A discarded carton of chips attracted seagulls, and the light threw a mix of purple-blue and cadmium orange off the water and sand. This young woman paused to look at something as she walked towards me.

This image cost me a £6.50 turkey sub. While I was getting the shot I heard a raucous melee behind me. I could guess what was happening but gritted my teeth and ignored it. A dozen seagulls tore my sub apart, but the shot was definetly worth it.

My favorite shots often evoke a sense of mystery and strangeness. A powerful rottweiler is up on the sea wall and I don’t know what the relationship is between these two people.

I spotted this woman’s pink hair and tatoo from a distance and anxiously weaved my way through heavy pedestrian traffic in Barnstaple High Street, all the while silently shouting at the people in front of me ‘get out of my way!’

I spotted an intriguing tattoo hanging out a van window in Teignmouth, but I couldn’t get the shot. I spoke to scaffolder Callum who very generiously allowed me to photograph and publish this image.

There is some communication going on here I don’t understand. That, and the dynamic lighting, make this one of my favorites.

When I saw this couple standing directly between two posts I thought I’d never get the shot. But they stood there like a couple of buddahs for ages. It made me feel calm just watching them watch the sea.

I loved discovering that there is someone in the world who cares enough to create an organisation and shop in Exeter promoting world peace. What’s for sale? World peace - what a bargin. I shot several people passing by until I got this fellow… who somehow seemed just right.

The chestnut brown hound, surfer, and distant island seem more like something I’d experience in a dream than come across on the beach.

Fore Street, Exeter. A young woman comforts a friend who is emotionally upset. The lighting, colours, and composition were crazy lucky.

A young woman stood at the Westward Ho! sea wall and in this very quiet way held her hands out. It seemed like some mysterious act of divination, but of course I don’t really know what was in her mind. It’s a strange and beautiful image to me.

This was one of those offbeat moments I came accross while walking around. The lifeboat adds an intriguing element.

As he prepared his lines, this fisherman’s bearing seemed to emulate a state of prayer. I emailed him a dozen shots and he posted this one immediately on a local Facebook group called Bideford Buzz. He was very pleased and that’s part of the magic of candid photography.

Advertising executive Dan Wieden acknowledged he was inspired to come up with the Nike slogan ‘Just do it’ by convicted murderer Gary Gilmore whose last words were ‘let’s do it’. So, no Gary Gilmore, no murder, no iconic Nike slogan… no photograph. Are you following my logic?

After I shot about a dozen images of this older gentleman I approached and asked if he would like me to email the photos. He said, “what - email? No, I wouldn’t know anything about that.”

Her name is Abby and I spoke to her after getting a dozen shots. She was out picking wild flowers and stopped and sat on the sea wall to watch the sunset.

There is something about the reflections, subjects, and composition which remind me of certain David Hockney paintings.

A lucky shot which combines a couple embracing, a detectorist searching under a dramatic sky, and a lighthouse in the far distance. There are existential themes at work here which came together by chance.

7:35 AM, Exeter. The man on the left with the ID badge has RECOVERY tatooed on his arm (so, he’s been there and done the work). The other seated man is his client. The man on the left looks away as his client watches a binman disposing of rubbish. In a moment - it’s all there.

This young woman was swimming in temperatures so cold I struggled to hold my camera with my bare hands. Later she got into some thermal clothing and I showed her the images I’d shot and she seemed very pleased.

There are certain experiences which seem reasonable when you see them happening, but when a camera freezes a moment in time, the perspective can change. I would love to have a conversation with Salivadore Dali and Rene Magrette about this image.

Minutes after I took this shot, the young man went down a walkway just behind the pebble ridge and was knocked forcefully to the pavement by a big wave. Soaking wet, he pulled himself to his feet and became visibly upset at noticing his phone had been damaged. An officious and uniformed man shouted at the boy to get out of the walkway. Lots of people were watching and the boy made a show of ignoring the official, and was immediately knocked to the ground by another wave. He scrambled out of the walkway fast and I felt bad for him.

I can be quite affected by the relationship between people and their dogs, but never moreso than with this series of images.

Chance events and luck play such important roles in street photography. This woman walked into the frame just as I pushed the shutter release and turned an OK image into one I really like. The woman and busker form a lovely duet of contrasting but balanced blacks and whites.

I’ve noticed that dogs are ‘the alarm system’ for their pack - they are essentially working security. A man pointing a strange object at the pack is something a dog will frequently pick up on while everyone else is oblivious.

If the people you admire and love the most allow you to ride on strong and wide shoulders, you are the King of kings.

Being an American who has now lived the second half of my life in the UK, this is a quintessentially British moment. It has everything - rain, the national lottery, a charity shop, and even the Union Jack.

There is a gender steriotype that women are especially chatty. More often than not when I drive through Crediton I see these two blokes sitting on the same bench talking with great enthusiasm. I do wonder what they are talking about.

