81mm, f/5.6, 1/100, ISO 1250

On a warm spring evening Jess and I rode out along one of the Nakdong river tributaries to collect wild flowers.

The Nakdong flows just west of Sangju, a town that we used to live in in Gyeongsangbuk province - South Korea. It marks North Korea's furthest point of advance during the 1950 - 1953 Korean War. Given Sangju's proximity to the river it was likely a point of strategic importance in supplying the Nakdong line of defence. With the United Nations, and especially United States, involvement in the war foreign soldiers would have passed through the town and may even have spent periods based in it.

Even though I was aware of this there were times when wondering the streets, and being stared at, that I felt like a pioneering explorer having stumbled upon a previously unknown -sometimes even uncivilized - society.

I vividly remember our first week in South Korea; Jessica and I were convinced we were the only western - and crucially English speaking - people in the town, and perhaps in the wider area. This belief, together with the intense culture shock, made for a heady mix of emotions and more than just a little apprehension.

Buddha figurine - Gumosan, Korea

93mm, f/5.6, 1/125, ISO 320

Lupatana - in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

50mm, f/9.0. 1/1600 ISO 800

Butterfly at Lupatana

85mm, f/5.6, 1/1000, ISO 500

Socks

55mm, f/5.0, 1/320, ISO 100

85mm, f5.6, 1/320, ISO100

85mm, f5.6, 1/250, ISO 100

A warm summer day, beautiful lawn, obliging cat and camera . I tweaked the exposure, increased the blacks, luminosity of the yellows and increased the vibrant and saturation of the colours. The last photo is my favourite. The dark colours of the background contrast nicely with the colours of the lawn.

Socks tail sticking out the third photo detracts from it.

Capturing a bee

85mm, f/6.3, 1/1000, ISO 320

Trying to capture a bee in flight proved to be a difficult. Tracking bees takes patience as they often fly in unpredictable patterns which makes it difficult to frame a photograph. What's more flowers and foliage make for 'busy' photographs and can distract from the main subject of a photo.

The colour version of this photo proved dull and unexciting. By converting it to black and white, and then playing with the colours I was able to give the flower a glow which I find appealing. The bee is a bit dark and there's a large dark patch in the background which is distracting.

Horse drawn cart, Angkor Wat - Cambodia

Picture: 41mm, f/4.2, 1/125, ISO 100

This picture was taken in the early morning sunlight outside Angkor Wat. I saw a cart approaching, asked Jess to look at it and took a few frames.The verdict? Success: Jess' gaze directs the viewer toward the cart while the building and shadows lend ambiance. Most definitely one of my favourite photos.