Nostalgia necessitated a look at the German church (the spire photograph), which unfortunately was closed to visitors at the time , to show my daughter the place where my wife and I were married, very nearly twenty years ago.

The first couple of shots below illustrate the characteristic narrow, cobblestone streets in the Old Town, some peaceful others bustling with tourists, then it was off towards the waterfront and other sites. The black and white shot just picks up the ongoing ‘battle’ between the inland waterways and the Baltic Sea, always a lively coming together.

Heading in the general direction of Ostermalms Saluhall (food market) there was just enough time to catch the last couple of blossom trees out in the ever-popular Kungstradgarden (Kings Garden),then a stroll down the waterfront past some impressive architecture, before it’s time to eat.

I was first introduced to Ostermalms some twenty plus years ago, and was immediately impressed by the atmosphere, the impeccable cleanliness, and most of all the fantastic seafood dishes available inside. I settled for some arctic char (not a fish I’ve tried before) filet, creatively served and cooked to perfection. Somehow the dishes always look so tempting in this market, one of favourite places to eat anywhere.

From the restaurant it was off to the nearby Wassa (Vasa) museum – amazing to think such a major feat of construction only made it a couple of hundred years before sinking!! Then as we headed back to catch a train just wandered through a couple of the smart bars not quite managing to take the last shot without being noticed.

The time had come to return home, another very enjoyable visit to this lovely city over, but with family there  it hopefully won’t be too long until I’m back.  If you’ve any comments or questions please drop me an email to keith@keithhern.com , or if you’d like to see more of my travel photography have a look at http://www.keithhern.com

A wet afternoon in Volterra followed, so we headed for the compact La Vena di Vino bar – great selection of wine, an owner who gives good wine advice, excellent plates of ‘prosciutto e formaggio’, and an atmosphere that clearly induces lady visitors to dispense with their bras which are then displayed hanging from the ceiling! Next stop Florence, and a little more in the way of ‘April showers’ so headed stright for a small restaurant we’d stumbled across on our last visit. We knew it would be crowded, but didn’t expect the hour long queue in the rain so this time decided not to wait. But a meal at Mario’s Fiaschettoria Trattoria just round the corner from the Duomo is well worth the experience, and it won’t take long once you’re inside.

Food and wine always feature high on the list of enjoyable ways of passing the time in this wonderful country, and whilst there was time to visit Fattoria Santa Lucia near Colleoli (incredible range of starters, and weirdest collection of ‘artwork’), sadly not quite enough to take in the delights of La Vecchia Banana in Pontedera – shame, as the food is outstanding, and the award-winning chef/owner generous with his advice on wines to accomapny his dishes. The final place twe visited on this all-too-short visit was Lucca, and with the sun shining for the first time took advantage and did the bike ride around the top of the City wall, always good fun, and great for a spot of people-watching.  We also managed to locate the Buca dis Antantonio restaurant, a very traditional eatery, but well worth a visit where I sampled their goat, and very tasty it was too. Just time for a quick photo shoot with Jess, before we had to head home.

So another enjoyable trip to Tuscany draws to a close, the good news it’s only another three months until we’re back.

Do please feel free to pass comments, or if you have any questions get in touch keith@keithhern.com or by mobile +44 7900 826714. If you’d like to se emore of my travel photogrpahy please visit www.keithhern.com .

Each trip involves looking for somewhere new to drop by, and to date nothing has disappointed – is the whole of Italy really that fantastic? so far in my experience the answer is pretty much yes. So here are a few more examples:

An early July morning just after sunrise, the somewhat unusual transport to the highest point on Elba, and the impressive cieling at the cathedral in Re make up the next three shots:

The last few shots focus on that all-important part of an Italian holiday, the wonderful food and wine:

Looking through these shots…so looking forward to going back, and wondering what other little gems we can find this time….. feel free to comment or email me at keith@keithhern.com , and for more examples of my photography take a look at www.keithhern.com.

Mention Portugal to most people and they immediately head west from Faro airport for the established Algarve sunspots and golf courses, however if you prefer a quieter, more peaceful few days head east. A twenty minute taxi ride reaches the coastal town of Olhau, from where a fifteen minute ferry trip takes you to the unspoilt island of Armona.Devoid of cars it’s like stepping back in time, to a world of a much slower pace of life where little happens in a hurry! What Armona has in abundance is miles of sandy beaches with crystal clear seas, and very few people – at least at this time of year, but I suspect August may be somewhat different.

In the short visit we sampled three restaurants, the two either side of the ferry area, both of which did a good line in fresh seafood, but meat was also available for those that prefer it. The restaurant on the Atlantic side, which is up for sale, sold a most fantastic plate of garlic grilled eels. The bills all seemed very similar between 35 and 45 Euros for two including a bottle of wine. A third has apparently now opened nearby so now a plentiful choice of eatery on the island, to go with the array waterfront restaurants at Olhau where the traditional seafood cataplana can be sampled, and well worth it it was too.

Looking out at grey skies and temperatures of at least 6 degrees a quick trip to Armona would be perfect for a few days serious unwinding and r&r… I’ll be back!

What  a great place to visit if you are after some quiet rest and relaxation, I’ll be back.

Any feedback or questions let me know: email keith@keithhern.com, phone +44 7900 826714. Or to see more of my travel photography go to http://www.keithhern.com .

Given that most businesses hope their website will attract potential clients what does a badly-lit or holiday snap say about that person or business? The marketeers tell us we have 3 seconds to attract a casual viewer past the home/landing page, and if successful they may well want to find out more about the business. If they are still on the site maybe they are considering using the services provided by that business. In pre-internet times there would by now have been a couple of meetings, or at least phone conversations, during which trust and relationship building would have begun. With this first phase frequently completed online, the only way any judgement in these areas can be made is from the portrait photo. So if you want to be seen as approachable, professional and trustworthy, surely you need a professional portrait done?

