Rather than try to describe the Taj Mahal myself, here’s a little extract from Lonely Planet followed by some of my favourite photographs from my visit:

“The Taj was built by Shah Jahan as a memorial for his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their 14th child in 1631. The death of Mumtaz left the emperor so heartbroken that his hair is said to have turned grey virtually overnight. Construction of the Taj began the following year and, although the main building is thought to have been built in eight years, the whole complex was not completed until 1653. In total, some 20,000 people from India and Central Asia worked on the building. Specialists were brought in from as far away as Europe to produce the exquisite marble screens and pietra dura (marble inlay work) made with thousands of semiprecious stones. The Taj was designated a World Heritage Site in 1983 and looks as immaculate today as when it was first constructed.”

Tourists are no longer allowed to wander freely along the riverbank on the opposite side of the Yamuna River, but there is still a path leading down to the river where you can stand behind the fencing and see the Taj from a different angle. Sadly, the evening I had chosen to get my sunset shots was extremely hazy and in the end I left with not a single shot of the Taj, I did however take some photographs of a young girl carrying sticks on her head on the walk down to the river which for me made the whole journey out there worthwhile!

Although famous for the Taj Mahal, Agra has many other historic Mughal Empire sites worthy of a visit, sadly I only had time to choose one other and so off to Sikandra I headed. The Tomb of Akbar the Great is an important Mughal architectural masterpiece built between 1605 and 1613 and is set in 119 acres of grounds and the interior is absolutely stunning. Akbar himself planned his own tomb and selected a suitable site for it, after his death Akbar’s son Jahangir completed the construction. It should be said that Akbar is considered to be one of the greatest emperors of his time.

The festival gets underway with a traditional procession of elephants which proudly parade up and down festival grounds. Each elephant is decorated from head to toe with exceptional care in the hope of the winning the prestigious ‘Best Decorated Elephant’ award, decorations include floral motifs, elaborate paintings, glittering jewels, patterned mirror work and high quality velvets.

At the end of the procession the elephants and their mahouts all line up next to each other in the hope of catching the judges’ eyes and to simply “wow” the tourists who have come to experience one of Rajasthan’s most popular festivals. Once the judging has been made many other events are started to make the day simply unforgettable – folk dances, traditional music, and a tug-of-war between elephants, locals and foreigners!

The festival truly is a visual feast with Rajasthani songs, dances, devotional music and the most impressive part – the processions. Each afternoon of the three day festival, the sensationally dressed women embark on a procession through the streets of Udaipur carrying images of the goddess Gauri on their heads, the long procession only ends once they arrive at their final destination, Gangaur Ghat on Lake Pichola.

This is the second time I have been lucky enough to witness the festival and although this year it appears to be slightly more geared towards attracting tourists, the cultural and spiritual side still remains strong amongst the women. Rather than try and describe to you how beautiful all of the women looked and just how colourful the festival is, I think it’d be best just to show you a small selection of my favourite photographs, some from my first visit in 2010 and some from this year, I hope you enjoy them.

As I mentioned the scenery in this area is absolutely beautiful, from the smaller villages of Bhagsu and Dharamkot, to the general view around the hillsides of McLeod Ganj. It really was a pleasure walking around these villages and being constantly surrounded by the Dhauladhar range of mountains was magical. It is said to rain here most of the time and that it did, however I did get a couple of day of clear blue skies and uninterrupted views, here are a small selection of the shots I took on my many walks, both during the day and in the evening.

McLeod Ganj is also known as the new Lhasa and as you would expect there are multitudes of Tibetan souvenirs for sale such as prayer wheels, singing bowls and exquisite jewellery; most inlaid with coral and turquoise and created by true artisans. There are of course the mass produced products found all over India but if you look a little harder every now and again you find some truly beautiful pieces.

No visit to McLeod Ganj would be complete without visiting the nearby monasteries and temples; my favourite Buddhist experience by far was sitting amongst the colourful prayer flags at Tsangpa Monastery and catching a glimpse of the majestic Dhauladhar range of mountains behind them. The monastery is located within the Tsuglagkhang Complex which is the official residence of the Dalai Lama, who sadly was not in attendance during my visit, here’s hoping His Holiness will be next time I have the chance to visit!

Inspired by the lotus flower and designed by Fariborz Sahba, the design for the House of Worship in New Delhi is made up of 27 free-standing marble clad “petals” arranged in clusters of three to form nine sides. The white marble used for the exterior was sourced from Penteli Mountain in Greece, the very same mountain from which many ancient monuments and other Bahá’í Houses of Worship are built.

The structure itself looks stunning any time of the day but it really comes into its own during the evening. An elaborate lighting design highlights the building amazingly and makes for some really sensational architectural photographs. I was kindly allowed to stay within the grounds after closing time so that I could get some clear shots and really show the structure at its best, here’s hoping you all think I did a good job!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Bahá’í faith here’s some information that I found on Wikipedia:

“Three core principles establish a basis for Bahá’í teachings and doctrine: the unity of God, the unity of religion, and the unity of humankind. From these postulates stems the belief that God periodically reveals his will through divine messengers, whose purpose is to transform the character of humankind and develop, within those who respond, moral and spiritual qualities. Religion is thus seen as orderly, unified, and progressive from age to age.

Like all other Bahá’í Houses of Worship, the Lotus Temple is open to all regardless of religion, or any other distinction, as emphasized in Bahá’í texts. The Bahá’í laws emphasize that the spirit of the House of Worship be that it is a gathering place where people of all religions may worship God without denominational restrictions. The Bahá’í laws also stipulate that only the holy scriptures of the Bahá’í Faith and other religions can be read or chanted inside in any language; while readings and prayers can be set to music by choirs, no musical instruments can be played inside. Furthermore no sermons can be delivered, and there can be no ritualistic ceremonies practiced.”

