Based on a photograph by Michael Collopy of John Lee Hooker taken in Vallejo, California - 1997. The photograph was recently seen in B&W, Issue 67, June 2009.

My model on this occasion was Abdul (Ludbah). Check out his work here at flickr, it's worth the effort, trust me.

Looks good On Black

From the souks behind the Bab Al Bahrain

Behind all the glass and high rise in Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong Island

Another from Hong Kong around the Causeway Bay area, not far from Times Square - follow the link across to flickr for a few more snippets on how it was made

Seen in Stanley at the south end of Hong Kong Island

Well another brief trip across to Bahrain has come and gone. I found the time to have a wander round the streets behind the Bab Al Bahrain for a couple of hours, camera in hand. Well what friendly bunch they were round there - not only were they happy to pose on request, but some even approached me to get their shots taken. One taxi driver even decided I was a professional; admittedly, L series lenses do make you look the part. One of my favourite shots from the day was this one:

This was a baker outside his shop, you can still see the flour and dough on his hands if you look carefully. There are plenty more of a similar nature over at the flickr site should you find the time to pass that way.

The Boxtones were still in residence at the Fiddlers' Green. Once more they provided for a pleasant evenings' entertainment, though Wednesday nights' set was cut short by the start of the Porto vs Manchester United game. On Thursday night, I asked them to play 'Leaving on a Jetplane' (with all the words) again - seems they'd thought my previous comment was left by the person who made the request back in January - sadly, I am not they. They didn't play it, but maybe they'll still be there when we next get that side of the Causeway from here in Riyadh. Maybe they'd like to do a set at the Salwa Rock Festival at the end of the month - guess the chances are slim though.

For now though, enjoy the photos

This is the view over Hong Kong Island from the Peak, looking towards Kowloon across Victoria Harbour. Nice spot up there.

This isn't really intended to be a 'For Sale' post, but given I now have the 5D MkII and lenses to go with it, I'll be looking to move the 350D and EF-S lenses onto a good home. This isn't intended to be a comprehensive list but just as a heads up, the following is likely to want a new owner:

• Canon 350D body
• EF-S 60mm f/2.8 USM macro lens + Canon lens hood
• EF-S 10-22mm f/2.8 USM wide angle zoom lens + Canon lens hood
• EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM standard zoom lens (this is very much NOT the kit lens - read up on it) + Canon lens hood
• EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.5 II USM + Canon lens hood
• Spare 350D battery
• RS-60 cable release
• Cheap Chinese wireless release
• There may end up being other stuff too

Anyway, it's all in good nick and functionally perfect, with a pretty low shutter count on the body - I still have a film mindset where every shot counts and has a processing cost to be considered, much less the weight and bulk of all those film canisters.

What you really want to see of course is the new gear - well wait no longer...

Wholly unrelated of course, but thought you might like this...