The second visit tempered my zeal a little just because I was all fired  up only to arrive and find the city hibernating, the only people doing anything, were mostly like myself,newly arrived or visiting.

I too was torn between trying to network and exploring, and the latter probably won out. I was walking 20-30km a day in the snow taking pictures, exploring, completely content and oblivious to the cold.

I was staying in Neukölln and discovered Templehof, a vast expanse in the centre of the city, that entering made me feel slightly agoraphobic. I could not believe it was permitted to walk around what looked like a functioning airport and could not believe that an aircraft might not try to land as I did so.

I eventually go to meet some locals and my last Saturday evening with them was the best night out I have this year, a long evening that saw a small group of us going to a secretive basement club that played swing and jive music, where the crowd of hipsters and the beautiful, dropped their poses, gave into fun and even cracked a few smiles.

In both places I was filled with a manic energy that, coupled with jet-lag, was very enervating; a kind of natural high. In the heat and humidity I was running around and always running on empty, but dared not relax lest I missed something. As a consequence, there were a lot of pictures that, though mostly good, now seem unconnected, with no theme, or thread to hang a story on.

As with NYC, my return trip found me a little more calm and thinking more in terms of photo essays. Though I was still kind of hyper and come the evening I was always exhausted, sleeping such odd hours that I often ate two dinners; the second most often at the all-night food market, which is worth a visit, or two, or three…

Where to stay? well I decided to head further north in Kowloon this time and ended up in Mong Kok, which is far less influenced by the ex-pats and suits of say, Tsim Sha Tsui, or The Island. If you think those areas are lively, they are nothing compared to Mong Kok! The sheer mass of people, the riot of colour and neon could be overwhelming. I was fine with it, well, except for one day, when, hung-over, having to venture out into that maelstrom (for my coconut water fix) I wished I was back in sleepy Barcelona.

I think HK just about maintains a balance between the glamour and sanitised vision of the ‘future is now’ and the vibrant, visceral patina that comes from so many people huddled into limited space; I personally like my places  messy, worn around the edges and well, a little pungent.

One day I decided to head toward the Chinese border on a train to check out other towns. I t was pretty depressing. Sure the rain didn’t help, but in truth the unremitting shabbiness of bad intensive housing and nothing historical that I could see, left me feeling like my  soul had been gutted and then probably sold to some rich guy across the border. It was pretty bleak and I was happy to get back to the lurid mania of Kowloon; it has a certain charm and benefits from being a melting pot wherein nothing has completely melted.

I went to photograph Anthony whilst still recovering from a stomach bug that had been doing the rounds of the city. I was feeling very light-headed and generally not ‘all there’, I did however have an idea in my mind as to what shot I would like and when you are lucky enough to have this, it can make taking photographs that little bit easier; you have to all intents and purposes solved the creative puzzle and now its just a matter of technicalities and perhaps ‘shoe-horning’ the reality of whats possible into the form you had in mind.

Funnily enough Anthony had only just recovered from the same bug so was either being sympathetic or he too was still slightly delirious (trust me, after this bug you lose so much water, etc, in such a short space of time, it is like a natural high).

The shoot turned out to be good fun and though there are a couple of things  I might have done differently, on the whole I quite like the result. I was determined to not do a traditional portrait and knew I would like to get him sat next to a model and do something with her hair. The space we choose had a nice symmetry which I tried to use, space was very limited though and I was pressed up against the back wall trying to get them both in and having viewing the image on the LED screen, which luckily on the EM-5 flips out.

I was attending an art college, doing a foundation course, and had this friend who I was secretly, madly, in love with. She had Anglo-Italian parents, had been born in Angola, during the war and then brought up in HK, and was therefore way, way, beyond exotic in my eyes… Wild hair, bright clothes and jangling bangles, she looked like a Spanish gypsy; a force of nature.

Even before this though, I was obsessed with foreign places and always knew I would never stay in the U.K.

In the end I got a passport when I was 17, but only managed to get to London; it would be a couple of more years before I made the first of my great escapes, and until 2012 before I made it to HK.

A friend of mine works there a lot and suggested I come over, so I did and loved it. It seemed to have the ceaseless energy of NYC, but was even more brash. I spent  a week doing what I usually do, when faced with so much conflicting stimuli, and that is to walk myself senseless trying to photograph it all, then returning home to find no rhyme or reason to what I have captured.

I have therefore learned that such places should be revisited quickly, the second visit, with the ‘the shock of the new’ tamed, lets me see more clearly and I can relax; I realise I have the time to consume it at my leisure, rather than devour it with the sense of urgency born from some age-old  atavistic notion that if I don’t it might be taken from me…

…Part 2 and more images to follow soon.

Luckily for me my friend Yeesan was going to be there and was coming from NYC and I could hardly make excuses to not catch up with her there, even if it was midwinter.

