Barrio Mercado, Valencia, Spain. February 2002.

Spanish cities have an extraordinary texture to them, like a well worn leather jacket. They’re comfortable, you can see the evidence of the passing years. The patina of age, I believe the antiques people call it. This patina is very fragile however, and with more money to spend many Spanish authorities have revamped their cites to disastrous visual effect. It’s like someone taking away your old leather jacket and giving you a new one – it’s all very well, but it’s just not the same.

Walking to work, Western Romania. October 2004.

This was taken at dawn from a moving train travelling across southern Romania. I love train travel, and the slower the trains the better. Sadly many countries are now replacing their old carriages, in which you could open the windows and take pictures, with the modern, air-conditioned, quiet, high-speed variety. In Romania they don’t even bother to close the doors on the carriages, so you can hang right out with your camera and the whole landscape is your subject.

Heldenplatz, Vienna, Austria. January 2004.

Vienna in the snow. The flakes were huge and falling so gently that, when they landed, they barely seemed to touch the snow already lying. The Viennese take to the snow like it’s their natural element. Fabulous coats and hats, special boots, they look wonderful as they move through the glamorous backdrop of their city centre. Taking pictures in the snow has it’s own dangers – snow flakes are far worse than raindrops for getting water inside the camera and wreaking havoc.

Hauptbahnhof U-Bahn Station, Bonn, Germany. March 2004.

One advantage of carrying a single lens is that it can be a pretty heavy one, so my usual lens is fast. It means I can take the opportunities that present themselves in low light situations, even without a highly sensitive film loaded. This picture is another on the theme of trains

Kaffeehaus, Vienna, Austria. October 2003.

The coffee house culture in Vienna is fabulous. Places of quietude and civilisation, unpretentious, frequented by young and old alike, and everyone in between. Anyone who has the price of a cup of coffee can sit and read the papers, chat with friends or plan a revolution. I wish I knew what this lady had read that gave her such a reaction.

Mercado Central, Valencia, Spain. February 2002.

Just as the market was closing I caught this woman closing her ostrich stand and took a very quick shot – a prime example of the importance being ready, always. Her expression tells of her relief at the end of the working day, but there is also humour in the picture, which I love to see. If a picture raises a smile it will stay in the memory, and will – I hope – also encourage the viewer to look more closely at the image.