Robert Lenkiewicz

When you take a photo you may be capturing something which would otherwise be lost forever. It never occurred to me that when I took some photos around the back streets of Plymouth Barbican thirty odd years ago that I mght be creating a historical document. The subject was the Robert Lenkiewicz mural which was something of a local landmark. In particular I was struck by a small section of the bottom of the huge painting which covers an entire gable end of a building. It is a self portrait of the artist as a youg man before he grew his trademark beard. He is holding paint brushes and a begging bowl lying in the gutter next to an unconscious drunk who was modelled by a vagrant known as the Bishop and was familiar figure in Plymouth. The juxtaposition of the two figures made an interesting composition so I took a close up shot. Many years later I made a scan of the slide and it is a great self portrait of Robert Lenkiewicz  looking out of the picture imploringly at the viewer.Unfortunately the passage of time has not been kind to the mural. It is now covered in battens from an attempt to protect it but the paint is faded and flaking. Perhaps my photo will one day be the only detailed record of this section of a lost masterpiece.

To see my stock photos of Plymouth Barbican CLICK HERE

The mural photo is not available at my agency and depending on use he original art work may be subject to Copyright of the Lenkeiwicz estate. Please contact me to discuss an proposals to reproduce it. I assert my copyright on the actual photo and my composition of  the image as my own new artwork.

Sveti Stefan and Montenegro

The famous Sveti Stefan Hotel was created by converting a historic fortified fishing village during communist rule in the former Yugoslavia under Marshall Tito. The accommodation is in the style of individual cottages set around little gardens linked by a rabbit warren of narrow cobbled alleys and steps. The privacy of the location on a rocky isthmus connected by a narrow causeway has made the hotel a magnet for movie stars and celebrities and it was on the shortlist of destinations for Charles’ and Diana’s honeymoon. Then came the Balkan civil wars and although Montenegro was not directly involved, the embargo on tourism forced the hotel into a sort of limbo, ticking over without western visitors. It was during this period that the Hotel hosted the notorious chess matches between American Bobby Fischer and Russian Boris Spassky. Fischer was convicted of sanction busting in the American courts and went into exile as a result.

Now that sanctions are over and tourism has restarted, Sveti Stefan has returned to some of its former glory. Because of its unique geographic location it is an instantly recognisable symbol of Montenegro, their Eiffel Tower or Tower Bridge, and it is pictured on the cover of the country’s only guide book. The hotel is very much the “Flagship” for hospitality in Montenegro and the government use it to impress important visitors. The dining terrace perched on top of a cliff is often used for State banquets and during my two week stay the Montenegrin President hosted a reception for foreign investors and a dinner for the Russian Prime Minister. The normal business of the hotel isn’t disturbed by these occasions and the dignitaries pass through the common lounges to their dining area. Guests watching football on TV were surprised to have the two Heads of State join them for the last half hour of a match.

Of Montenegro itself, the country is still a best kept secret with beautiful coast, gorges, national parks, and a Unesco World Heritage Site around the Bay of Kotor with its many fine, (if slightly decaying), examples of Venetian architecture. To see my stock photos of Sveti Stefan and Montenegro click HERE

Mark Cavendish

For the first time for many years UK has a rider in professional road cycling who is consistently winning stages of the Tour de France. Mark Cavendish from the Isle of Man owes much of his phenominal sprinting speed to the early part of his career racing on the track at the Manchester Velodrome where he won the world championships for the madison race partnering multiple olympic Champion Bradley Wiggins.

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On transferring to Road racing, Mark immediately started to win in opposition to some of the top sprinters in the peleton. Mark Cavendish will start the 2009 Tour de France as favourite to win the green jersey of the points competition. I have photographed him during the track World Championships and the Tour of Britain. To see stock photos of Mark Cavendish CLICK

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Exeter Devon England

It's difficult to photograph your home town, familiarity makes you pass by something a visitor would notice. The favourite subjects are Exeter Cathedral, the quay and River Exe, the House that Moved, Mol's Coffee House on the Cathedral Close and the Royal Clarence Hotel.

To see my Stock Photos of Exeter, CLICK