During our trips to Greece, we have collected many images of the ubiquitous Greek cat. Found in abundance around tavernas, they provide a great source of images in exchange for a treat from our plates. Often malnourished and occasionally hostile, it is difficult not to love them.

Matlock Moor, as the name suggests, is an upland area located above the northern slopes of Matlock. Much of the area is given over to managed forest through which walking trails have been created. It is a peaceful, picturesque area and one that we tend to visit most after heavy snow as it is very close to home. This is not to say that we are completely absent at other times of the year. Autumn also provides the opportunity for timeless, mist-shrouded images lit by early morning sun.

I am sure all photographers amass a whole bunch of images that elude categorisation and form a body of unspecific, undefined lost souls, doomed to haunt the edges of beautifully labelled image libraries. We occasionally review our collections, exorcising them of such misfits and dumping them into our ‘Odd Sock’ collection. Not good enough to stand alone but just the right side of the delete key, we present to you 2015’s Odd Socks.

This is the fifth in a small series of collections created to showcase the beauty of the humble postage stamp. Using a macro lens to enlarge often unnoticed detail, these miniature works of art take on new beauty and appreciation when viewed at a greater size. They are also highly decorative, making superb wall art. We have several stamp albums, some of which have been stored for more than 40 years. Their contents exhibit collections taken from all parts of the world and date back to the beginning of postage stamp history. What started out as a rainy day experimental project quickly became engrossing and we ended up spanning the shoot over several days. Lighting and a stable environment were key to the shoot’s success. We used a Novoflex Magic Studio to achieve the results, along with an assortment of focus rails and tripod heads. All images were captured using a Pentax K-5 DSLR and 100mm f2.8 macro lens.

The disused Middle Peak Quarry, near Wirksworth is a site that is closed to the public for safety reasons, but an interesting place to wonder around with a camera. Situated a few miles from where we live it is a location overlooked by us until the summer of 2015 when the challenge of barbed wire fences and security guards became difficult to resist. Our efforts to create a full library of location images were curtailed shortly after arriving when we were confronted by security guards who stopped us from photographing the best bits. Below is most of the output from the shoot…but we have every intention of returning and carrying out a more covert visit.

This is the fourth in a small series of collections created to showcase the beauty of the humble postage stamp. Using a macro lens to enlarge often unnoticed detail, these miniature works of art take on new beauty and appreciation when viewed at a greater size. They are also highly decorative, making superb wall art. We have several stamp albums, some of which have been stored for more than 40 years. Their contents exhibit collections taken from all parts of the world and date back to the beginning of postage stamp history. What started out as a rainy day experimental project quickly became engrossing and we ended up spanning the shoot over several days. Lighting and a stable environment were key to the shoot’s success. We used a Novoflex Magic Studio to achieve the results, along with an assortment of focus rails and tripod heads. All images were captured using a Pentax K-5 DSLR and 100mm f2.8 macro lens.

I am sure all photographers amass a whole bunch of images that elude categorisation and form a body of unspecific, undefined lost souls, doomed to haunt the edges of beautifully labelled image libraries. We occasionally review our collections, exorcising them of such misfits and dumping them into our ‘Odd Sock’ collection. Not good enough to stand alone but just the right side of the delete key, we present to you 2014’s Odd Socks.

This is the third in a small series of collections created to showcase the beauty of the humble postage stamp. Using a macro lens to enlarge often unnoticed detail, these miniature works of art take on new beauty and appreciation when viewed at a greater size. They are also highly decorative, making superb wall art. We have several stamp albums, some of which have been stored for more than 40 years. Their contents exhibit collections taken from all parts of the world and date back to the beginning of postage stamp history. What started out as a rainy day experimental project quickly became engrossing and we ended up spanning the shoot over several days. Lighting and a stable environment were key to the shoot’s success. We used a Novoflex Magic Studio to achieve the results, along with an assortment of focus rails and tripod heads. All images were captured using a Pentax K-5 DSLR and 100mm f2.8 macro lens.

We have been visiting Greece for more than thirty years and it was inevitable that our modern world would collide with Greece’s more ancient past. Beyond the glorious beaches, photogenic villages and equally photogenic people lies a land with an enduring history. It is difficult to visit any part of the country without stumbling across a crusader castle, classical temple, amphitheatre or Mycenaean palace. Many are grand examples of what was once a golden age. Some are the stuff of legends. Others are unassuming and almost forgotten piles of stone kept alive by folklore. From Thermopylae’s battlefield to Dodoni’s haunting amphitheatre, it is difficult not to be moved by their past. Stories…like their characters, are larger than life, embellished with god-like status thanks to bards and poets who preserved their memory for us to enjoy today.