A captivating town with narrow lanes of Brahmin-blue houses, lakes, hills, bazaars and a temple at every turn, Bundi is dominated by a fantastical palace of faded parchment cupolas and loggias rising from the hillside above the town. Sadly the palace is now extremely run down and many parts are closed, however the 17th century Badal Mahal with its painted domed ceiling and the 18th century Chitrasala with its beautiful turquoise paintings are definitely worth a visit and I spent quite a few hours in both of these rooms capturing as many images of the paintings as I could.

With my flying visit of Bundi over, it was time to visit Amritsar. Founded in 1577 by the fourth Sikh guru, Ram Das, Amritsar is home to Sikhism’s holiest shrine, the spectacular Golden Temple. The gold-plated gurdwara glitters in the middle of its sacred pool of placid water and draws millions of pilgrims from all over the world. A welcome escape from the frenetic bazaars, this gilded temple is rated by many tourists as a glowing highlight of their visit to India. However in a very unusual turn of events it actually rained all day in Amritsar and so I was unable to get any daytime shots of the spectacular Golden Temple, the rain did hold off long enough in the evening though which gave me the chance to get some sunset and blue hour shots.

During my stay in Jaisalmer the annual Desert Festival was scheduled to take place. The festival is a showcase of Rajasthani culture and arts, with the majority of events focused around the desert dinosaur, the camel! From camel polo matches to spectacular routines performed by men in traditional dress, anything that could be done with a camel had a time and venue allocated. Rather than try to describe the events and sights of this 3 day festival I think it may be best to just show you some of the photographs!

Once the festival had passed I booked a guide to take me to some of the gypsy villages surrounding Jaisalmer. At first I was a little worried that I wouldn’t get to see any residents as everywhere we went was totally deserted, luckily though in the last village there was a family relaxing outside their traditional home, happy to meet us and have their photograph taken.

As the finale to my stay in Jaisalmer I booked a private camel safari to what was described as tranquil and tourist-free sand dunes. As many of you will know what you are promised when booking excursions rarely seems to be the case once you arrive, but an hour into our trek I saw the sand dunes rising magnificently out of the desert, and as promised, no other people in sight – a truly magical place to watch the sun set with only the sound of the wind passing you by.

As more and more tourists equip themselves with top-end professional cameras, the opportunity to get great shots reduces. This is solely due to the fact that many tourists do not show any kind of respect to the people they are trying to photograph, which in turn makes the local residents understandably angry and also means they refuse to have their photograph taken. All in all it is a very sad situation, and it only seems to be getting worse, making the professional photographers’ job even harder.

Luckily people seem to warm to me quite quickly, I have no idea what it is about me but usually after 5 minutes of chatting it’s like we have known each other for quite some time, and it’s due to this that I managed to get some photographs of one family. The first day I met them, after sitting down and having a few laughs, I took a number of portraits and promised to send them the images, however on my return home I came across a printer and so had them all printed the same day. The following morning I found my way through the maze of streets to this particular family’s home to give them their photographs, needless to say they were absolutely delighted and brought everyone from the neighbouring houses around to have a look. It is experiences like these that the tourists who simply shove their cameras into other people’s faces miss out on entirely, which is a shame as it is experiences like this that make my trip!

A trip to Jodhpur would not be complete for me without a quick visit to Jaswant Thada and the market, and here are a few of the photos that I managed to capture, plus the second photo shows what I class as the best tea stall in all of India, no other glass of chai will compare to this place!

As I mentioned earlier this was not my first encounter with Jodhpur, and the main reason I chose to re-visit this magical place was to get out into the Thar Desert and meet the Bishnois. I was fortunate enough to find a guide who said he knew of some villages not frequented by groups of tourists and so the Bishnoi living there were very traditional and enjoyed meeting the one or two tourists who came to see them each year. After a very long drive along unmarked roads and past untouched desert we arrived at the villages and were greeted with smiles and curiosity, and unusually for tribal villages, a keen interest in having their photographs taken. Everyone was extremely friendly and numerous offers of chai were extended, and even though all of our conversations had to be translated I felt very much a friend to everyone I met, it truly was an absolute pleasure.

For those of you not familiar with this group of people here’s some information that I found on Wikipedia:

“The Bishnois are known as the conservationists to whom the preservation of animal and vegetable life is a religion and has been so from the early 15th century. Their lives are governed by tenets created by their spiritual mentor, Guru Jambheshwa – 10 are directed towards personal hygiene and maintaining good basic health, seven for healthy social behaviour, and five tenets to worship God. Eight tenets have been prescribed to preserve bio-diversity and encourage good animal husbandry.

The most famous Bishnoi story is that of the Khejarli Massacre; the Bishnois narrate the story of Amrita Devi, a Bishnoi woman who, along with more than 366 other Bishnois, died saving the Khejarli trees. Nearly 2 centuries back, Maharajah Abhay Singh of Jodhpur required some woods for the construction of his new palace. So the king sent his soldiers to cut trees in the nearby region of Khejarli, where the village is filled with the large number of trees. But when Amrita Devi and local villagers came to know about it, they opposed the king’s men. The malevolent feudal party told her that if she wanted the trees to be spared, she would have to give them money as bribe. She refused to acknowledge this demand and told them that she would consider it as an act of insult to her religious faith and would rather give away her life to save the green trees. Every year, in September, the Bishnois assemble there to commemorate the extreme sacrifice made by their people to preserve their faith and religion.”

