Photos
As Apple started producing increasingly seriously good cameras in their phones, I started using my phone for the vast majority of my pictures. Many of the pictures on this page were taken with one. For serious pictures, have a look at Flickr, for more frequent updates, go to Instagram. I tend to prefer working in black and white, but that isn’t by any means a systematic rule.
Black and white
Most of my favorite photographs—in keeping with my minimalist approach to art and to design—are black and white: these ones were shot all over the world.
A collection of ducks owned by a New York friend
Masai Mara National Reserve is a large game reserve in Narok County, Kenya. It is globally famous for its exceptional population of lions, leopards and cheetahs, and the annual migration of zebra, Thomson's gazelle, and wildebeest to and from the Serengeti every year from July to October, known as the Great Migration.
Edited using Silver Efex
Shot with DxO ONE: this camera's main advantage is the massive sensor in a small body. As a result, the pictures are wonderful, even in low light.
This is just next door to the house where I grew up in the Old City of Geneva
This was built around 1395-1400 in Wheatley stone. It was re-slated in 1949. The Cloister walks contain eight medieval stone figures removed from the Chapel.
St. Stephen's Cathedral is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, OP. The current Romanesque and Gothic form of the cathedral, seen today in the Stephansplatz, was largely initiated by Duke Rudolf IV (1339–1365) and stands on the ruins of two earlier churches, the first a parish church consecrated in 1147.
This garden was laid out in 1818 as a private garden of the Emperor on an area of approx. 38.000 m². It is located directly at the Ringstrasse beside the Hofburg and the Albertina.
The Villa Medici is a Mannerist villa and an architectural complex with a garden contiguous with the larger Borghese gardens, on the Pincian Hill next to Trinità dei Monti
This relatively unknown Roman church dates back to the fourth or fifth century, and is devoted to four anonymous saints and martyrs. It includes two courtyards, the fortified Cardinal Palace with the Saint Silvester Chapel, and the monastery, pictured here, with its cosmatesque cloister
This church was built in the honour of the Roman martyr St. Praxedes, on the alleged site of her house, to which, when it was rebuilt by Pope St. Paschal I (the present Santa Prassede), her relics were taken.
When the Aral Sea dried up, several ships were left stranded at the Sea's main port, Moynak, and have become tourist attractions;
Tuléar is one of Madagascar's major cities, located 936 km southwest of national capital Tananarive. Its colonial legacy is still visible in the architecture and the urban landscape
Ampanihy is one of the poorest parts of Madagascar
Colour
Sometimes colour is so intrinsically part of a scene that it makes no sense to strip it out. These are a few examples, in very different contexts, of such situations. Go to Flickr to see a wider range.
Found on a table at Momoya on the Upper West Side
Keynan souvenir in a Paris flat
Her exceptional pedigree really shows in this shot
In the late 1720s, Edward Butler, the then President, planned to replace most of the Cloisters with a grand new quadrangle in the Palladian style, and commissioned Edward Holdsworth to design it. Work started in 1733 on what would have been the north range of this new quadrangle, but after this range was finished by the end of the decade. the project went no further, presumably owing to a lack of energy and funding.
L214 is a French organisation working to improve animal living conditions
Two Beduin greeting visitors in one of the caves in Petra, Jordan
Petra is believed to have been settled as early as 9,000 BC, and it was possibly established in the 4th century BC as the capital city of the Nabataean Kingdom. The Nabataeans were nomadic Arabs who invested in Petra's proximity to the trade routes by establishing it as a major regional trading hub
The Ukrainian army rehearsing for the Independence Day parade
My cat Peggy, the sweetest, friendliest creature on earth.
A photograther friend of mine at work at Paris photo
Chor Minor, alternatively known as the Madrasah of Khalif Niyaz-kul, is an historic gatehouse for a now-destroyed madrasa in the historic city of Bukhara
The inner town, or Itchan Kala, is encircled by brick walls, whose foundations are believed to have been laid in the 10th century. Present-day crenellated walls date back to the late 17th century and attain the height of thirty feet.
Karapakalstan is a remote and isolated area, surrounded by desert sands in every direction; a population of traditional livestock-breeders who raised cattle in the waterways and reed beds of the Amu Darya delta
Karapakalstan is a remote and isolated area, surrounded by desert sands in every direction; a population of traditional livestock-breeders who raised cattle in the waterways and reed beds of the Amu Darya delta
Karapakalstan is a remote and isolated area, surrounded by desert sands in every direction; a population of traditional livestock-breeders who raised cattle in the waterways and reed beds of the Amu Darya delta
The people in these villages are a living demonstration that wealth is not necessary for happiness
The photograph was taken on a market day, and the villagers are wearing their Sunday best.
A large number of charities are active in the south-west of Madagascar, working to provide food and education for these desperately poor people
Paris
The places I have most enjoyed photographing in Paris are the Tuileries Gardens and the Pompidou Centre in Beaubourg.
In my opinion, this is the best-composed photograph I have ever taken
Rue des Rosiers is one of Paris's most attractive streets
Many of my most treasured values are represented in this photograph
The Mur de la Paix consists of twelve glass panels, where the word PEACE is written in 32 languages and thirteen alphabets. It was erected in 2000 in order to symbolize the passage into the third millennium, and is directly inspired by the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
The Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume is an arts centre for modern and postmodern photography and media. It is located in the north corner (west side) of the Tuileries Gardens next to the Place de la Concorde in Paris.
