Photos
As Apple started producing increasingly seriously good cameras in their phones, I began using my phone for the vast majority of my pictures. Many of the photographs 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.
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Abandoned ship at Moynak: When the Aral Sea dried up, several ships were left stranded at the Sea’s main port, Moynak, and have become tourist attractions
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Manhattan skyline from Brooklyn: Shot with a DxO ONE (now sadly discontinued): this camera’s main advantage is the massive sensor in a small body. As a result, the pictures are wonderful, even in low light.
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Masai Mara National Reserve: this large game reserve in Kenya is famous for its population of lions, leopards and cheetahs, and the annual Great Migration of zebra, Thomson’s gazelle, and wildebeest to and from the Serengeti from July to October.
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Patisserie Valérie in Marylebone Hight Street: Patisserie Valerie was originally conceived in Frith Street, Soho in 1926 by Madame Valerie. She came to London on a mission to introduce fine Continental patisserie to the English..
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St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna: 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.
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Statue of Hermes at the Villa Médicis: 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
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The Burggarten in Vienna: 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.
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The Cloister at Quattro santi coronati, Rome: This relatively unknown Roman church, built in the fourth or fifth century, is devoted to four anonymous martyrs. It includes two courtyards, a fortified palace and chapel, and the monastery and cloister pictured here
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St. Cuthbert's statue in New College Cloisters, Oxford: 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.
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The Fountain at place du Grand Mézel in Geneva: This is just next door to the house where I grew up in the Old City of Geneva
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The statue of St. Praxedes: 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.
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Traffic at Tuléar, Madagascar: 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.
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.
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A village in South Madagascar: The photograph was taken on a market day, and the villagers are wearing their Sunday best
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Children in South Madagascar village: The people in these villages are a living demonstration that wealth is not necessary for happiness
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Demonstration for animal rights: L214 is a French organisation working to improve animal living conditions
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On what used to be the Aral Sea: 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
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Far East meets Near East: 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
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Driving through the Aral Sea: 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
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Driving through the Aral Sea: 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
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The Chor Minor at Bukhara: Alternatively known as the Madrasah of Khalif Niyaz-kul, this is an historic gatehouse for a now-destroyed madrasa in the historic city of Bukhara
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The city walls at Khiva: 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.
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The New Building at Magdalen College: In the 1720s, Edward Holdsworth was commissioned to replace most of the Cloisters with a new quadrangle in the Palladian style. The north of the project was built, then work stopped, presumably owing to lack of energy and funding.
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Village children in Madagascar: A large number of charities are active in the south-west of Madagascar, working to provide food and education for these desperately poor people
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.
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A bar-mitzvah at Zion Gate: 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.
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An ice-cream parlour in West Jerusalem: The atmosphere in West Jerusalem, largely rebuilt during the British Mandate, is completely different from the eastern part of the city.
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Boys playing in the Jewish Quarter: The Jewish Quarter was destroyed and its inhabitants killed or evicted in 1948. They returned in 1967.
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Jews at Temple Mount: The Western Wall is considered holy owing to its connection to Temple Mount. Because entry to the latter is restricted, the Wall is the holiest place where Jews are permitted to pray, though the holiest Jewish site lies behind it.
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Mohammedans in Jerusalem: A huge crowd leaving the Old City on a Friday morning after their weekly devotions
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The Ethiopian monastery at Holy Sepulchre Church: This fascinating place is on the roof of the Chapel of Saint Helena, which is part of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
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The Margosa Hotel in Jaffa: The Margosa is one of the most charming hotels in the Tel-Aviv-Jaffa conurbation
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The Native Bazaar near the Holy Sepulchre: The streets around Holy Sepulchre Church cater to pilgrims from all over the world
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At Yad Vashem: the Promised land: At the end of the tunnel-shaped museum at Yad Vashem, a view of the Promised Land
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Two worlds collide at Temple Mount: 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.
Paris
The places I have most enjoyed photographing in Paris are the Tuileries Gardens and the Pompidou Centre in Beaubourg.
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At Paris photo 2017: 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
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Eiffel Tower from Mur de la paix: The Mur de la Paix consists of twelve glass panels with PEACE written in thirty-two languages and thirteen alphabets. Inspired by the Jerusalem Western Wall, it was built in 2000.
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Gare du Nord, Paris, on the day after the November 2015 shootings: The atmosphere was subdued the following day. An English friend who was staying decided to go back early, as did many other British visitors, seen hastening onto the train to take them home.
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Montmartre in February: Montmartre is a large hill in north of Paris. It is 430 ft high and gives its name to the surrounding district. It is primarily known for its artistic history, for the Sacré-Cœur Basilica on its summit, and as a nightclub district.
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Musée du Jeu de paume: 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.
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Pont Alexandre III in midsummer: 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.
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The Anri Sala exhibition at the Pompidou Centre: 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.
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The Île de la Cité in autumn: 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. During the French Revolution, the Queen, Marie-Antoinette, was taken from the Conciergerie to be guillotined.
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The Paris Zombie March: An unexpected sight on the streets of the Marais district in the Parisian autumn
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The Pompidou Centre in autumn: The Pompidou Centre houses 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 research.
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The Pompidou Centre in mid-winter: One of my favourite places in Paris. The Pritzker jury said the Pompidou “revolutionised museums, transforming what had once been elite monuments into popular places of social and cultural exchange, woven into the heart of the city.”
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Tuileries Gardens in late winter: 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.
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.
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Archie at three weeks: This is the picture on whose basis I decided to go and visit Archie’s breeder
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His first few days: During his first few days with me, Archie spontaneously showed me huge affection.
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Peggy Jenkins: The Burmese character (gentility, friendliness and supreme elegance) is well apparent in this shot
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Playing ball: Cats are passionate hunters, and rubber balls provide an excellent substitute for the prey they are unlikely to meet in a central city flat.
And finally…
These were taken at various stages in my life in—inter alia—Geneva, Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem, Oxford, Paris, and New York.
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President of Conférence Olivaint: 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.
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M.A. degree ceremony at the Sheldonian: The Sheldonian Theatre, an exquisite building situated in Oxford’s city centre, is the ceremonial hall of the University of Oxford and the location of matriculation and graduation ceremonies, Encaenia and Congregation.
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Passover dinner in Tel-Aviv: Aged three with my nanny’s family. This was my first visit to the Holy Land.
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Portrait on a cold winter day: By my Swiss friend Niels Ackermann, in the very early morning hours