Permanent Tourist

WordPress development and photography by Mark Howells-Mead

Posts about Me

  • Lighthouse at Tarbat Ness

    Pottering at home, a trip to Scotland and photographing wild flowers in Switzerland.

  • I am an introvert and that’s O.K.

  • One of those vlog things

    A first foray into the world of the video blog, or “vlog”, which I shot while hiking in the Alps a few weeks ago.

  • On Hound Tor

    Your author as a mysterious fictional character.

  • Yours truly, in action whilst photographing part of a multi-image panorama at Männlichen in Switzerland last weekend.

  • As we were so near the border when we visited Bavaria in October, we drove over into the Czech Republic to add the thirteenth country to the list of those I’ve visited. There’s not much in this region and in order to avoid paying a motorway toll – as we were only there for an…

  • Having made good time during a cross-Britain drive a few weeks ago, I stopped off at Cardiff to stretch my legs and visit spots well-known to fans of Doctor Who and Torchwood in Cardiff Bay.

  • I learned an important lesson in portrait photography last weekend: that of how ready the subject is to see themselves in an honest and detailed image, when they may be seeing themselves this way for the first time.

  • Jo learned to ski in Scotland when she was younger. After living here for several years now, she decided that it was about time to give cross-country skiing another try and give me my first shot at trying, as I’m not keen on regular skiing and had never tried cross-country before.

  • Large Christmas tree, Spiez, Switzerland

    Out in the cold

    I pledge to take more winter landscape photos this year, after being out this evening to take some long-awaited photos of the Christmas lights in Spiez.

  • A gallery of portrait images I’ve taken of team colleagues at work, for use on the team website.

  • One year on

    A year ago today, I left my previous employer after seven and a half years to start a new working life in Bern.

  • Alien abduction

    That was the idea, anyway. I’ve been inspired by Nick Turpin’s street shots, using high, undiffused strobes, and have been experimenting on and off with the technique. This is a shot from this evening in the woods near my home, which uses a single flashgun on a 3 metre stand out of shot to the…

  • Week 13 of 52

    A complete accident which worked out well. Slightly out of focus, misaligned, and the second flash didn’t fire because I was blocking the optical sensor. I like it, though. Strobist info: 1 speedlight on 1/16 power off-camera left (high). Background illuminated by feathered spill from the single light. Sepia toning and vignette courtesy of Adobe…

  • My Security Blanket

    I’m not that good at small talk. I’ve spent much of my life being the quiet one in the room, in a group, in the office or at a party.

  • Bleached

    This is one of those shots which just seems to work, despite the fact that it came about purely by accident. Well, mabye not by accident, but not in a planned way. It was taken in the bathroom of a conference centre near Zurich at the end of October, when I was shooting the conference…

  • Dream come true

    When I was in my late teens and early twenties, I dreamed of becoming a band photographer. I couldn’t imagine being stage-front because of the regularity of the shots, but more a portrait photographer; taking bands out and taking photographs of them looking moody in grotty locations. Thanks to Dan and the rest of the…

  • Photos from my last day in Brienz after seven and a half years with Gossweiler Media AG are now online at Flickr.

  • I’ve decided to blog about our wedding and honeymoon trip from Switzerland to Scotland and back again and this is the first entry.

  • Fiancées

    Photo by Jo’s dad Roy in September, when we visited Männlichen for the day with him and Jo’s mum Pat.