The sculpture No Window No Cry, made up of a small music box set into one of the windows of the exhibition gallery next to a “bubble” blown into the glass, plays, when activated, a simplified version of the song “Should I Stay or Should I Go” (The Clash, 1981), a tune which also resonates throughout Le Clash and Tlatelolco Clash, two of the films shown at the exhibition.
Created by Catherine de' Medici as the garden of the Tuileries Palace in 1564, it was eventually opened to the public in 1667 and became a public park after the French Revolution.
This annual event , instituted in 2008, is also known as the Paris Zombie Walk.
An unexpected sight on the street sof the Marais district in the Parisian autumn
The Pompidou Centre houses the Bibliothèque publique d'information (Public Information Library), a vast public library; the Musée National d'Art Moderne, which is the largest museum for modern art in Europe; and IRCAM, a centre for music and acoustic research. Because of its location, the Centre is known locally as Beaubourg.
Shown here on the left is the Conciergerie, located on the west of the Île de la Cité. It was formerly a prison but is presently used mostly for law courts. It was part of the former royal palace, the Palais de la Cité, which consisted of the Conciergerie, Palais de Justice and the Sainte-Chapelle. During the French Revolution, the Queen, Marie-Antoinette, was taken from the Conciergerie to be guillotined.
The atmosphere in the whole city was subdued after the horrific shootings on the evening of 13th November, 2015. An English friend who was staying decided to go back to London early and this picture was taken as many British visitors who had similarly cut their stay short hastened onto the train to take them home.
One of my favoutite places in Paris. The Pritzker jury said the Pompidou "'evolutionised museums, transforming what had once been elite monuments into popular places of social and cultural exchange, woven into the heart of the city.'
A Hipstamatic view of a dark Marais alley at night in the late autumn.
The Galerie Maubert show at Paris photo, the world's largest international art fair dedicated to photography, held in November at the Grand Palais near the Champs-Élysées
Montmartre in February
The Pont Alexandre III is a deck arch bridge that spans the Seine in Paris. It connects the Champs-Élysées quarter with those of the Invalides and Eiffel Tower. The bridge is widely regarded as the most ornate, extravagant bridge in the city
Israel
Having not returned to the Holy Land since having gone there with my parents at the age of three, I went again, finally, on a pilgrimage to the Holy Places in 2014—and have not looked back since. Now the land of Jesus, which happens to also be the Promised Land of the Jewish people, has become my most regular destination, effectively a second home.
The Ethiopian Quarter at Holy Sepulchre Church, Jerusalem
The streets around Holy Sepulchre Church cater to pilgrims from all over the world
Tel Aviv is a vibrant, cosmopolitan city
The Western Wall is considered holy due to its connection to the Temple Mount. Because of the Temple Mount entry restrictions, the Wall is the holiest place where Jews are permitted to pray, though the holiest site in the Jewish faith lies behind it.
Temple Mount was built during the reign of Herod the Great for an expansion of the temple. The plaza is dominated by three monumental structures from the early Umayyad period.
The Jewish Quarter was destroyed and its inhabitants killed or evicted in 1948. They returned in 1967.
Zion Gate is one of eight gates in the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. It was built in July 1540, west of the location of the medieval gate.
A huge crowd leaving the Old City on a Friday morning after their weekly devotions
The atmosphere in West Jerusalem, largely rebuilt during the British Mandate, is completely different from the eastern part of the city.
At the end of the tunnel-shaped museum at Yad Vashem, of view of the Promised Land
One of the most charming hotels in the Tel-Aviv-Jaffa conurbation
Archie and Peggy
Burmese cats Archie, whom I adopted in December 2015, and Peggy, who joined us in July 2016, have changed my life completely for the better. They are supremely intelligent and capable of greater loyalty, and of giving more affection, than any human I have encountered, with few exceptions. They have provided the inspiration needed on the way to becoming a vegan.
This is the picture on whose basis I dedcided to go and visit Archie's breeder
Cats are passionate hunters, and rubber balls provide an excellent substitute for the prey they are unlikely to meet in a central city flat.
At just nine months old, little Archie looks wise well beyond his years.
During his first few days with me, Archie spontaneously showed me huge affection.
Her exceptional pedigree really shows in this shot
Despite the occasional spat, Archie and Peggy are well-bonded.
The Burmese character (gentility, friendliness and supreme elegance) is well apparent in this shot
Meditating on her next meal
Burmese tend to get darker as they age
My cat Peggy, the sweetest, friendliest creature on earth.
Cats love high places, especially when they can watch birds through a window
Cats spend about sixteen hours a day sleeping
The loyalty and afection shown by pets beats that of any human.
Distinguished cats need elegant furniture
And finally…
These were taken at various stages in my life in Geneva, Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem, Oxford, Paris, and New York.
This is where I used to play as a child in the Old City of Geneva.
Aged three with my nanny's family. This was my first visit to the Holy Land.
One of my parents' favourite holiday resorts in Belgium
The Sheldonian Theatre, an exquisite Grade I listed building situated in Oxford’s city centre, is the official ceremonial hall of the University of Oxford. Some of the ceremonial activities that take place in the Theatre include matriculation, graduation ceremonies, Encaenia and Congregation.
Conférence Olivaint is the oldest, and one of the most private French student societies, established in 1874. Its aim is to educate its members for public life.
René Aala, the French Ambassador to Senegal
On a hot summer day
Remembering God's promises to the Jewish people
Photoshoot by Mathieu Camille Collin
Picture by Cécile Chabert
In the very, very morning hours on a cold winter day
With Archie