Christmas lights reflected on car windscreens in Manchester.

Yesterday we visited the Christmas markets in Manchester. The lights on the House of Fraser store surpassed any of the others in the city centre, although you can't see the best of them in this picture. What caught my attention here was the way they reflected on the cars below.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 400, f/2.8, 1/80s, 35mm, hand held.

Whitby pier and waterfront on a dark winter tea time.

It was a dark January tea time last year when I took this photo. I balanced the camera on a bean bag on top of a waste bin to get the long exposure.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/8, 30s, 55mm, bean bag & cable release.

Dusty glass light fitting at London Zoo.

These little glass bulbs (and many more of them) are suspended over the staircase down to the nocturnal animals section of London Zoo, where we visited last week. I didn't have time to get a really sharp picture as we were keen to move on and see the animals, but I think this photo still represents how lovely they all looked. It was only when zooming in to check sharpness that I realised how dirty the bulbs are (there's a brown layer of dust clinging to each one). I wonder if anyone considered what a nightmare they'd be to clean before installing them!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 400, f/1.8, 1/15s, 35mm, hand held.

Abstract shot of a bridge structure and lighting on the Thames south bank.

I can't remember which bridge this is, but I'm sure many Londoners will recognise it! I took the photo on an evening walk along the South Bank in March last year. Not having my tripod, I had to use a high ISO and wide aperture. I leaned on some railings for balance as I took the shot, which was directly above me.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 1600, f/5.6, 1/60s, 22mm, hand held.