More Street Scenes From Around the World

Bucharest, Aleppo and Hong Kong are three of the many cities I have worked in: the first two for several months; Hong Kong for just a few weeks.

The photo of Piata Uniriii in Bucharest was taken on a cold afternoon. It was the first time I had lived in a European city for many years, and I found it a refreshing experience, going back to my home continent. The light was fading and I can recall shivering as evening approached. The colourful billboards drew me in as they seemed to emanate warmth.

Aleppo is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, although citizens of Damascus and Jericho might dispute that. In spite of the fact that it has a population of more than three million, it still has a laid back charm and you can easily imagine yourself stepping back in time. I hadn't been there long when I took that photo. I was wandering the maze of streets of the old city on a warm summer evening. It was so tranquil that it was hard to believe that war was raging just over the border on both sides of the country.

The photo of Mongkok, which is the best district in Hong Kong to buy cheap electrical goods, was taken on a hot summer night: much stickier and more humid than the dry heat of Aleppo. I was buying a camera and I popped outside the shop to try it. That is the photo I took, and it is the first picture I ever took with a digital camera.