I took several pictures of this young couple as they frolicked on the beach. They were cleary very much in love and this shot was the winner. The lighting had this translucent pink hue which I’ve never quite seen before or since.

Some errie lighting conditions, foggy atmosphere, and a bit of editing with a Lightroom feature called ‘dehaze’ allowed me to get a ‘painterly’ image. I love this shot but am not sure I could ever do it again.

The fact that the icecream van seems to be abandonded makes this shot better. There are some images which engender this sense that it’s so odd that we exist at all. This is one of them.

I have a lot of respect for anyone who cares for animals with special needs. I didn’t speak to this woman after taking the shot because… the sign on the lead suggested I shouldn’t.

Whenever I look at this photo I see three subjects. This, plus the composition and colours, I think makes for an enjoyable image.

When I introduced myself and showed this Chinese woman and her Chinese partner photos I’d taken, he was quite irratable with me but I couldn’t understand what he was saying. The more I explained, the more confusing it became, and eventually they walked off. In retrospect, I’m pretty sure he thought I was trying to sell him the photos.

They turned every head as they walked down Fore Street, Exeter. What style! I heard them whisper ‘dat man take picture,’ and they giggled into their hands.

Yes, dat man certainly did take picture. In fact, he took about ten.

With respect to combining colour, lighting, and especially composition… this one is about as close to perfect as I’ve got yet.

Two young women rode horses on Westward Ho! beach, and when this rider stopped for a rest, I took the shot. In terms of composition, color, and mood, this is one of my favorites.

Given the sensitivity of the situation I asked permission to photograph. The family had accompanied mom to a hospital appointment and were waiting for a bus to go home. I was touched by the obvious care and support. The crack in the pavement adds an interesting element.

Incredibly, I needed to make only modest adjustments when editing - that’s how unique and extraordinary the light was on this summer evening at Westward Ho! beach.

They were not in any serious danger but the tide was coming in, so there was some excitement. I took several shots of these two as they made their way over the rocks - sometimes gran helping grandaughter… sometimes grandaughter helping gran. It was quite sweet.

I frequently see children play with an utter absence of self-consciousness, which is perhaps a reminder of where most adults go wrong.

… and then there are exceptions.

In terms of composition, color combinations, and light… one of my favs.

There was something rather surreal about this woman with strange equipment, a monk-like figure in the background, and Lundy island. I had a pleasant conversation with the woman (Ruth) after photographing. I sent her edited images and she explained to me that she was one of 4 surveyers out on the beach that day taking measurements of the beach, the pebble ridge sea defense, etc…

These two young woman were cetainly aware that I was taking photos and decided to perform for me, but the direct sunlight I was shooting into was so bright I didn’t notice them until I got home and saw them on my computer moniter. Fab!

Some images have a humerious vibe which is hard to put in words.

I’ve taken many photos of surfers, but rarily does any shot make the grade. This was special because the sun went nuclear through the clouds and I love the enthusiasm of the surfer at the lower left.

On 11 December 2022 in the afternoon I encountered a dramatic rainbow offset by an aquamarine sky and saddle brown sand. The scale of this reflective woman provided a sense of humanitie’s smallness in relation to naure or the world. Incredibly, the rainbow remained in the still air for 30 minutes.

By chance, the detectorist and woman are wearing matching olive green. There is an unsettling quality about the detectotist and the man and woman appear to watch him warily.

Shot many years ago on one of the first avalable digital SLR cameras (8 MB!), I still love this shot despite the poor quality.

I don’t generally like to photograph homeless people, but the irony here was irresistable. A gutted and ramshackle shuropody store has closed down and in the doorway is a homeless man with feet displayed promanetly.

July 12th, 2022 was the most sublime light I have ever shot in. I got great photos of a range of interesting characters, but this mother, her daughters, and the family dog were the stars.

For me, this shot is quite beautiful in composition and light, but there is also something humerious at work. What might she be thinking?

The seagull taking flight and the girl are of course the stars of this image, but there is something mysterious and interesting about the five seagulls down in the shadow.

This image cracks me up. Is it becasue of the ‘Where’s Waldo’ vibe the guy is giving off? Is it becasue we are constantly taking photos of our dogs and they have no idea of what a camera does? Is it because the dog is meant to be posing for his owner but is keeping an eye on the intruder pointing a strange object at them?

I have looked at this image a hundred times and there is something curious and wierd about it that I just can’t put into words.

Are these two really sisters? I can’t know for sure but I’d bet my last dollar they are.

There was something quite affecting about this gentleman’s tatoo.

The composition provided by the shadows and dynamic between man and dog made this one special.

Two young women ‘flying’ into 45 MPH wind while standing on the Westward Ho! pebble ridge, an irresistable local pastime. Their disregard for the warning sign is admirable, which reads “STRICTLY NO ACCESS IN HIGH WINDS.”