The first stop in my Indian itinerary and a place I normally only visit to relax – Goa! I have visited Goa countless times but in all honesty I’ve never taken my camera out of its bag. This is the one place I normally visit to have a quick holiday, and each and every time I annoy myself by not taking any photographs, well not this time, no holiday was scheduled and I made myself a plan which would ensure I left with some classic Goan images of 3 of my favourite places – Palolem, Anjuna and Vagator.

Palolem Beach was my first destination, the most southerly of Goa’s developed beaches and once the state’s most idyllic. Nowadays its beauty is very much dependent on your point of view. For those who believe a beach cannot be paradise without a decent selection of cheap restaurants and hotels, a dose of nightlife and plenty of likeminded people then Palolem is still top pick. With its large white sand beach and cloudless blue skies it really is hard to find fault with this place, and even with the large crowds it attracts you can always find a quiet spot on the beach if you are willing to walk a little.

A series of rusty cliffs and headlands bursting out of thickets of greenery help to give Vagator one of the prettiest settings on the north Goan coast, It’s this back drop combined with the quiet beaches that have made large contingents of long-stay backpackers and party people religiously set up camp here for months on end every season. Time as ever was moving too quickly and so I only had one day to take photographs in Vagator, so up and down the beach I walked until I felt I had enough coverage, then it was time to find somewhere for sunset shots. Luckily I found my evening location relatively quickly which gave me a good hour to relax in the sun before getting back to work.

Famous throughout Goa for its Wednesday flea market, Anjuna’s name still pulls in backpackers, European ravers and long-term hippies. With a few shots in mind I arrived at the market a few hours before it normally gets going which gave me the chance to get some interior shots before the crowds made it impossible and also freed up my afternoon to try and photograph the beach sellers in their colourful and sometimes traditional dress.

My evening was spent capturing what can only be described as one of the most orange sunsets I have ever seen. My trip to Tanah Lot in Indonesia still remains as the most spectacular sunset; however there is something about a truly orange sunset that makes me smile! My favourite image from that evening was of a couple stood watching the sun go down, who miraculously didn’t move an inch during my 30 second exposure, so they must have been enjoying the views as much as me!

My days here were spent cycling around the island, relaxing in one of the many riverside cafes and watching spectacular sunsets. It seems more appropriate to simply show you some of my photographs rather than describing exactly where and how I got them, as this being such a small place they all tend to be very similar in explanation, although not so in appearance – hopefully my photographs will give you a better sense of this tranquil place more so than my words!

The next stop I had planned was to the Bolaven Plateau, and sadly I had just a single day to see the highlights. I decided it would be best to arrange a tour, so as to not waste time by inevitably getting lost on the small roads that criss-cross the area. After visiting several tour agencies I found a company who would take me to an animist Katu village and to see the famous Tad Lo waterfall the following day.

We arrived in a small Katu village where thankfully one of the villagers agreed to take us around and explain a little about the culture and beliefs of the Katu tribe. We were met by curious eyes as we walked around the village but after a while people really warmed to us and through our guide we had some fun conversations, the women were especially pleased with my photographs and kept bringing more and more of their children out so they could have their picture taken too!

The final stop was to the cool and peaceful Tad Lo waterfall, I had arranged to stay here longer than most visitors do as I planned to use my LEE Big Stopper to capture the flowing water and this beautiful place. After a few hours and countless walks up and down the river I felt happy with my work and so headed back to Pakse for my final night in Laos.

My South East Asian experience has come to a temporary halt as I head over to the Indian Subcontinent. For the next 4 months I will be travelling around India, experiencing and seeing a totally different side of what Asia has to offer and of course always striving to get that perfect photograph…

To see the full gallery of images from Laos please click here

As I only had a single day to explore Vientiane I thought it best to focus on the two most popular sites, namely Pha That Luang and Wat Si Saket.

Pha That Luang, which translates as “Great Stupa”, is a gold-covered Buddhist stupa located in the centre of Vientiane. Even after undergoing several reconstructions the architecture of the building still includes many references to Lao culture and identity, and is generally regarded as the most important national monument in Laos. The stupa today consists of three levels, each conveying a reflection of part of the Buddhist doctrine.

After being blessed with yet another beautiful clear blue sky I set off to photograph this famous stupa. It was unusually quiet when I arrived at the site and although that made it easier for me to get some wide angle shots it did make me wonder where all of the tourists had gone. I never did find out and for the few hours I spent here I was mainly on my own which made it quite a surreal experience.

Wat Si Saket, built between 1819 and 1824 by Chao Anou, is believed to be Vientiane’s oldest surviving temple; some say due to the fact the temple was built in the Siamese style of Buddhist architecture, this style perhaps saving it from the destruction that came with the Siamese armies in 1828.

The most unusual feature in this serene temple is the thousands of small niches in the outer wall, each of which houses a small Buddha image, and on shelves in front of the cloister wall are three rows of larger Buddha images, in various styles and materials. Some say there are actually around 7000 Buddha images housed within the temple grounds; however as time was ticking on I couldn’t undertake the task of actually counting them so we are just going to have to believe what we have been told!

It is certainly time to get back to the country after so much city living and as my next destination is a small island on the Mekong River it should balance my trip out nicely, so goodbye Vientiane and hello Don Det!

On my arrival in Vang Vieng I feared that although I may have a lot of fun I was unsure about what photographs I would be able to take, as far as first impressions go this dusty town does not instantly “wow” its visitors but once you get away from the centre you remember why it was that you came here – the beautiful scenery.

I spent a few days on the river trying to capture the fun people have here tubing, and what fun the travellers had! With numerous riverside bars to float to, rope swings to get you back into the water, zip lines to try out and music which makes even the most weary traveller dance, fun is had by all. Admittedly this scene will not be for everyone but Vang Vieng has much more than just tubing.

