Sunset Trees
Well, yesterday the late afternoon light was beckoning and the scene slowly turned into this. Have a good start to the week!
2702, 2012
2402, 2012
The nature and origin of human beings: Richard Dawkins and Rowan Williams
It has certainly been a week of discussions, although admittedly, in Oxford it always is. On Monday, Richard Dawkins spoke at the Oxford Town Hall about secularism in the UK. Thursday afternoon, on the other hand, saw a much anticipated debate between Richard Dawkins and Rowan Williams, chaired by Sir Anthony Kenny. The Sheldonian was packed, the physics department’s live
2202, 2012
In Conversation with Richard Dawkins
A photo taken on Monday during the conversation with Richard Dawkins about Secularism in the UK.
2102, 2012
(One of) my favourite place(s) on the planet
Ah well, simply looking at a mere picture of this place makes me want to go there and spend a couple of hours flipping through the pages of whatever book grabs my attention, which is precisely what I’ve done uncountably many times over the past couple of years.
2002, 2012
Once upon an afternoon in Cornmarket Street…
So, this week I shall aim to upload a picture every day – all snapped in Oxford. Here goes the first one; I had not been up to any candid street photography in ages, so it felt good to give it a shot after so long. I hope you enjoy the picture. Have a good start to the week!
1102, 2012
Theatre and Politics
This evening I attended a fascinating symposium with the title “Theatre and Politics”, with actress and visiting Humanitas professor in Drama Vanessa Redgrave, actor Ralph Fiennes, Guardian theatre critic Michael Billington and playwright Simon Stephens. Here are a few pictures from the event.
0902, 2012
More snow!
And there you have it… it’s snowing again!
0502, 2012
Snow!
I guess the picture says it all. It’s snowing!
0402, 2012
Just over a year later…
I can hardly believe that a whole year has passed since I created this photography blog. Well here we are, 89 posts and over 300 pictures later. (You can view my first ever blog post here.) I had little idea then how many thousands of people from all walks of life would visit this blog over the ensuing weeks &
2201, 2012
Stargazing Oxford
On Saturday, 21st January, Oxford Astrophysics held the event “Stargazing Oxford” as part of the BBC’s Stargazing LIVE string of events across the country. It was an occasion that brought together the whole of Astrophysics at Oxford (and many people from the Physics department at large) to bring astronomy to the general public. The hugely successful event saw about 1,200
2001, 2012
Oxford Night Sky
Well, tomorrow is a big day for us all at the Oxford Astrophysics department, as we expect hundreds of people to visit us and learn more about the universe. So here’s a fresh aptly-themed picture from my camera, which I snapped late last night, whilst a good friend of mine (you know who you are!) waited very patiently for me
1601, 2012
Once upon a chilly, sunny day in Oxford.
Very cold, yes. But also sunny, with deep blue skies. Not for long, but it will be like this again, sometime. So we all hope.
0501, 2012
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”
Well, we’ve just marked the start of another revolution around the sun, which in my mind I associate with the inescapable reality of our constant aging. And as I stared at this photograph, taking in the fleeting moment which was captured, I was reminded of C.S. Lewis’ wise words, to which I need add nothing else.
3112, 2011
The last picture of 2011… bring on 2012!
Here goes the last post for this year… the very last picture of 2011 that will make it on this blog. The very blog which I started, as a matter of fact, in 2011. What a year it has been! So with this picture, which was taken as the sun slowly set in the West upon my village of Ghajnsielem,
3112, 2011
Rough Sea #2
Here goes another one of the crazy waves. Oh, and by the way, Happy New Year to all!
3012, 2011
Rough Sea
It’s hard to imagine a seascape so different from that depicted in yesterday’s photo. In a matter of a few hours, the sea went from being a serene, peaceful sight to absolutely terrifying. It so happened to be perfectly timed from my perspective, since today marked the annual, traditional (by now almost religious) gathering of fellow photo-junkies. We ended this
3012, 2011
Mgarr Harbour
Here is a picture of a very calming scene, one of those which I miss whenever I leave this place. This photo shows my village of Ghajnsielem at sunset. More specifically, it shows Mgarr Harbour, as one of the ferries leaves Gozo for the island of Malta.
2412, 2011
When the World is still asleep #2
Here’s another photo from the same sunrise shoot. I take the opportunity to wish a Merry Christmas to all of you!
