Its that time of year again – taking stock and looking back; here are my personal favourite shots from the last 12 months…

Aquatics Centre, Stratford, London, UK (Nikon D810 with Nikon 19mm PC lens – 1/8th at F/16 & ISO64)

Shot on a cold January sunrise – I wanted the first warm light of the day catching the wooden facade of the Aquatics Centre. This was shot as 3 frames shifted up and down, and then stitched together in post production.

Sirmione, Lake Garda, Brescia, Lombardy, Italy, Europe (Nikon D810 with Nikon 50mm F/1.4 lens – 1/125th at F/8 & ISO250) 

As the ‘Beast from the East’ brought freezing weather from Siberia across Europe we headed away to Northern Italy. This shot was about the minimalism – the foggy conditions reduced visibility, a monochrome view with just four buoys in the water.

Street scene at night, Dali, Yunnan Province, China (Nikon D810 with Nikon 50mm F/1.4 lens – 1/125th at F/2.8 & ISO400)

In Dali, and Yunnan in general, I was struggling to find the traditional China I’d hoped to photograph, in Dali it seemed as if tourism had taken over with no restraint shown by city planners – every building was a gift shop, restaurant or hotel. However on this backstreet I found a view that worked, the timing was perfect with the twilight sky and artificial lighting over the market stall, and then the chef walked out of his kitchen for a break.

Men playing traditional game of Xiangqi (Chinese Chess), Dali, Yunnan Province, China (Nikon D810 with Sigma 35mm F/1.4 lens – 1/400th at F/2 & ISO200)

Also in Dali, which is in the far west of China, Yunnan Province. The man on the left makes his move, whilst the one next to him breathes out the cigarette smoke, I also wanted the right background, so aligned the traditional Chinese shopfronts behind the players. I remember a Chinese tourist obnoxiously stepped into this frame with his camera just after I shot this, before I ushered him away!

Sunrise over Canary Wharf, London, UK (DJI Mavic Pro – 26 frames merged together in Lightroom)

With a Mavic Pro purchased on that recent trip to China I was ready to begin shooting aerials – exciting times.

Sunset over Tower Bridge, London, UK (DJI Mavic Pro – 26 frames merged together in Lightroom)

The quality which the Mavic produces really impressed me, it can shoot RAW files, and can do panoramic mergers giving incredible creative potential.

Portrait of man in traditional dress, Feira de Cordoba, Córdoba, Andalucia, Spain (Nikon D810 with Sigma 35mm F/1.4 lens – 1/320th at F/1.4 & ISO64)

May is festival season in Andalucia, Spain. We were over there for a friends wedding, but spent a week exploring the region as well. This was taken at the annual fair of Córdoba – a medieval city founded by the Romans, occupied by the Moors, and once the biggest city in Europe.

Exterior of Heydar Aliyev Building at night (designed by Zaha Hadid), Baku, Azerbaijan (Nikon D850 with Nikon 19mm PC lens – 2.5 Sec at F/8 & ISO100)

A new camera and a new part of the world, I had just upgraded to the latest Nikon DSLR – the D850, and was on assignment in the former Soviet state; Azerbaijan.

Portrait of Sohret the Tea seller, Ganja, Azerbaijan (Nikon D810 with Sigma 35mm F/1.4 lens – 1/1000th at F/2.2 & ISO100)

The job I was working on was an architectural commission, but I managed to shoot some personal work along the way, we stopped at the roadside so my driver could purchase some tea from this man, and I saw the portrait potential, the tea is really nice too!

Interior of Opera House Wiener Staatsoper, Vienna, Austria (Nikon D850 with Nikon 19mm PC lens – 1/60th at F/4 & ISO1600)

A long weekend break in Vienna and Bratislava brought us to The Opera House, visiting as part of a group tour, I snuck off from the group at the end so I could get back in the theatre to get this picture, resting the camera flat on the floor and using self timer to initiate the shutter release.

View on Autumn dawn from Loughrigg Fell, Lake District, Cumbria, England, United Kingdom (Nikon D850 with Nikon 24-70mm F/2.8 lens – 1/30th at F/9 & ISO100)

I’d been meaning to visit Cumbria in the Autumn for years, but always had commercial jobs getting in the way, this year finally made it and so glad I did, the colours and scenery were gorgeous, and I was pretty lucky with the light. I climbed up Loughrigg Fell before dawn hoping for some good early light, in the end I had a chilly hour spent at the top waiting for the sun to finally break through.

Canopy Walkway through tropical rainforest in Kakum National Park, Ghana, Africa

And the final frame of the year, shot on 1st December 2018. I am always excited about shooting exotic landscapes, particularly those which we don’t have in the UK – such as the Rainforest. This canopy walkway is one of only 3 in the whole of Africa, and gives brave users a chance to see the forest from the treetops.