Although the town itself is growing at an alarming rate, just before the sun goes down the river side is a beautiful place to be. The warm light makes everything seem more relaxed and the river flowing past you is the only sound, this is Vang Vieng’s calmer side. Sadly the weather was quite bad for the majority of my stay but there was one night where the sunset was quite spectacular, and luckily I was sat waiting with my camera to capture it.

Due to the poor weather I didn’t get chance to venture further into the countryside, although I’m sure I’ll be back at some point so will have to get the missing photographs then, but for now it was time to leave Vang Vieng and head to the country’s capital, Vientiane.

Colour is the first of Luang Prabang’s virtues to greet travellers. Pearly frangipanis with their heady perfume, banks of overgrown trees peppered with scarlet flowers, the burnt sienna robes of hundreds of monks and their novices, and resplendent gold and claret wats. The brew of gleaming temple roofs, crumbling French provincial architecture and multi-ethnic inhabitants captivates even the most jaded travellers, and the quiet benevolence of the city’s residents lulls them into a somnambulant bliss.” – Lonely Planet

My journey in Laos began in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Luang Prabang, a tranquil city located in the north at the confluence of the Nam Khan River and the Mekong River. With a staggering amount of sites to be visited and scenery to be photographed I spent a long time before my arrival trying to create an itinerary that would allow me to cover this enchanting place, however I had not taken into consideration just how relaxing this place is so had to add in an extra few days simply to adjust to this slow paced country!

My first day out was to Tat Kuang Si, a three tier waterfall located roughly 30 kilometres south of Luang Prabang. Surrounded by lush forest, the falls begin in shallow pools atop a steep hillside, these then lead on to the main fall which has a 50m cascade. The water from the main falls then flows into beautiful turquoise coloured pools which make the whole site a truly spectacular place to visit.

After a day of such beautiful natural landscapes it was time to visit some of the temples located within the city, namely Wat Xieng Thong, Wat Ho Pha Bang and Wat Pahouak. Located near the northern tip of the peninsula is Luang Prabang’s most magnificent temple, Wat Xieng Thong. The complex is one of the most important Lao monasteries and remains a significant monument to the spirit of religion, royalty and traditional style of a fascinating city. There are over twenty structures on the grounds including shrines, pavilions and residences, and so I spent many hours here trying to capture this amazing place both inside and out!

Wat Ho Pha Bang, which translates as the Royal or Palace Chapel, is located at the north-eastern corner of the grounds of the Royal Palace Museum. It is a relatively new structure built in traditional style and is used as a permanent shrine for the Pha Bang, Luang Prabang’s most sacred image. Sadly I didn’t get a chance to go inside the temple as it was closing but I did manage to get a few shots of the exterior.

Wat Pahouak, although only very small and largely unnoticed by many visitors, has some amazing murals dating from 1860 AD covering the interior; the paintings are remarkably well-preserved when you consider the heat and humidity they endure. Built in the nineteenth century, Wat Pahouak is a wonderful Buddhist temple that gives the strong impression that it has been around for much longer.

With some temples photographed I felt the need to get back into the surrounding landscape and so I booked myself onto a half day tour to visit the Pak Ou Caves, getting there by sailing down the Mekong River on a small boat. Riverside life has always fascinated me and the journey to the caves was not disappointing, we even managed to make a small stop at one of the villages along the way which was an added bonus.

The caves themselves are split into two, the Tham Ting or lower cave, and the Tham Theung or upper cave. Sadly I only had an hour to spend here, although when I booked the tour the timings were somewhat different, and so I focused my attention on the lower cave. It is said that people have been climbing into the Pak Ou caves for a couple of thousand years, the caves were initially used for the worship of river spirits until Buddhism spread into Laos, and gradually over countless years more than 4,000 Buddha images, mostly the standing Buddha of the Luang Prabang style, have been placed within them.

My evenings in Luang Prabang were spent by finding a new place to watch the sun go down over the majestic Mekong River, and it seems it was not only me but everyone who was visiting at the time who also did this. Surrounded by the tranquillity that this city oozes, watching the sunsets here was a magical experience and luckily for me each evening rewarded the onlooker with fabulous colours that seemed to last much longer than anywhere else I have been on this trip so far.

Sadly it was time to move on as Laos has so many amazing places to see, and in stark contrast to this sleepy city my next destination was to be the backpacker mecca of Vang Vieng.

With so much to see in Chiang Mai and only one week in which to see it all I had to narrow down the multitude of sights to just a few. After careful consideration, and the knowledge that I would be coming back to this wonderful place in about 6 months, I chose only two temples, a three day trek and a visit to one of the hill tribe villages located not too far away from the city itself.

The temples were first on my list, and the two I had chosen were Wat Phra Singh and Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. Chiang Mai’s most visited temple, Wat Phra Singh owes its fame to the fact that it houses the city’s most revered Buddha image, Phra Singh or the Lion Buddha, and it has a fine collection of classic Lanna art and architecture. Within the grounds are numerous buildings, each containing beautiful Buddha images and ancient murals, my favourite being the history of Suwanna Hongse on the interior walls of the Wihan Lai Kham or Vihara Laikam. Luckily the buildings are all illuminated at night and so this gave me the opportunity to get some atmospheric blue hour shots of this beautiful place.

The following day I hired a motorbike and made the journey to my next temple. Perched on a hilltop with breath-taking views, the temple of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is one of the most important temples in Chiang Mai, as well as one of the most revered among all Thais. Its importance, as well as its location, owes much to the legend of its founding.

