“I’ll get the kettle on”, came Chris’ reply on WhatsApp.

I’d just finished a job in Hackney and, with no looming deadlines over me that day, I decided I could walk up to Homerton and pop in to say hello to the gang at Smith + Newton Architects. I’ve known Chris and Dale (the founding Directors) for quite some time and I enjoy photographing their imaginative work. More importantly, though, I enjoy being in their company and catching up over a cuppa and a packet of biscuits.

The final three nights of our family holiday in the USA in Summer 2025 was spent at Grand Canyon Village in Arizona. When planning the trip back in the UK, we had initially settled on a quick stop-off here on our way to Flagstaff; the gateway city to Utah’s Monument Valley. We didn’t pre-book any accommodation, opting instead to play it by ear and book something whilst in the States.

What struck me the most, however, was the dam’s elegant art deco detailing. I expected a rather brutalist, utilitarian behemoth. I suppose it is; I just wasn’t expecting the considered and, frankly, beautiful finishing touches that are there. From the typefaces used on various buildings throughout the complex, to the balustrade profile and the handles adorning doors - it’s really rather beautiful.

As far as I am concerned Ansel Adams was a (if not the) master black and white photographer. Yosemite National Park is a landscape dominated by contrasts in light. Compositions that involve very bold, graphic shapes and negative space, are something I am naturally drawn to - as I’ve critiqued my own work over the years I’ve noticed it’s a recurring theme - and Ansel Adams’ work is full of such visual arrangements. Perhaps that’s why I’ve long-admired his photographs.

Golden Gate Bridge is magnificent. The fact that it was shrouded in sea fog for the first 45 minutes of our walk across only added to the experience. The bridge is synonymous with frequently changing weather patterns, but I was very pleased that the Sun was able to break through for a short while as we viewed the bridge from the lofty position of Battery Spencer on the Marin Headlands. The views here are incredible and give you a firm grasp of the scale of the bridge’s towers.

New York City needs no introduction. Unless you’re 12 and 10 years old, like my kids were when we visited in 2025 for their first time (and my third). We visited for a week with friends to celebrate one of their 50th birthdays and we decided to pack a lot in to our itinerary. Most of it was touristy for the kids (there was a youngster in the other family, too) but us adults who had been to the city before were keen to include some more off-the-beaten-track stuff as well.

Arguably one of the most divisive buildings in London, the Barbican Estate has polarised opinions since construction began in the mid-1960s.  Whilst spending a significant period of time photographing for clients in and around the Estate, I had many conversations with locals, workers, residents and people in the general vicinity. 

When talking to my then-seven year old daughter about jobs that she might like to do when she’s older, I explained that she (and all girls) could do any job she wanted. Her response was to say “I can’t be a builder, only men are builders”. I set out to try to change that.

Covid-19 affected us all in some way or another. During an afternoon walk around a deserted Shoreditch in London, I began to take notice of the notices that small businesses had placed in their shop windows. The messages ranged in tone, design and presentation.

Whilst Tottenham Hotspur FC relocated to Wembley Stadium for a couple of years, their White Hart Lane stadium was demolished and construction of the new home began. In 2018, with the site resembling a stadium more every week, the Club began releasing several images to show construction progress. I was always pleased to see them but I felt very early on that they didn’t do the Stadium justice in terms of the scale, attention to detail and the design features. So, living a 10-minute drive away, I set about spending the year documenting it myself.