July: Balconies, Hotel Light and Travel Frames

Move a chair to within a metre of the window, turn off every lamp, and pull the sheer curtain across. That single arrangement works in any hotel on earth.

White bedding is a free reflector. Place the foot at the edge of the bed with the window on one side and the sheet fills the shadow automatically.

Shoot with the railing in the foreground and the city out of focus behind. The bars give geometry and the distance gives context without showing an address.

Late afternoon works best: the sun is low enough to skim the foot and the buildings opposite bounce warm light back onto the balcony floor.

One pair of heels, one sandal, a folded silk scarf as a surface, nail file, top coat and balm. Everything fits in a pocket of the case and covers a full week of frames.

Photograph the shoes as still life on the first evening. Those frames publish while you are travelling, so the diary keeps its rhythm without you working on holiday.