According to this legend, a Buddha relic, which some say glowed, magically replicated just before it was about to be enshrined in the big chedi at Wat Suan Dok. The “cloned” relic was placed on the back of a sacred white elephant, which was allowed to roam wherever it wanted. The elephant eventually climbed to the top of Suthep Mountain, trumpeted three times, turned around three times, knelt down and died. This was taken as a sign that this was the spot where the relic wanted to be, so King Ku Na built the first of the chedi on Doi Suthep at the end of 14th century.

Inside the cloister is an exquisite Lanna-style, copper-plated chedi topped by a five-tiered gold umbrella – one of the holiest chedi in Thailand, and perhaps one of the most photographed chedi in Chiang Mai. Luckily the sky was a deep blue colour which made the gold even more vivid and I happily spent the whole afternoon taking photographs and waiting for just the right line of people to walk past and make my photographs complete.

As the sun was setting I decided to head a little further up the hill to try and get some sunset shots of the vast and beautiful Doi Suthep-Pui National Park. I found a good location just in time and spent the next 20 minutes capturing the scene in front of me. As the sun disappeared I remembered I didn’t have any warm clothing and so with that in mind I drove back to the city before I froze!

After two days of temples it was time for my three day trek in and around the stunning Mae Taeng area. I think rather than going into too many details I’ll let the images show you how beautiful this place was, and although the trek itself was extremely tiring in places the scenery around me always willed me on, even when I thought it was impossible!

As part of my trek I had arranged to visit a hill tribe village and so this was my next stop. Although these villages are quite controversial I personally feel that as long as the tourists who visit them are respectful and don’t treat the villagers badly, it can be quite a rewarding experience. Getting the opportunity to sit down and talk with the Padaung and Lisu women was absolutely fantastic and the children seemed genuinely happy. The biggest benefit to having a digital camera is the display on the back because although no-one in the village minded having their photo taken, they loved to see how they looked on the back of the camera which made the whole visit very friendly and a lot of fun!

It’s time to say goodbye to Thailand for now and head across the border into Laos, a country known for the warmth and friendliness of its people, unspoilt natural beauty and culture.

To see the full gallery of images from Thailand please click here

Siam Square is the place to shop in Bangkok; the small soi’s have dozens of designer boutiques and in stark contrast lining the endlessly congested Thanon Rama 1 road are the illuminated exteriors of numerous high end shopping malls.

I have always seen Thailand as a colourful, fast paced and ever-changing country, and the shopping malls seem to agree. Each building attempts to out-do its neighbour and the constant colour changes in the illumination of the malls makes this area quite magical. One minute everything is bathed in a soothing green light, from the buildings to the sidewalk and even the cars passing by, and then all of a sudden everything changes and becomes bright pink! It is quite fascinating to watch how the colours change everything they touch, each new colour bringing something different to scene.

After a short visit to Bangkok it’s time for me to head up North to Chiang Mai, the land of temples, trekking and tribes…

Within the palace complex are several impressive buildings that when seen as a whole make visiting this spiritual place a truly memorable experience. The sheer amount of gold makes looking directly at some of the buildings quite difficult at times, and so you can imagine how tricky it was to try to capture the scenes on camera, but after a few angle shifts and a few unusual positions I feel that I got the shots that I had hoped for.

The following are just a few of my favourite aspects of this dazzling complex:
As soon as you enter the complex you are greeted by a 5 metre tall mythical guardian statue, known locally as Yaksa Tavarnbal, standing guard by the temple entrance gates.

Walking in a clockwise direction, the next structure you will come across is the gold tiled Phra Sri Ratana Chedi which supposedly contains a piece of the Buddha’s breastbone, the gold tiles used to cover this Chedi all shimmer wildly as you approach, drawing people closer and closer to marvel at the beauty laid out in front of them. Located right next to the Phra Sri Ratana Chedi is the Phra Mondhop, which is the Repository of the Canon of Buddha (palm-leaf scriptures). This building is covered in small, colourful glass mosaics, each area of tiles having been laid out with extreme care and made into beautiful patterns which cover the entire exterior.

Outside the Royal Pantheon, known locally as Prasat Phra Dhepbidorn, are the Grand Palaces most photographed subjects, the guardian statues which support the base of a golden Chedi. Every tourist who has the opportunity to visit this remarkable complex will leave with a photograph of these mythical beings, which makes getting a photograph of them quite time consuming!

Unfortunately no cameras are permitted inside the Royal Monastery of the Emerald Buddha, known locally as Wat Phra Kaeo, and so you will have to visit for yourselves to see what is inside! However the Traditional Thai style Garuda statues surrounding the exterior of this famous temple are a sight all by themselves.

Surrounding the entire complex are intricate murals depicting scenes from the Ramakien, these murals are carefully looked after and restored by true artists which keep them looking as magnificent as they were the day they were first painted.

Hopefully the above gives you a small insight into the world famous Grand Palace, a complex where 1 day just doesn’t seem long enough to fully explore the grounds and appreciate the beauty each shrine or temple offers.

Tanah Lot means “Land in the Sea” in Balinese and legends tell that during Nirarthas travels along the south coast he saw the rock-island’s beautiful setting and rested there. While he rested some fishermen saw him and bought him gifts, Nirartha then spent the night on the little island. Later he spoke to the fishermen and told them to build a shrine on the rock for he felt it to be a holy place to worship the Balinese sea gods.

Almost every visitor to Bali plans to see this spectacular temple at least once, and sunset is the most popular time to visit. What is most impressive about this site is that although there are hundreds of tourists here every night, with a little bit of effort you can find a quiet place to sit and watch the sun set behind this iconic temple. I had planned to stay near to the grounds for two nights, just in case the weather was against me or if it was perfect on the first night, as I was hoping, it would give me another night to take images of the nearby Pura Batu Bolong. Luckily for me the sunset on the first night was every bit as colourful and spectacular as I had hoped.

