When it comes to photography, we tend to focus on the things that most interest us, and these are often the subjects we photograph best. In short, it pays to play to your strengths. This sub-conscious mantra also applies when photographers – amateur and professional – travel over-seas. When landscape enthusiasts venture abroad, they invariably end up in a foreign land’s hinterland, while architecture buffs are drawn to cities filled with unique buildings.
I’ve always been fascinated by people – the way they interact with one another and the environment they happen to be in, their hobbies and professions, and the way they personify their country. And, as hard as I try to capture the beauty of a landscape or the magnificence of a historic city, the results are seldom beautiful or magnificent.
When overseas I look for people who complement a scene that in some way is emblematic of that nation. For example, my admittedly stereotyped view of England is one of old-worldly tradition so during a month-long journey in 2018 I was drawn to its historic villages. This resulted in many photographs of older people whose dress and demeanour enhanced that stereotype. And older people are often a pleasure to