2312, 2011
When the world is still asleep
Early this morning I headed out to the sea again, this time with my good friend and fellow photographer Armand Sciberras, who dropped me a message late last night to ask if I was up for a sunrise shoot. And shoot we did. Early mornings are truly beautiful. There is something incredibly peaceful about them; you look around and there
2212, 2011
Crashing waves
Yesterday we had a strong gale-force wind (force 9 at one point) which led to some really big waves. Of course I couldn’t let such a fantastic photographic opportunity go by, so I headed out to snap a few pictures of the crashing waves. Little did I know I would unsuspectingly end up being dragged into the sea by a
1612, 2011
Christopher Hitchens: 1949 – 2011
Here’s a picture of the late Christopher Hitchens. This was snapped at the Sheldonian Theatre in 2010. One might have disagreed with his harsh and direct ways, but it’s hard not to appreciate his honesty and strength until his very last days. Below I reproduce the first page of his memoirs, Hitch-22, in which he described his first memories, which
0612, 2011
Sights in the sky
At long last, I’ve taken a new picture. This evening was particularly cold, at least according to my perception, although I maintain that 2degC should be deemed cold by anyone. Anyway, I was on my way back home from college when I was met by the sight of Jupiter and the moon staring back at me from behind Tom Tower.
1011, 2011
A Door Closes.
“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” ~ Alexander Graham Bell If you’re thinking that those words were the inspiration behind this photo, then I’m afraid I’ll disappoint you when I say that no, they weren’t.
0711, 2011
The Call
Right. So basically you haven’t stopped asking for Oxford pictures. I have to admit that the last Oxford-themed photo was posted quite a while back; in fact, now that I check, it’s been over two months since the last one. So here’s an Oxford picture for you. Again, I’m afraid this one was taken a few weeks ago (alas, the
0411, 2011
Puerta del Sol, Madrid
Here is another picture from Madrid, taken around a month ago whilst I was visiting the city for an ELIXIR meeting. Alas, I have a whole album of pictures from the trip which has to be uploaded at some point, but time remains scarce. For the time being, enjoy this one – and happy weekend to all!
3110, 2011
Halloween
I have to start off this post by apologizing to all of you loyal followers of this blog for my lack of uploads over the past few days – and indeed weeks. Time has been incredibly scarce and even the photos I am uploading today were actually snapped a couple of months back. However, I think that the atmosphere of
0510, 2011
ELIXIR meeting ~ Madrid, October 2011
Here’s a quick post of a picture took in Madrid, where I’m currently attending an ELIXIR (Early Universe Exploration with NIRSpec) meeting. NIRSpec is an instrument built by the European Space Agency (ESA) that will go on board the NASA/ESA James Webb Space telescope (JWST). I will try and upload some more pictures when I find the time. In the
2309, 2011
v > c?
There is no need to explain the motivation for this picture to any of the blog’s visitors, I’m sure. Let’s say that today’s news item was too big to go unrecorded in some way by my camera. At this point, we’ll simply have to wait until we either see this result confined to the annals of short-lived stories or watch
1509, 2011
“Young & Bright: Understanding High Redshift Structures” Conference ~ Potsdam, Berlin, 12-16 Sept 2011
Here are some pictures taken in Berlin during a conference (on the early universe) which I’m participating in. If you want to learn more about the subject matter of the conference, then click here.
2808, 2011
“Feeding the Giants: ELTs in the era of Surveys” Conference ~ Ischia, 29Aug – 02 Sept 2011
So, right now I’m situated at more Southern latitudes. To be more precise, I’m on an island in the Tyrrhenian Sea called Ischia (which lies just off Naples) for an international conference on ELTs (Extremely Large Telescopes). If you are interested in the subject matter of the conference itself, then click here.
1908, 2011
The Magic of Christ Church
It is perhaps quite ironic that very often I realize what a privilege it is to be studying at this place only when I’m looking at the pictures. And that always reminds me that sometimes we forget how lucky we are.
1408, 2011
Sunset Wish
This is precisely what I need right now. But since I’m tied to my desk, I’ll have to do with a picture. (This was taken a while back in Noordwijk in the Netherlands.)
1408, 2011
Rising Moon
Around this time last year, I was back home in Gozo observing the Perseids meteor shower with some friends of mine. This year I did not manage to see any Perseids from cloudy Oxford, so instead here’s an astronomically themed picture taken a few weeks ago.