The following evening I walked to the deserted Pura Batu Bolong, a small shrine located just a stone’s throw from its famous neighbour. The difference in visitors between the two temples was unbelievable; I was the only person on the beach for the vast majority of the evening, only being joined by two more people as the sun dipped behind the surging Indian Ocean. The sunset was spectacular once again, something Bali is known for I am told, and I was extremely pleased with my shots from both temples.

It is time for a new country now, although believe it or not I am not sure where that will be as yet! Unusually for me I am taking a short break and will be deciding during this time where to head off to next… Although after spending so much time in the countryside I think I’ll be heading towards some big city lights!

To see the full gallery of images from Indonesia please click here

I have long imagined Bali as a green paradise nestled between lush rice paddies with small streams and creeks of water coming from everywhere, and it did not disappoint. The reason behind my choice to visit this small Indonesian island was to capture the natural beauty of its countryside, namely the stunning rice terraces and powerful waterfalls.

Jatiluwih and the surrounding area have some of the most spectacular terraces in Bali and so it was here that I ventured to first. The terraces carved into the landscape here are still perfectly intact due to the fact that the farming techniques being used today are very similar to the way it was millennia ago, the area was also named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The terraces surrounding Pupuan and Blimbing are equally as stunning and much less visited, making a walk through the fields a wonderful and solitary experience. The weather was constantly changing during my stay here, sometimes hourly, which meant a wide range of skies presented themselves for my shots – I think I actually prefer the stormy photographs that little bit more as the grey clouds really make the green of the terraces pop!

As beautiful as the landscapes were it was time to start finding some of Bali’s beautiful waterfalls, some of which were signposted and very easy to find, others were not! My favourite part of finding the waterfalls was simply the noise, even if you could not see through the jungle to the falls location, you could always hear it, the closer you were the louder it became until it was the only sound for miles! The water was always ice cold which was the perfect antidote to the unseasonably hot weather, at one point I was waist deep in a natural pool (unfortunately in jeans, however it taught me to wear shorts when shooting waterfalls from now on!) and I could have stood like that for many more hours.

My time in Bali is coming to an end although I have saved the most photogenic place until last, the iconic and much photographed Tanah Lot temple – luckily I have two days there in the hope that the sunsets will be as spectacular as I have been told, you’ll know soon as my next blog should be ready by next week!

To see the full gallery of images from Indonesia please click here

Kawah Ijen has long sat at the top of my travel to-go-to list and I finally had the opportunity to visit this unbelievable location. The access roads to the plateau are extremely poor, and perhaps because of this visitor numbers are low; however once you arrive in the small town of Pos Paltuding the journey seems insignificant. I had decided before my arrival that I wanted to climb the volcano more than once to ensure that I captured a full range of shots, from perfect blue skies, to magnificent sunrises to atmospheric cloudy shots. I quickly arranged to spend the night as close to the beginning of the trail as possible in one of the basic ranger huts, and so with this sorted my bags were put into my new home for the night and I set off on the long and steep climb to view the remarkable turquoise sulphur lake at the centre of the Ijen volcano.

The trail is actually a steep dirt path which has been created by the miners walking up and down numerous times a day with their extremely heavy loads. I should mention that it is difficult and exhausting enough to reach the top without 70 kilograms balanced on your shoulders and I fell more than once in my attempt. What these miners do is nothing short of a miracle, and to my great surprise each miner I passed would smile and say hello, occasionally removing their unimaginable load to take a short break and chat about what brought me to this wonderful place.

As I turned the last corner every struggle no longer mattered as I gazed down on what I can only describe as the most amazing view I have seen in all of my years of travel, it was absolutely breathtaking and no photographs can ever do this place justice, although hopefully they will give you a glimpse at something truly spectacular.

As I stood there in complete awe a friendly miner offered to take me down into the crater, something I had wanted to do but was still quite anxious about as one wrong step would be extremely dangerous, especially as you got nearer the actual acid lake! I decided to go for it and I am so very pleased that I did – it was a completely different world at the bottom and gave you even further respect for what these men do. Armed only with a scarf to breathe through, the sulphur fumes were overwhelming and on more than one occasion I was close to having a full-blown panic attack, my guide was fantastic though and ensured I was safe and guided me to places people can only dream about.

The walk back up to the crater rim was actually the hardest part as every two minutes the sulphur clouds would catch you and make it impossible to breathe. Even with all of this it remains my favourite travel experience, which gave me the energy required to do it all over again at 2am the following morning! The sunrise rewarded me with rich colours and perfect lighting, although the clouds were rolling in thick and fast which meant I couldn’t go back down inside the crater for a second time sadly.

All in all I cannot speak highly enough about Ijen volcano, especially the miners who work there doing an impossibly tough job every single day. As rewarding as it was to photograph this location it was extremely humbling as well – watching the miners climb up and down, smiling as they passed you, sometimes more than once, is indescribable. I only hope that my images do this magical place justice and tempt a few more people to venture to this off-the-beaten-track location.

To see the full gallery of images from Indonesia please click here

With the clouds preparing the next batch of rain I jumped onto my motorbike and headed straight to the White Sand Dunes, desperately hoping that the rain would hold off long enough for me to get some photographs taken. The storm was definitely brewing as I raced up and down as many sand dunes as I could reach, the clouds creeping ever closer and growing ever darker. The light was absolutely fantastic towards the end of the shoot and I carried on going longer than most sane photographers with a bag of equipment that doesn’t like getting wet would! It was at this point that the thunder began, almost as a reminder to me that it was time to reach cover, and just as I reached the small shack at the bottom of the dunes the heavens opened and the view in all directions disappeared for what seemed like an eternity.

