I toyed with the notion of being an actor, and am so glad that this whim did not go any further.

I am away so much, so I rarely see live TV, but I use iPlayer to catch programmes.

I am a big fan of Jim Jarmusch and I do love big screen documentaries.

You can read a lot about a country by looking at its beaches: across cultures, the beach is that rare public space in which all absurdities and quirky national behaviors can be found.

I go straight in very close to people and I do that because it's the only way you can get the picture. You go right up to them. Even now, I don't find it easy. I don't announce it. I pretend to be focusing elsewhere. If you take someone's photograph it is very difficult not to look at them just after. But it's the one thing that gives the game away. I don't try and hide what I'm doing - that would be folly.

For those aspiring to make a living from travel photography, it's a sad fact that the boring shots are the shots that are going to make you money.

The easy bit is picking up a camera and pointing and shooting. But then you have to decide what it is you’re trying to say and express.