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Surprisingly I’ve never explored Provence having previously spent numerous years in Asia. Provence conjures up fragrant fields of lavender and endless villages with their respective markets displaying the enticing culinary produce of the region. The landscape and colours of Provence has also inspired an array of iconic names of the art world, Cézanne, Matisse, Renoir, van Gogh, and endless other artists who were all drawn by the climate and the clarity of the light. Le Mistral, the wind of Provence, being responsible for this special quality of light removing the dust from the atmosphere and in doing so increasing the visibility. Visiting the Saint-Paul Asylum where van Gogh was hospitalised was incredibly emotional. The year he spent in Saint-Remy-de-Provence was his most productive creating more than a thousand paintings. There are still numerous recognisable elements in the landscape that proved to be inspirational for his creations. Provence has always been considered a photographer’s dream and I can now appreciate why, Le Mistral creates a clarity of light particularly conducive to photography. Photographic prints are available from any of the images on the website please complete the enquiry form for further information.

With it’s historic position as France’s oldest city and a tradition, with it’s Vieux Port, of being renowned for trafficking a variety of dubious imports I was initially wary wandering the streets of Marseille at dusk in search of a suitable location for the sunrise, particularly being armed with my cameras and tripod. There wasn’t any need to be concerned, there is a vibrancy about the commercial areas of Marseille that is infectious. It’s of no surprise that the French National Anthem was named La Marseillaise after it was sung by the volunteers from Marseille as they marched to the capital, Paris, in 1795. The spirit lives on in this much transformed City with it’s impressive harbour and vibrant street life and the obvious pride evident in the local population. Marseille is a fascinating city to photograph particularly the winding streets of Le Panier de Marseille with it’s never ending photographic opportunities and no trip to Marseille is complete without having sampled Bouillabaise, the classic French fish soup. Photographic prints are available from any of the images on the website please complete the enquiry form for further information.

Leaving a wintry UK behind the arduous journey back to New Zealand culminated in an additional ten day stay in a quarantine hotel. This was eventually rewarded with some wonderful weather on re-entering the real world. Auckland is an incredibly diverse city surrounded by some stunningly beautiful land and seascapes and home to the largest ethnic Polynesian population in the world which adds to the vibrancy of the City. Auckland has numerous diverse suburbs with one of the more renowned commercial areas being Karangahape Road. Commonly known as K’ Road it’s a marginal suburb that historically had a dubious reputation as a red light district. While being gentrified in recent years with numerous restaurants and bars it still has an array of unusual characters who frequent the area and an edginess that will hopefully live on. This makes K’ Road an occasionally challenging area to photograph but the Kiwi openness is always evident. Photographic prints are available from any of the images on the website please complete the enquiry form for further information.