We arrived in New York on the 3rd of January. On the morning of the 4th, ‘bomb cyclone’ was already in motion, dumping more than a foot of snow on parts of the Big Apple. The blizzard blanketed the city and created whiteout conditions with gusts reaching 49mph. It’s hard to put into words how cold it actually was. My main aim was to keep my camera from freezing up. Despite the conditions this didn’t stop the team from working hard to capture the students’ time out there.

Experiences that will stay with me

Photographing alumna, Sam Mclver, who experienced a moving visit to the New York Police Department headquarters where she was able to thank officers for their support when her aunt was killed in the Manchester bombings. Her aunt, Elaine McIver, had been a police officer with Cheshire Police. The NYPD officers had been in touch with Sam’s family and sent plaques and a card with their condolences.

Photographing DMU Students as they visited the 9/11 memorial at Ground Zero was a tough experience. I could see it had left an indelible mark on the students, it was a real struggle to take it in or to grasp. I lifted my camera but in honesty, it was difficult to capture seeing the faces of all the people that had lost their lives, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, friends, people just like you and me.

The beautiful sunset over Manhattan taken from Brooklyn will definitely stay with me. It was hard to believe I was actually present in that moment.

New York is a city that never stops, never sleeps, a place I definitely want to return to.

P.S.  I still need to get to grips with the Subway 😉

Diwali celebrations in Leicester are famously some of the biggest and best outside of India. The festivities are loudest along Belgrave Road, in the heart of the city’s Asian community, where the two main events take place each year.

The fantastic Diwali lights switch-on brings the Golden Mile alive with light and colour  with Fireworks and over 6,000 lights, twinkling against the night sky. Two weeks of cultural celebrations are rounded off on Diwali day with a bang! A spectacular fireworks show is the culmination of a night of Bollywood dances and music performances.

Her Majesty the Queen visited Leicester on Thursday 13 April to attend the Royal Maundy Service at Leicester Cathedral.

An estimated 16,000 people lined the route to welcome her to the city.

Members of the public lined the route from Humberstone Gate West, High Street and Jubilee Square, with the hour-long service broadcast live on giant screens in Jubilee Square and at the Clock Tower.

I had the pleasure of visiting this place, it’s a little gem in the heart of Stoneygate. If your a gin lover (like myself) then you have 39 varieties to choose from. Oooh you little beauty!