So glad I did. I feel profoundly in love with the place, there is an atmosphere that I have still not quite figured out about the place, but it is poignant and feels almost crushed by the weight of history. The somewhat grizzly weather only added to this and bothered me not one bit (one is spoiled living in BCN, so a change is as good as a rest).

For the first time, in a long time I felt like I was finally at home, except of course, I wasn’t. Years living in far off  countries, standing out as a foreigner , understanding everything and here I feel I could blend in and except I understand nothing.

Even whilst there I was making fervent plans to get back ASAP and also worrying that this might be a precursor to another relocation, which I want to avoid as it is so stressful and does not solve any deeper dissatisfaction one might have with life or ones circumstances.

I have decided to instead look at this as a possible sharing of my time between the 2 places, if i can find some decent work angles there that is.

Whatever happens, at least I feel fired up again and if things worked out and I was no longer dependent on trying to survive financially in BCN (which is onerous due attitude of the locals to paying for creative services) then I might actually enjoy living here more, because it does have so much going for it.

I guess the biggest problem I have is that it has dawned on me that I have kind of slept walked through the last 5 years here; it is so easy to do, to subsist at a level which is comfortable whilst your brain turns to mush. Time to fight the ennui and get serious, hopefully Berlin can help with that.

I recently spent a day photographing an event, I was also interviewed for it and below is the unedited text I supplied them, I don’t know how it will be edited, it rambles and rants a bit, but what the hell, I wanted to get something new online…

You were recently shooting Fresh Faces 2012, how did it go?
It went very well. Quite a long day I guess, so the wine, cava and canapés at the end of the day were much appreciated.

What did you think of the models and the winners Magdalena and Jose Manuel?
Well there were 4 winners including the Revlon award, I think it was a split of classic models in one category and perhaps edgier ones in the other, All in all a good looking bunch and very friendly.

Was it easy to work with the models and organisers?
Very easy, I was pretty much left to my own devices, usually I tend to work with more lighting but took this day as a chance to travel light and work mostly with the ambient, trying to be a fly on the wall as much as possible, though of course models have a 6th sense when it comes to cameras so trying to photograph them unnoticed was a challenge.

What was the highlight of the day and which are your favourite 3 shots from the contest?
I guess the most exciting part may have been the actual catwalk as I have never done one, so I felt I learnt a lot and could go back and do it much better next time, all the photography of the models getting made up was also fun and I could happily do that for hours, though I am beginning to realise I need to try and find ways to not get too predictable, as it is quite limited in what you do and what occurs, so I like the challenge of how to see it with fresh eyes and a new perspective.

Could you tell us also something about yourself and your background?
I studied Philosophy and literature at University, but always loved photography, I started out as a kid in school and learnt the dark room, After travelling for a year doing travel images I got a job assisting and this was the real education, big complicated shoots with loads of lighting, travelling all over the world, I don’t think you need to go to university; teach yourself and assist a pro, and for god’s sakes learn the rules before you decide to break them.

What photography do you specialize in? Is it fashion photography?
I tell people that living in Barcelona you can’t really specialise if you want to get work! But the truth is I like variety a lot and I believe being out of your comfort zone can lead to better results, if you can deal with the extra stress. I generally shoot people, usually in environments, and I like to use artificial lighting as a rule. I also love modern architecture just because it is slower and more considered and it lets you play with form, colour and light, almost like abstract painting at times.

What are your inspirations/influences?
Well for day to day inspiration I follow a few of blogs (for example Strobist & The Candid Frame). Regarding photographers I like well, they vary from week to week, but one that stuck with me was Robert Frank, mostly because I saw his big exhibition in New York a couple of years ago. What really caught my attention were not the prints which you can see anywhere but rather his contact sheets. They remind me of days I shot with film and would wander around looking for images, always mindful back then that you had 36 frames and it cost money! Just seeing the linear succession of a roll of film, the errors, the pencilled selections and him jumping from one scene to another perhaps over a  several days was fascinating, when you see finished prints in exhibitions or books you might think such a level of creativity is beyond you: the contact sheets told the true story, about the process, the mistakes and the eventual success. I would love to see more exhibitions like this.

Do you have any works/success stories you would like to share with us? (magazine you’ve worked with, clients…)
I guess one should name drop at moments like these, but I cannot say anyone famous I have dealt with was the most remarkable person I ever met, nor stories done for famous magazines pleased me more than one for one that isn’t. People with stories are the best, A) because they are interesting and B) it keeps them distracted and can buy you more time! Any shoot where you go in clueless as to what to do and get something you love is an obvious success, but sometimes I get jobs where I have worked it all out in my head and pressing the shutter is almost a formality, I think that is a success as well, because the concept became concrete. I also do wedding photography once in a while and this is perhaps the hardest work, but in one day I might have 20+ images I would use in a portfolio which has to be exceptional in just about any photographic field, I also think most fashion photographers should try doing a wedding at least once, they would get a rude awaking I think!

