Eleven years after my previous visit, I got to spend three amazing days in Rodrigues.

As I copied files off the D200, I realised that I had not used the Nikon since January. The keepers make me glad that I forced myself to shoot the Farnborough Airshow 2014 fly-bys.

This photo was taken with the D200 and a vintage manual Sirius 70-210mm f/4-5.6. I had to check the metering frequently because the light kept changing. The trick, I found, was to spot-meter on the clouds at +2 EV — as per the zone system — and to let the exposure take care of itself in the rest of the frame.

I am impressed with Photo Ninja. It fixed this picture, which was under-exposed by about 2 EV. It also removed much of the noise that was produced when recovering the shadow details.

I wish you all a very Happy New Year. I hope that 2013 was a good year and that 2014 will be an even better one.

This picture reminds me of the festive atmosphere in London on the last day of 2008 as we wandered around, waiting for the NYE celebrations to begin.

I had never thought of Poland as a great tourist destination. But after spending five days in Wroclaw, I’m ready to go back. The city has beautiful landmarks, great food, and amazing people.

Here is a close-up picture of the love padlocks on Most Tumski—a most original expression of love and friendship.

In retrospect, the Panasonic Lumix FZ18 was an amazing bridge camera.

This picture was taken with the Lumix shortly before I upgraded to a Nikon D40. As the situation demanded, the aperture was set for a depth of field spanning from the hyper-focal distance to infinity, and the camera was pointed in a direction that would place the Red Arrows in the frame as they flew by.

My only criticism of the Lumix FZ18 was that it produced a lot of digital noise in pictures. This photo captured at ISO 100 is noisier than pictures taken at ISO 3200 from modern DSLR cameras.

My pet peeve when travelling on the Paris Metro was stopping at one station and following confusing signs down endless corridors only to end up at a different station a couple of blocks from our intended destination.

My favourite photography genre is candid. I like pictures that are unique combinations of events, feelings, and places. While a beautiful landscape can be re-visited and a portrait re-created, a moment remains truly unique.

I thought I wouldn’t enjoy wandering in a strange city, but I quite liked our Parisian strolls. We might even go back.

Because I know the person so well, I can fill the before and the after of this instant with countless stories. Others can only wonder.