1308, 2011
The Great Hall
Seeing that currently there’s so much excitement about the last Harry Potter movie I thought I’d upload an appropriately themed picture of the Great Hall of Christ Church, the interior of which was replicated in studio for the shooting of the films.
1208, 2011
The High Street
A picture taken a while back. Unfortunately, I’m swamped with too much work at the moment so I haven’t been up to much photography lately. However there are plenty of pictures which I took over the past few weeks and which I haven’t yet uploaded. So expect them to trickle over the coming few days until I get back to shooting new scenes!
0908, 2011
0708, 2011
Hay Stacks
A snapshot taken during a walk in Christ Church meadow, which served as a nice break from programming and scripting. As the sun began to set behind the trees, it provided some nice lighting on these haystacks, which happen to be amongst my favourite photographic subjects.
3007, 2011
“New Horizons for High Redshift” Conference ~ IoA Cambridge, 25-29 July 2011
This is a set of photos taken during an international conference on the high redshift universe, titled “New Horizons for High Redshift” which was held at the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge between the 25th and 29th of July, 2011.
2107, 2011
Galaxy Formation Conference ~ Durham, 18-22 July 2011
So, I’m up in Durham for a galaxy formation conference at the moment. Over 350 astronomers working in this field are to be found in just this one small town. And while here, I’m trying to take as many pictures as I can. It’s not that I’m having lots of opportunities since the weather has been pretty bleak, but I
1507, 2011
Feeding the Ducks
So here is one picture out of many which I took in Christ Church meadow this evening as the sun began to set.
1207, 2011
Pause
So, lately I have been doing more street photography. When I get some time these days, I head out for a walk in the city centre simply to take pictures of life as it unfolds. And when you stay in a corner for hours on end, silently observing people as they hustle and bustle through a busy street, you start
0607, 2011
“A man is what he thinks about all day long.”
Whenever I point the lens at people lost in their own thoughts, I can’t help but agree with Ralph Waldo Emerson. I can see no more of the thoughts, as a photographer, than anyone else can. This is indeed one photographic subject that remains always hidden from the lens, no matter how powerful it is. Yet we can get a
0407, 2011
The hidden side of Christ Church
Here are some pictures of the hidden side of Christ Church – the parts of college that are closed to the public (and for the most part to members of the college too). These pictures were taken during a recent insider’s tour of college. This collection of twelve images which I truly treasure should help you get an idea of
3006, 2011
Of Oxford Dons
Here is a snapshot of a very fleeting moment – a picture which will hopefully serve the purpose of showing you that scenes such as this one can indeed still be encountered in today’s modern world. It does not get much more Oxford than this.
2606, 2011
Christ Church Commemoration Ball
The title says it all really. The only thing I will add is that it was a fantastic experience which shall never be forgotten.
2106, 2011
The Cat of the Alley
This is a picture taken quite a long time ago; I snapped it when I was back home last December and came across it just now whilst I was going through the denizens of pictures I’ve taken over the past few months – an immensely satisfying exercise that always turns up a few forgotten surprises. So this is for all
1906, 2011
Studying
Right, for the first time ever in the history of this blog, I am posting two unrelated pictures on the same day. The thing is that I’ve just been in the college study room and couldn’t help notice this cute little cow busy at work. Now, let me make one thing clear. No part of this image has been set
1906, 2011
Night in St Aldates
What do you do on a rainy Saturday night? You wait at a window sill with you camera in hand for about an hour, until someone walks in front of a car that happens to be facing in your direction so that you get a blurred silhouette against the shiny ground that adds interest to your composition. Well, at least
1506, 2011
Riding at Sunset
Today’s picture takes us back to Noordwijk in the Netherlands. After a day-long meeting at the European Space Agency we headed out for dinner at a lovely restaurant overlooking the beach. I confess I was considerably distracted from my food all the time, as I watched the sun slowly setting beyond the horizon. Then, when least expected, three horses came
0906, 2011
The RadCam.
I haven’t uploaded a new picture here in a while. But I see that all you loyal followers of my blog kept visiting daily. So here is a new picture for you. This snapshot of the Radcliffe Camera was taken some time ago on a late afternoon. It’s not common for Radcliffe Square to be nearly deserted, so this presented