Home to some of the world’s oldest trees, dating back over 2000 years, the Redwood Forests really need to be seen to be believed. The size and beauty of these majestic trees spread across Northern California are a photographer’s dream. The air in the forest is perhaps the cleanest I’ve ever breathed and I had a field day wondering through what can only be described as a cathedral of trees; nature at it’s finest where the only sounds you can hear are the trickle of the streams and the chirping of birds high above. Below are a few of my shots from my hike through the woods as I photographed the trees from a variety of different angles and vantage points:

Perhaps, one of my favourite shots was when I ventured off the designated boardwalk and down into the stream to try and capture the serenity of the National Park. Although the water wasn’t particular fast flowing, the combination of a slow exposure, ND filter and some careful post processing meant I ended up with probably my personal favourite photograph from the day. Here, you can see me taking the shot along with the final result.

Last week, I spent some time on assignment on board the H.M.S Diamond, one of the Royal Navy’s air defence destroyers.

At one point the crew performed a fire drill to demonstrate how they would extinguish a blaze while at sea. Unlike a fire crew on land, Royal Navy firefighters cannot just stand back, be patient and hose a fire allowing it to settle. Instead, they must be far more aggressive, tackling it head on and appease it as fast as possible in fear of damage being caused to the ships body that could subsequently cause it to sink. The guys therefore got suited in heavy-duty fire retardant suits, oxygen masks, hoses and some other nifty gadgets. The smoke machines were then fired up and the strobe lighting turned on within an enclosed cabin on the warship to recreate the chaos of a fire on board; this was a photographer’s dream!!

Due to limits on space and time, I couldn’t set up any extensive lighting so had to rely on strobes as I frantically worked around the crew as they ran through their drills and exercises. Below are just a few of many photographs:

Good luck to the Blue Peter presenter Helen Skelton who today confirmed that she is going to attempt to become the first person to use a bicycle to attempt to reach the South Pole in aid of Sport Relief. I was fortunate enough to photograph the adventurous and intrepid TV presenter for the charity a couple of months ago. She is going to have to cope with subzero temperatures and brutal blizzards while traveling 500 miles across Antarctica dragging over 80kg of weight in a sled in one of the most harsh environments on earth using just skis, a bike and a kite to get her to the South pole. Below is one of the photos of my shoot with Helen which is now being used as her biography shot on the Sport Relief site as well as on the BBC website.  I would really appreciate if you could follow the link and support Helen’s Polar challenge here.

Last night, I continued a personal project I’ve been working on for a while documenting the Occupy London protests outside St Paul’s Cathedral. I’m aiming to eventually compile an entire series demonstrating that the protests are in fact far more peaceful and organized than the mass media often projects and also through my pictures highlight some of the mantras behind the Occupy movement. I have also spent quite a lot of time talking to the protesters to understand their grievances and it is quite remarkable to see how within this tented community they have constructed a a mini ‘university’, kitchen, clothes store, bookshop and music venue. Below are a few of the shots from the series so far:

Here’s a behind the scenes video of a shoot I did for Middle East Golfer magazine recently put together by an excellent fellow photographer Tutti Del Monte:

As part of my regular monthly flagship feature for Middle East Golfer, I recently traveled to Sarasota, Florida to photograph The Concession golf club a course designed by two legends of the game Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin. The 7,470 yard course offered spectacular views over its 18 holes which offered ample opportunities for photography; I even spotted a few alligators in some of the lakes lining the immaculately cut fairways! The course was named the “Best New Private Course” in 2006 by Golf Digest Magazine and I greatly enjoyed my afternoon in the Floridian sun shooting the vast sand traps, sloping greens and natural water features. As always with this feature, I also got to photograph some of the excellent food on offer in the clubhouse (always a highlight!). Below are the results of the feature which were just published in the May version of the magazine.

Thanks to Tutti Del Monte Photography for the behind the scenes shot.

Last weekend, I shot an event for Mott Children’s hospital at the annual Spring game for the University of Michigan Football Team. The hospital holds a very special place in my heart and I am always happy to use my time and expertise to help out at their fund raising events. My brief was to capture the spirit of the event as well as to shoot guests with the Heisman Trophy, the coveted bronze trophy given each year to the most valuable player in college football across the nation. Two of the winners of the Heisman from Michigan, Desmond Howard and Charles Woodson were even on hand to help with the fundraiser and to share with the festivities of the day. The whole event was a great success and raised almost $350,000 for the Women’s and Children’s hospital which is due to open in the fall.

Last week, I was commissioned to shoot the spectacular 260,000 sq foot Angel building in EC1 London for a retail advertisement to go into the magazine “Estates Gazette”.  Developed by Derwent London, the building is home to the head offices of Cancer Research UK and is centered around a magnificent atrium that rises up five stories through the heart of the building. The focus of this cavernous space is a huge, functional piece of furniture designed by architect Ian McChesney and is complemented by similarly unique pieces of sculpture, photography and artwork installations scattered throughout the lobby.

My brief was to bring some energy to the atrium space. After some scouting around the building, I chose to frame the shot for the ad from an elevated view on one of the top office floors. I also decided to use a long exposure to create some motion blur in the photograph which I think instills the resultant photograph with a greater sense of activity and dynamism (this also handily avoids any problems with model releases.) It was then just a case of being patient (one of a photographer’s greatest skills in my opinion) and waiting for a busy time of the day. Above is the resultant advert which ran over the weekend along with some other shots that I took on the day. Enjoy!

I’ve been busy re-sorting some of my catalogs today when some Stones came on my ITunes and encouraged me to go and sort through one of my favorite shoots. This shot was taken during this Summer’s World Cup on a shoot in South Africa.

Last weekend, I was fortunate to be part of history as Michigan took on Michigan State in the worlds largest ever attended ice hockey game, with an attendance of 113, 411 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines defeated the Spartans 5-0 on a momentous day which, was made all the more special by fantastic fireworks display and a spectacular flyover by a B2 Stealth Bomber prior to the dropping of the puck. Below are some photos from a memorable day. Please click on any of the images to see them in a larger resolution and you can contact me using the tab above if you’re interested in purchasing a print.