Illustrated Talks
I give Illustrated Talks to photographic clubs and various societies, and regularly present on my photographic work and travels in the ‘Dinner Lecture’ series at Burton Manor, adult residential college in Neston, Cheshire.
In November 2009, I presented portfolios of my work to expedition staff and travellers on the Russian polar-class icebreaker, ‘Kapitan Khlebnikov’, during an expedition through the ice-bound Weddell Sea in Antarctica to James Ross Island.
To enquire or book a particular Illustrated Talk, please use the contact page.
Presentations are available in 45 or 75 minute modules, with the latter in two parts with an interval. Fees generally start at £45 plus travelling expenses if outside the Merseyside and Cheshire areas.
The following talks are now available to book :
Emperors and Kings
Join me to view penguin images from my three expeditions to the Falklands, South Georgia, the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. Focusing on eight penguin species, this talk focuses on the natural adaptations which enable them to breed and survive in the peninsula and the outlying antarctic and sub-antarctic islands. My images feature adults and chicks of the Adelie, Chinstrap, Emperor, Gentoo, King, Macaroni, Magellanic and Rockhopper species, all photographed against breathtaking backdrops of icebergs, glaciers, sheer cliffs and violent seas. This talk is a treat for all penguin fans.
Petrels, Paddy’s and Penguins
This talk features over 30 species of birds which live in the Antarctic and in the outlying sub-antarctic islands of this vast, cold and inhospitable continent – the last true wilderness on earth. You will see images of penguins, albatrosses, giant petrels, snow and cape petrels, snowy sheathbills, gulls, Antarctic skuas, Imperial and rock cormorants, all photographed against breathtaking backdrops of icebergs, glaciers, sheer cliffs and violent seas. This illustrated talk is a visual treat for bird watchers and all nature lovers, and not to be missed.
Egypt "The Gift of The Nile"
According to Herodotus, the Greek historian, Egypt was the gift of the Nile, for without her rich waters Egyptian civilization would have been short-lived. The river provided the elements that sustained and influenced an ingenious and vigorous civilization for over three thousand years. In this talk, we travel down the river Nile from the Great Pyramids in Cairo to the temple of Ramses ll in Abu Simbel in Nubia, with images of the wildlife and colourful landscapes.
Liverpool 'City Of Sculpture'
Liverpool possesses an abundance of public monuments and sculptures, unsurpassed by any other English city, with the exception of London. This talk begins with the earliest surviving freestanding sculpture in the city, dating from 1799. My images will reveal the confidence, wealth and pre-eminence of Victorian and Edwardian Liverpool as reflected in her public monuments. We will also come up to date, looking at Liverpool in 2008 as Capital of Culture, with the magnificent Superlambananas and other stunning modern works around this vibrant, global city.
Peru 'Land of the Incas'
Centred at Cusco in Peru, the Incas created the most powerful civilization of pre-Columbian America between the early C15th and the mid C16th. This vast empire, stretching from northern Ecuador to central Chile, fell to the Spanish Conquistadors between 1532 and 1572. In this presentation I discuss the history, geography and uniqueness of the Inca empire, and reveal through my images, the local people and culture, the wildlife in the desolate but colourful landscape of the Andean altiplano, and reveal the stunning architecture and cyclopean masonry of the Inca temples and fortresses, including Ollayantambo, Sacsayhuaman, and Machu Picchu, the legendary ‘Lost City of the Incas’.
Venice Carnevale 'Masks, Myths and Mystique'
Originating in 1162, the Venice Carnevale has always been a time of excitement and merriment, the last fling before Ash Wednesday and the rigours of Lent. Usually over 11 days in February or March each year, adults don sumptuous masks and costumes and go out on the town to celebrate in style. This talk reveals the history and myths behind the great festival tradition of Venice, illustrating spectacular Carnevale masks and costumes set against the backdrop of the stunning buildings and ravishing vistas.
India 'Land Of Wonders'
When Marco Polo visited India in the C13th, he described the country as “the richest province in the world … a land of wonders”. His observation is no less true today as everything about India is older, bigger, more colourful, more diverse and more intriguing than anywhere else. India is often mistaken as a continent because of her varied characteristics. A vast country, India boasts a history that goes back five thousand years. In this talk my images from two visits to this remarkable country, will give a flavour of India’s huge diversity; her people of different castes and creeds, rich cultural heritage, colourful wildlife, her monumental architecture and stunning landscapes.
Al-Andalus 'The Moors in Spain’'
Al-Andalus, Arabic name given to the parts of the Iberian Peninsula governed by Arab Muslims between 711 - 1492. The vast Caliphate of Córdoba included the cities of Seville, Toledo, Lisbon, Zaragossa and Cordoba. Al-Andalus was a beacon of learning, and the city of Córdoba became one of the leading cultural and economic centres in both the Mediterranean basin and the Islamic world. In this presentation we will visit the cities of Cordoba, Seville, Granada, Lisbon and Istanbul and through my images will reveal the power, prosperity, scientific advances and artistic richness of the culture of the Al-Andalus Moors.
Antarctica 'Recollections of a Scot in Antarctica'
Recollections from my December 2003 trip on a Russian icebreaker to the coldest, windiest, driest and most remote continent. Breathtaking scenery and rich wildlife is revealed through my images from the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula, the last true wilderness on earth.
Man, The Measure of All Things
Protagoras, the C5th Greek philosopher, who believed ‘Man is the measure of all things’, was the inspiration for the Renaissance humanists who blended art and science, exemplified in Leonardo de Vinci’s drawing of ‘Vitruvian Man’.
The Renaissance began in Tuscany in the early C15th centered in the cities of Florence and Siena. It developed and spread to Venice then on to Rome, which was largely rebuilt in the new style during the C16th.
This talk features many Italian Renaissance treasures which were to influence European architecture, painting and sculpture for many centuries afterwards, and includes stunning images of architecture, sculpture and paintings by masters such as Ghiberti, Brunelleschi, Palladio, Masaccio, Raphael, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Bernini and Leonardo da Vinci.
Uttermost Part of the Earth
In 1519 Ferdinand Magellan, the Portugese explorer, became the first European to navigate a wild and remote channel linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Sailing for the Spanish crown in search of a westward route to the Spice Islands, Magellan sighted many fires along the coastline. His sailors christened this uncharted area “Tierra Del Fuego”, or ‘the Land of Fire’. Sailing the same waters in 1577, now named the Magellan Strait, Sir Francis Drake described this southern tip of South America as “the uttermost part of the earth towards the South Pole”. The crew of the Golden Hinde, became the first British to set eyes on penguins, describing them as “foule which could not flie, of the bignesse of geese”.