Tour of Britain

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Breakaway group ahead of the peloton near Shobrooke, Crediton, Devon

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Peloton of the Tour of Britain 2011 near Shobrooke, Crediton, Devon

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The Tour of Britain cycling hell-for-leather through the leafy Devon lanes near Crediton on September the 15th 2011. On the right of the two Vacansoleil riders, in the Rapha Condor Sharp black jersey, is local boy Jonathon Tiernan Locke who took the King of the Mountains jersey for his amazing climbing skills in this stage.

Despite a breakaway group of riders (including Locke) having a clear lead of over six minutes at one point, the peloton fought back and brought them into the pack. The stage which ran in its entirety in Devon, from Exeter via Dartmoor to Exmouth seafront, was won by Mark Renshaw of HTC-Highroad just ahead of his team-mate, the speed-sprint favourite, Mark Cavendish.

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On a photographic note, cycling races at this high level are very difficult to shoot due in no small part to the speed of the riders. At longer range you can get away with 1/200th shutter but closer-up you’re looking at 1/500th plus. Flash to freeze the image helps, but there aren’t many flash/camera units that will sync at anything over 1/250th and you don’t, frankly, have much time to experiment. Flash panning works but it’s very hit and miss. No surprise then that most of the tour photographers sit on the back of motorbikes in front of the riders where those issues aren’t so much of a problem.

Tour of Britain website

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Passiflora

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The Passion Flower (Passiflora) is so called because it symbolised Christ’s suffering on the cross – that was according to Jacomo Bosio, a scholar who lived in Rome in 1609. The unique corona represented the crown of thorns, the ten sepals and petals represented the Apostles and so on.

The Passion Flower is a very good visual example of how Fibonacci numbers seem to govern so much of the world around us.

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Summer Pasture

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Scenes of summer pasture with inquisitive cows high-up in the Dolomites (Alto Adige) Italy. There are some secret places you photograph, great accommodation, wonderful views and peaceful locations that you don’t want to share…while hoping to go back some day. Thus the vague location description. In summer the Dolomites are a wonderful place for people who appreciate scenery and hiking…and in winter for the Sella Ronda with its numerous villages, great for skiing, snowshoeing and more.

This image was used in an ad campaign for a Russian cheese spread amongst others.

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Exilles C19th Festival

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Better known for its fort where the Man in the Iron Mask was imprisoned, every year the small mountain town of Exilles, Piemonte, Italy, celebrates its heritage with a nineteenth century festival and market where the locals dress in traditional and original costumes handed down through their families. Outdoor exhibitions with everyone from blacksmiths to teachers show what life was like; food is served, some houses and gardens opened and musicians play.

Genoa Aquarium

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Watching them, watching us, watching them. Built for Expo 92, the Aquarium of Genoa is an educational, scientific and cultural centre. Its mission is to educate and raise public awareness as regards conservation, management and responsible use of aquatic environments. It welcomes over 1.2 million visitors a year.

Here, visitors watch a dolphin in one of the large marine mammal tanks.

Costa de la Luz

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The appropriately named Costa de la Luz (Coast of Light) at Conil de la Frontera, Cadiz, Andalucia, Spain, showing the bay and lighthouse at sunset. The Battle of Trafalgar took place in these waters with Nelson and Napoleon battling for supremacy. It is where Nelson famously hoisted signal flags saying “England expects every man to do his duty”.

This image was part of a commission for a tour operator that specialised in classy and unique properties in Spain from Paradores to seaside cottages.

Umbrian Elements I

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Individual elements can sometimes give a more atmospheric feeling of the whole than a larger picture encompassing everything. Here, a summer late afternoon casts a long shadow over a wrought iron lamp in Piazza del Popolo, Orvieto, Umbria.

Umbria Jazz

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Italian summer concerts are something special – a mix of great world-renown performers, laid-back atmosphere and summer sun. Umbria Jazz, set in the ancient stone capital city of Perugia, has grown from a small gathering to a twice yearly world-class event (there’s winter jazz as well). The atmosphere, with people sitting on stone steps beside the duomo, listening, relaxing; performers everywhere from marching bands fresh in from New Orleans to individuals and small jazz groups and a great ambience, it’s a festival not to miss.

Umbria Jazz this year, 2011, is dedicated to the 150 year anniversary of Italian reunification and features Carlos Santana, Liza Minnelli, Gilberto Gill and Sergio Mendez, Chick Corea, Randy Crawford, BB King and Prince. Yes, the purple one. Amazing artistes all.

Umbria Jazz Website

The Passion

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Procession Votive de la Passion, Roquebrune, France. This Passion Play began life in 1467 as a mark of thanks for the ending of the plague that had ravaged the region. Inhabitants of the village (Roquebrune-Cap-Martin) which sits in the hills between Menton and Monte-Carlo on the Cote d’Azur, perform the play every year on August the 5th through the village’s narrow alleyways.

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