Remembrance Day at the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial.  I found it a very moving experience to attend a remembrance ceremony here on a cold bleak, foggy morning.  I love this image, wandering around the memorial reading so many names of lives lost, it makes me feel so thankful to all those who fought for what they believed in.  The city of Luxembourg served as headquarters for General George S. Patton’s U.S. Third Army. General Patton is buried along with 5,076 of US military dead, many of whom lost their lives in the “Battle of the Bulge” and in the advance to the Rhine.

November in Luxembourg is typically cold and wet.  Nice soft light for photos though.  This image is of the Philharmonie in Luxembourg.  Inspired by line and form, I found this image as I walked around the Philharmonie studying the architectural details.  I found “Luxy” an inspiring place to photograph.  Photographically, it has it all.  November offered me spectacular autumn leaves, a delightful contrast between old buildings and modern architecture, day trips within Luxembourg and to Germany, Northern France, Belgium… so much to do!

Can you guess where this image was taken?  Cars on the right hand side of the road, road markings looking European… yes, this is traffic in Paris … as seen from the top of the Eifel Tower.  This shot was taken early in the evening and is a favorite image of mine.  I watched  the traffic flow for a few light changes studying the interaction between car, pedestrian and bike before capturing this image.  “Traffic” as it has been affectionally named by AIPP judges depicts the chaos of a busy urban world.  I hope you enjoy this image as much as I do.

Sometimes when you are travelling, you see a tiny road just begging to be explored, what will its journey reveal as you drive along its path?  This image of an oyster farm with tractor on the beach was taken at the end of one such road in County Clare, Ireland.  We had a good chat to the oyster farmer before escaping the cold by retreating to our car.  Sometimes exploring what is down that narrow road reveals much more than was promised.

The opportunity to enter the Canon AIPP Australian Professional Photography Awards is always a thrilling challenge each year and 2010 was no exception.  Held in Melbourne this year, more than 2800 prints were entered for judging.  Each print is carefully assessed by a panel of 5 expert photographers/judges examining image composition, creativity, printing.  To receive an award, an image must exceed a standard of professional practice with high levels of imagination, craft or skill.   Each of my four entries received awards; two silvers and two silvers with distinction, a fantastic result.