My window of opportunity presented itself and with a slight drizzle lingering in the air I got back onto my bike and headed back to the safety of Mui Ne – sadly the rain did catch up with me but that is just how it goes sometimes, but I am delighted with my stormy shots, especially as you normally only see photographs of this wonderful place with a blue sky, so I wouldn’t change anything even if I could.

The rain stopped once again on my ride back and I managed to get a few sunset shots along the coast which was a pleasant surprise!

My time in Vietnam has sadly come to an end, but in this profession it is essential to keep moving to new places and countries to get new and updated shots. I have really enjoyed this wonderful country once again and will be sad to leave. Next on my itinerary is Indonesia, specifically Bali and East Java, where waterfalls, temples, volcanoes and rice terraces all make the landscape in this area simply spectacular!

To see the full gallery of new images from Vietnam please click here

Hoi An has always been one of my favourite places to visit in Vietnam, and each time I go the serenity that surrounds the Old Town still surprises me. There are, of course, the snack vendors and sales people calling out to you every so often but it’s nothing in comparison to other Vietnamese cities, and the further away from the tourist hotspots you go the quieter it gets.

As with many markets in Asia, the characters that you come across and the colours of the fresh produce for sale are always extremely photogenic. I decided to start my stay in Hoi An capturing some classic “Vietnamese shots”, this being the limes and chillies arranged beautifully in the market and the women wearing conical hats, each with a face that tells a thousand stories.

Unusually for me I decided after a fabulous lunch by the river that I would take some shots of the local culinary specialities that can only be found in Hoi An. Sadly I can’t remember the name of the specific restaurant that I ate in but the food was presented so perfectly that it would have been rude of me not to take some photos! The food was even tastier than it looked and I was quite sad to finish the shoot that day as that meant the food stopped arriving!

The architecture in Hoi An is wonderfully preserved, thanks to the whole Old Town being a UNESCO World Heritage Site. No new building can be built taller than what is already there and there are rules and regulations about paint, style and every other tiny detail. The weather was still being quite unkind and so I had almost given up on getting any wider shots of the riverfront area, but all of a sudden on my last afternoon, the most wonderful light bathed all of the mustard yellow houses, and combining that with a deep blue sky made me a very happy photographer indeed – my poor husband was constantly having to run behind me and grab my camera bags as I ran from angle to angle! Within 20 minutes the light had gone and the sunset had decided to pass by without anyone noticing, but I did have a few shots planned for blue hour.

After a very quick Cafe Sua Da, which is an iced coffee with sweet milk, we made our way to the Japanese Bridge, which has become a sort of icon for Hoi An these days, and so I thought it would be a great place to spend my last evening. I hadn’t seen many shots of the bridge at night so it came as quite a pleasant surprise that it was illuminated beautifully, and the lights were nice and soft which made exposing the shots much easier!

Time is moving quickly onwards now and I only have a few days left here, after Vietnam it’s time to spend some time in Indonesia, a country I have long been wanting to work in and am very excited about the shots that I have planned!

Over a year has passed since I last visited Sapa and the surrounding countryside and so it was with great excitement that I boarded the night train from Hanoi. I had asked a few locals on my last visit about the rice harvest and tried to get a rough idea of when the terraces would be beautiful and yellow, the vast majority had said mid-August to early September and so with this information I chose now to return.

At first I was slightly concerned as some of the terraces on the drive up from Lao Cai were still very green and nowhere near ready for harvest, I was later told that the weather has not been too good this year and had caused the harvest to be delayed, although I was assured that some areas had not been affected – it was to these places that I would visit over the next two weeks.

Apart from the stunning landscapes around the Sapa valley, I really love exploring the tribal villages that are considered remote and un-touristy. I did of course visit a couple of the more frequented villages close to Sapa but spent most time surrounded by local tribal people with no other tourists in sight. The traditional dress of the people here is a photographers dream, with that being said the more remote you venture the harder it is to communicate and request permission to take photographs! My motorbike driver who doubled as my interpreter did his very best and we managed to get some beautiful images. I have said it once before in an interview but I will say it again for those of you who haven’t seen the article, I am not sure why this is or if it is just what I think I see but the vast majority of tribal women and children congregate around their doorways, I am sure there is a more poetic way of saying this but words elude me today and so I’ll simply show you some of the images I captured.

As the title suggests, the weather was not kind to me at all in Northern Vietnam, out of the 2 weeks I had allocated for Sapa only a few days were clear enough to go out and shoot. The up side of this was that the sunrises and sunsets were absolutely majestic, the light piercing through the thick, dark clouds and the colours that made the scene almost magical made it a wonderful time to be a photographer.

For those of you who regularly read my blog posts, you’ll recall that my last post focused on the LEE Big Stopper – and with some beautiful waterfalls in the Sapa Valley it seemed the perfect place to get a few more long exposure shots. I am still totally in love with this filter and am quite sure that I will use it whenever I see water; it adds such a romantic feel to photographs.

My time here has sadly come to an end, although I am sure I’ll be back again at some point in the future. I am staying in Vietnam for another month before heading off to Indonesia and so I hope to capture some more amazing photographs for you all to see.

“The BIG Stopper is a high quality glass 10 stop long exposure filter. It reduces the amount of light entering your lens by 10 stops allowing you to use a much slower shutter speed or wider lens aperture. By greatly extending exposure times the BIG Stopper has the effect of allowing anything that is moving in your image to become blurred or ghost like, for example, clouds, waterfalls, rivers, and the sea. However the effect is not limited to landscapes, the filter can be used on cityscapes to blur people or roads and motorways to blur traffic.”

