This was taken in an open courtyard and we were surrounded on all 4 sides by 100+ year old buildings. It was simply beautiful, I was sitting having a picnic, talking, relaxing. Kelvin had 2 kids and they were running about free. I snapped this when his daughter had decided cuddle up to her dad. I find there is something beautiful and natural about this picture.

Kelvin's Kids, Edinburgh, 2000

I was having my picnic to the left of this shot but got up and grabbed this photo when I saw them starting to play with the clothesline. Ofcourse many people would tightly crop this to show only the girl. But I dont believe in hiding any faults in my photos.

Wiston, 2000

Later I would climb that tall stump with a friend, this was a teambuilding excercise. I remember it was very cold (about 5 C) and was wondering whether my camera would freeze up. Thankfully since my Pentax is fully mechanical and requires no batteries, i did not encounter any problems. Again this is full frame shot without cropping. I tried to get the tree harness, the ropes, the climbers and the rope handler all together.

Students, Edinburgh, 2000

I took a beginners course in studio photography, learning how to set up lights and stuff. I never really put my heart into it as studio work requires a lot of setting up and planning. I like to take my photos off the cuff without preparation or planning as I believe they will look more natural.

This picture was the beginning of my upside down photo taking technique and is one of my favourites, I saw fellow course mates print out a test sheet of studio portraits and go to the window (where it was brighter) to inspect them more clearly. For some reason I sensed that this might make a good picture, I usually hold and focus my camera at chest height, but this didn't look like a good shot as I was getting the back of people's heads, thus I hoisted the Rolleiflex above my head, focused and got this shot.

In my heart, though I knew studio photography was not really for me. But I still completed the course just to get the basics. This candid photo was taken when the lecturer was waiting for more students to arrive.

The shot was taken whilst sitting on a pier on Loch Lomond. Hours earlier I had just climbed Ben Lomond which is 3,300 ft from sea level.
Mountains in Scotland are called "Ben", lakes are called Lochs. This is a scan from a old print from the days I would actually crop my pictures after taking as I was not really a beginner and did not know how to take photos

Big Break, Scotland 1998

My friend Stuart was showing us the amount of power he can hit the ball with. As you can see he has just launched his whole bodyweight into this shot and the white ball eventually flew off the table at great speed. The guy standing next to him is Nasser, who had come all the way from Oman to study with us. Both were 2 very good friends.

Buchaille Etive Mor, Scotland 1998

The mountain you see here is about 3,300 feet. People like me that have climbed to the summit affectionately refer to it as THE BOOKLE.

Months before I had climbed it with my friend John (see the photo of John below), I think it took about 4 hours up and 2 hours down.The Bookle is located in a spectacular region of Scotland called Glencoe. When I climbed this mountain the weather was definately not as good as what you see in the above photo. In fact when John and I got to the top, we could see nothing but whiteness. Visibility was about 20 feet. Not the best reward for such a strenuous climb.

Anyway months later I came back with another set of friends (not to climb but to photograph it). We spent about several hours looking for the right spot, and then I remember spending another several hours waiting for the sun to come out and hit the mountain. I dont normally do landscapes but with scenery as good as this, one cannot go wrong. Suffice to say this is only the second landscape photo I am happy with.

My friend John, (4th in from the right) invited me to a party at his cottage in the north of Scotland. I rememeber having to take about 3 different buses and several hours to get there. John lived in the middle of the countryside. Thinking back to this day brings fond memories flooding back. I met John at Uni, and we instantly clicked as friends, his party went on till way past midnight. When I took this photo it was already pitch black and I was using the light from the fire to light their faces. I also had started drinking allsorted beers as soon as I arrived and probably was on my 5th bottle by then. Due to the darknesss the shutter speed was set for several seconds and Im amazed I was able to hold the camera steady for that.
After this shot was taken I went and got totally drunk. I also remember bedding down for the night in Johns empty cottage next door, he had no central heating and thus we lit another fire in the fireplace in his living room and about 6 drunk people slept in the room. A FABULOUS PARTY. I am so glad I have this momento of it.