Ice sculpture, Tallinn

I had been watching these ice sculptors at work for most of the day however the light had been uninspirational so when I saw the sun dropping toward the end of the day I headed back round to where they were working. I felt that some more dramatic light would lift the scene. Here the bright sky behind clearly shows the translucent effect of the ice and having the two workers around the statue balances the image.

Gothic town hall, Tallinn

After finishing taking pictures from above the town I dashed back down into the centre to get the last of the blue sky before the sky turned to black. I find pictures at this time of night are far more pleasing than those taken with a completely black sky. I was aiming to get a reflection in the little slushy puddle in the square and to capture the light reflecting off the cobbles.

Coot, Oxfordshire

I spent some time down at a small pond one afternoon as there were a couple of coots present. Birds like this are often fed and living on a small pond they tend to be more tolerant of humans. This particular individual was pulling water plants from the water creating delicate ripples around it.

Grand Place, Brussels

My long weekend in Brussels was far from long enough. I spent 3 months in the summer of 2001 working in Brussels so I jumped at the opportunity to return. Fortunately I was able to visit a large number of the sites that I knew were photogrenic and at the correct time of day in order to get the pictures I wanted.

This image is just a matter of waiting for the lights in the Grand Place to come on - which they do every night.