging of selfie sticks that accompanied our trip. It would be nice to return during the winter months, maybe on an atmospheric wet day, and capture more of Pompeii’s essence.
Our base whilst visiting sights in and around the Bay of Naples in June 2016 was the holiday town of Sorrento. Perfectly situated for the many sights in the area, we never really discovered it until a couple of days before we flew home. In this time we managed to capture a little of its essence, from quiet backstreets to panoramic vistas.
No visit to the Bay of Naples is complete without at least one day on the island of Capri. Its beauty attracts many day trippers…consequently the port, main town and Ano Capri become very congested. Our time here was limited to just a day so we took up the gruelling challenge of walking from the port to Ano Capri, where we jumped on the chair lift to get the the highest part of the island. Not content with this, we shunned transport and walked back to the port again. Here are a few images taken throughout the day.
We recently visited the Eternal City as part of a holiday in Italy. Having never visited before, we were overwhelmed with subject matter and spent most of our time viewing the city through camera lenses. Averaging walking distances of ten miles each day, the visit was both exhausting and exhilarating, and we are very aware that our efforts of discovery barely scratched the surface. From the hundreds of images captured we have attempted to represent our time there with those shown below.
A recent business trip to St Ives, Cornwall allowed me a little bit of free time to explore the surrounding area. But as usual the weather conditions were less than ideal and the sun only seemed to come out while I was working away with my head rammed in a server cabinet. But determined not to let Britain’s famous summer weather deter me, I headed out to photograph St Ives, Cape Cornwall and of course, Lands End. Here are the results…
Derbyshire aside, Northumberland is one of our favourite counties. It’s history, landscape and unspoiled coastline add up to an intoxicating mix for the photographer. Like many visitors, we tend to base ourselves near the coast due to the allure of capturing dramatic seascapes and deserted beaches. History abounds in Northumberland, in fact it is hard to escape it. The stunning castles at Anwick and Bamburgh are must sees, as are the hauntingly beautiful ruins of Dunstanburgh. For wildlife photographers there are the Farne Islands and the tidal region of Budle bay, home to many species of seabird.
Delphi…a mysterious and spectacular sanctuary located high on the flanks of Mount Parnassus in Central Greece. Known in ancient times as the Omphalos (navel of the world) and sacred to the god Apollo, it was a place of pilgrimage for royalty, politicians and commanders requiring prophetic insight into what the future held. The ambiguity of the Oracle’s responses propelled armies to their glory or doom, and warring city states built glorious treasuries housing spoils of war and offerings to the powerful son of Zeus and Leto.