What do you think are the challenges for photographers today?
The biggest challenge is to survive in a world where so many people think they are now pro photographers just because they went out and bought a DSLR! Photography like any creative endeavour these days favours all too often the people with the right contacts and/or business acumen more than actual talent, as a result there is a tendency to go for gimmicky trendy looks rather than develop your own style, which can take time. Most photography that makes money is not very glamorous but does require technical skills, as leaving too much to chance and passing off the results as ‘arty’ just does not cut it.

I have been meaning to go there for a while and a recent wedding in the vicinity reminded me of this.

I arrived and instantly picked up on the holiday town ambiance, Barcelona and even Badalona though having beaches feel like places people live, whilst here it definitely feels more like a resort, maybe a little tacky, but I like it a lot and what I am drawn to, in particular, is the feeling of the ‘end of the season.’

The beach was sparsely populated and  for sure you could still swim, so it felt like the last diehard hedonists or late break holiday makers were clinging on to summer;  I regretted not having my trunks with me, so I could join them.

The poignancy of this long, long beach, more haunted than populated inspired the pictures I took, it is a theme I am fascinated with.

The restaurants were quite busy along the promenade but either side of this thin strip, be it the town, or the beach, there was stillness, even the sea was placid. I took some time to eat in a quiet place and have some wine and felt totally at peace, I imagine winters could be fascinating here as well, as it is with most beaches in fact, I still have a dream to spend a month in some such spot and see how it inspires me.

Location: Castelldelfels, Spain.

My first wedding in quite a while.

I had kind of forgotten about this type of photographic work, but when the offer came up I actually put on hold a trip to the south to be able to do it, because A) work had been quiet for a while and so a holiday seemed unearned  and B) I just wanted to do it.

Weddings are one of the more scary types of photography a photographer can do, especially if you are working alone, but also they are by the same degree  exciting, and a good wedding affords the opportunity to do a complete project in a day that might normally takes weeks, or more.

If I have a successful wedding I can expect to have maybe 20 images I would add to my portfolio which is not bad for one days work (and 2-3 days post production, because everyone forgets that its the back end of this type of job that requires the most time).

They were a good couple to photograph, very photogenic, as were most of the guests, it felt pretty glamorous.

I met up with Anna beforehand and was surprised to find her instead of relaxing with friends getting herself ready running around arranging various parts of the wedding herself, whilst the rest of the family and the groom were all apparently relaxing by the pool or whatever, she was doing all this and looking like a film-star; I was impressed.

The wedding was in a hotel in Castelldefels and also in a chapel in the middle of nowhere, halfway up a mountain, so i was rushing around a lot trying to be places before the couple.

There was no wedding planner and so I kept finding myself stumbling on events I had not predicted or even remembered (because I was a little out of practice) , This of course added to the excitement/stress levels.

All in all it was close to a 14 hour day with travel but i enjoyed it and came away thinking I can still hack it in this most difficult of arenas of photography.

I know this little park quite well, situated at the back of the Boqueria market but, I suspect, not much visited or written about in guide books, it is pretty easy to miss, a lot of it is shielded and the canopy of trees and tranquilty is hardly like to catch the eye with all the other things going on around there. I met Alex and her mother who run the place  and another guy who is a cat therapist/whisperer etc, etc.

I used to live in Buenos Aires and near my apt was a park called Botanico which was an unofficial cat sanctuary in a city overrun with dogs and dog-shit. The funny thing about this park was that there was lots of trees and lots of grass and you could lie down with out the need to worry about piles of crap. It was situated between 2 very busy roads and though not so large once within its iron fence it was surprisingly quiet and peaceful.

When the sun set the cats would all come out and sit facing the dying rays, it was vaguely surreal and in stark contrast to the mayhem on the streets and roads outside.

El Jardinet Dels Gats has a hint of this atmosphere and though most of the cats were far less friendly or trusting than in the park it is nice to get away from the monopoly of pooches that rules Barcelona.

I have said this before, that doing these is not going to make me rich! But I do get to meet people, who for the most part, are interesting and quite a few either become friends or clients.

Included in this selection is a photo of Mad who was a friend before and we later did a shoot that was pretty successful.

Also in here is an image of Julian who became a friend AND a client and we have had quite a few long nights out at a favoured cocktail bar and I have also photographed his plays.

Kostas was also fun to photograph and I am still looking forward to trying his restaurant some day soon

The photo pictured above is the latest and I have just returned from a trip to Hong Kong so used it as an excuse to try out one of the new light modifiers I had bought there (along with a new camera and lenses). I wanted to try and reprise a look I used last year of Pablo, who became a friend as well.

I guess you could say the aim is to try and mimic the quality of old masters, I would never claim to be the first to try this and a lot more people have achieved something more faithful to the original, but for me it was always justna starting point, so I was never slavishly sticking to the ideal.

So, in one post I have managed to incorporate 8 months of work! A cheat I know, but I really need to catch up so it will have to do.