These come in many forms, inside or outside, and here are a few examples:

Or maybe make more use of backgrounds to create a different look and feel.

Whatever the situation my approach is always to aim to capture the personality behind the photo, rather than just take a shot.  I would welcome any comments, in agreement or not…. by email keith@keithhern.com, or phone +44 7900 826714. For more of my people photography please click through to my website: http://www.keithhern.com/people_photography/.

The trek happened in August 2009 and was quite simply one of the most amazing experineces of my life. The scenery was weird but stunning, the weather at times truly dire, and there were challenges aplenty to overcome. The spirit of those involved was amazing particularly on the longest day’s trekking when we did nine hours in subzero temperatures, howling winds and non-stop rain/sleet/snow – two of the team needed treatment for hyperthermia. After six days we were back in Reykjavik for a celebration dinner (shark, whale, lobster soup, puffin) and then sampled the famous Reykjavik nightlife – it didn’t disappoint!

With that as a memory I’m very much looking forward to Nepal, and just like in 2009 it will form the last chapter in my next book, to follow ‘Bangers & Mash’ which I wrote whilst going through cancer in 2007 ( see http://www.throatcancersurvivor.co.uk for details). The follow-up will be very different as going through it all again was in one way strangely familiar, but also very different and less scary even if the odds were against me, plus I ended up doing plenty of non-medical work to aid the recovery, including sampling the likes of magnetic therapy, yoga and nutritional supplements.

If you’d like to comment or ask questions just drop me an email to keith@keithhern.com or call me on +44 7900 826714. To see other examples of my photography please visit http://www.keithhern.com .

What a fabulous place to visit for a weekend Bilbao proved to be! From the very impressive Guggenheim to the narrow streets in the old town, and out to the peaceful pedestrian squares near the port there’s something for all tastes. Getting around is dead easy as the transport system is fast and efficient, be it tram, underground or train. The trip out to San Sebastian was extremely worthwhile as we managed to find a Michelin starred restaurant so spent most of the time there enjoying the 7 course ‘menu degustation’ – fabulous!

Back in Bilbao much of the time was spent strolling around the narrow pedestrianised streets of the old town with very frequent stops at various pintxos (similar to tapas)bars for a snack or two and a glass or two of Rioja – incredibly good value, and never a poor glass of wine! The only evening we tried a sit-down meal it proved poor value for money, or maybe our choice of venue was poor. Some of the prices were a little odd, as at the Central Station a fresh orange juice was 5 Euros, roughly equivalent to two and a half glasses of wine at most pintxos bars – I know which I think is better value!

Needless to day there was no shortage of photographic material so managed to get through a fiar amount of camera memory in the three days we were there.

Away from the Five Flies, culture came in the form of two excellent museums: the Jewish History, and the Dutch Resistance both of which were fascinating. With all the walking dehydration had to be guarded against so a relaxing visit to the ‘Ij’ (egg) brewery had to be included in the itinerary.The beer was strong from 5% up to 9% proof,and I think it’s the first time I’ve enjoyed a glass of ‘Ijwit (eggwhite) beer’. The other bar of note was the Ice Bar – donning extra warm jackets, special gloves we entered the ‘cold bar’, cold being about -10, but they are very precious about taking photos – not permitted! I think I’ll save my sub-zero drinking for the ski slopes! Our guesthouse was well-placed around the corner from a vegetarian shoe-shop, at least a hundred yards from the nearest red light, and not much further to the closest cafe – not to be confused with ‘coffee shop’ which is where spliffs can be indulged in freely and legally, the supplies being available at the local flower market.
A very enjoyable couple of days finished with an impressive 17 dish Indonesian ‘rijsttafel’ at the Indrapura – very good restaurant. Better remember not to leave it another ten years before returning!

Any comments drop me a line to keith@keithhern.com or call me on +44 7900 826714, or for more of my photography go to http://www.keithhern.com

These were from the 2009 concert, two years after I had been given the all clear, two weeks after I had been diagnosed again and given a survival chance of between 10 and 40 percent! There were two nurses who were so important when I was at my lowest during the treatment, one was on the door for the 2009 concert, the other had asked me to photograph her wedding – a real privilege. The third shot is the orchestra and choir in full flow.

The above shots are from the 2010 concert and feature the choir, Thames Chamber Orchestra and an address from Nigella Lawson, the Vice President of the ORACLE Cancer Trust. This years’ was slightly different in that I wasn’t doing the photography, however was doing a reading, and had a chance to meet Nigella Lawson to thank her for the nice quote she had given about my book ‘Bangers & Mash’. The third photo is of the three ex-patients who gave the readings.

As ever my utmost thanks to Peter Rhys-Evans and his amazing team at the Royal Marsden, both for excellent evening concerts but also for helping me successfully to get through cancer twice. For more information about my book and cancer experiences please go to http://www.throatcancersurvivor.co.uk , or for more of my photography http://www.keithhern.com. If you have any questions please just email me keith@keithhern.com or call me +44 7900 826714.

It was fantastic event, and just a privilege to be asked to join the team of photographers at www.tournamentimages.com (all images for sale through this site), may even be asked again next year! To witness the displays of the 700 troops and 100 horse that were involved was a great experience, as was helping to do teh photography.

Any questions pelase email me keith@keithhern.com or call on +44 7900 826714. If you’d like tos ee more of my photography please look at mey website www.keithhern.com .