It is worth mentioning that this filter is next to impossible to get hold of unless you don’t mind being on a waiting list for the next three months, or you may be extremely lucky like me and find a small camera shop who happens to have one in stock! There is also the option of buying one from eBay however rather than costing you around £95.00 it will be more like £145.00 – the price you pay to beat the queues!

The Big Stopper gives reliable results time after time and is a wonderful tool for photographers; I have included some of my photographs which were taken using the filter to show the amazing results that can be achieved.

This relaxed and hospitable metropolis surrounded by age old canals is home to some of the world’s best culture, art, festivals and design, and these are the exact reasons I visited Amsterdam. With only 5 short days it was extremely difficult to decide what to focus on, but after lots of research I finally created my shot-list and day to day plan for the city, most of which was centred around the beautiful canals and bridges. After all, with a flight time of less than 2 hours there is no reason I can’t go back to cover the other sides of this wonderful city during the fast approaching summer months!

Rather than give you an hour by hour breakdown it seemed like a better idea to just show you some photographs, as the vast majority of my time was spent walking up and down the canals; the Singel, the Herengracht, the Keizersgracht and the Prinsengracht; capturing the facades of the historical buildings under a bright blue sky and finding angles and shots to be taken during blue hour.

To see the full gallery of images from Amsterdam please click here

A well-travelled bridge between sea and desert, east and west, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a land of mesmerizing beauty and contrasts, from the Jordan Valley which are fertile and ever changing, to the remote desert canyons which are immense and still.

I was fortunate enough to be chosen by the Jordan Tourism Board to photograph their wonderful country, and for a change my itinerary was completely planned out for me before my arrival. The majority of my days were spent shooting campaign images but there were a few days model free for me to let my imagination go wild, so these are the days I’ll be discussing on this post.

My first stop was the 12th century Karak castle, which is one of the largest crusader castles in the Levant. Whether you approach Karak from the ancient Kings Highway to the east or from the Dead Sea to the west, the striking silhouette of this fortified town and castle will instantly make you understand why the fates of kings and nations were decided here for millennia. While the castle we see today essentially dates back to the 12th century, Karak has been a fortress since biblical times, the Bible relates how the King of Israel and his allies from Judah and Edom ravaged Moab and besieged its king Mesha in the fortress of Kir Heres, as Karak was then known.

Following on from Karak I headed to the Dana Biosphere Reserve, which is the only reserve in Jordan that includes the four different bio-geographical zones; Mediterranean, Irano-Turanian, Saharo Arabian and Sudanian penetration. This makes it the most diverse nature reserve in the country in terms of habitats and species. The scenery was absolutely spectacular and although our guide had talked nonstop about snakes and scorpions we were lucky enough not to have any close encounters with them!

No trip to Jordan would be complete without a visit to my next destination, although much has been written about Petra; nothing really prepares you for this amazing place. It has to be seen to be believed. Petra, the world wonder and UNESCO World Heritage Site, is without a doubt Jordan’s most valuable treasure and greatest tourist attraction. It is a vast, unique city, carved into the sheer rock face by the Nabataeans, an industrious Arab people who settled here more than 2000 years ago, turning it into an important junction for the silk, spice and other trade routes that linked China, India and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome.

Entrance to the city is through the Siq, a narrow gorge, over 1km in length, which is flanked on either side by soaring, 80m high cliffs. Just walking through the Siq is an experience in itself. The colours and formations of the rocks are dazzling. As you reach the end of the Siq you will catch your first glimpse of Al-Khazneh, more commonly known as the Treasury – which made its Hollywood debut in 1989 in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” starring Harrison Ford. This is an awe-inspiring experience. A massive façade, 30m wide and 43m high, carved out of the sheer, dusky pink rock-face and dwarfing everything around it.

The Treasury is merely the first of the many wonders that make up Petra. As you enter the Petra valley you will be overwhelmed by the natural beauty of this place and its outstanding architectural achievements. There are hundreds of elaborate rock-cut tombs with intricate carvings, there are obelisks, temples, sacrificial altars and colonnaded streets, and high above, overlooking the valley, is the impressive Ad-Deir Monastery – a flight of 800 rock cut steps takes you there, a truly magical experience. Ideally you would have 3 or 4 days to explore this huge site, but as we were on a very tight schedule we had just the 1 day, but I did my best to get as many beautiful photographs as possible!

The following day we drove to Wadi Rum, a stupendous, timeless place, virtually untouched by humanity and its destructive forces. Here, it is the weather and winds that have carved the imposing, towering skyscrapers, so elegantly described by T.E. Lawrence as “vast, echoing and God-like…” Also known as The Valley of the Moon, this is the place where Prince Faisal Bin Hussein and T.E. Lawrence based their headquarters during the Arab Revolt against the Ottomans in World War I, their exploits intrinsically woven into the history of this amazing area. My guide for the afternoon, Mahmoud, was absolutely fantastic and made a fabulous model!

I had one remaining non-campaign day left and so after discussing it with my driver, George; we decided we could squeeze in both the 12th Century Ajlun Castle, an Islamic castle that stands atop Jabal Auf near Ajloun, in northern Jordan and the ancient city of Jerash, which boasts an unbroken chain of human occupation dating back more than 6,500 years, is known for the ruins of the Greco-Roman city of Gerasa, also referred to as Antioch on the Golden River.

Considering that Jordan is a relatively small country there are so many amazing places to photograph. I could easily spend another 2 weeks covering some of the places we didn’t manage to see and also to cover the sites we did visit much more thoroughly – here’s hoping the Tourism Board are delighted with my work from this trip and invite me back in the cooler Spring months next year!

To see the full gallery of images from Jordan please click here