(Urban) Landscape photography is a genre I’d recommend to all budding photographers looking to learn photography.

It will teach them essential photography techniques that apply to other genres. For example in street photography you require the understanding and use of natural / available light which landscape photography relies on.

Although I could now be considered slightly less of a landscape photographer and more of a street photographer as I shoot people, a lot of my London photography actually consists of urban landscapes. London with the Thames running through it offers perfect opportunities.

It’s all about transferable skills. Some say one should only shoot one type of photography to become a specialist. Whilst this is partly true, it didn’t quite happen like that for me.

I trained as a chef and I often compare photography to cooking. After all, photographers get the right “ingredients” together in a shot to achieve the best final result, made presentable and pleasing to the eye through composition, the same way you’d present a dish on a plate.

Who do you think has the edge? The chef who only ever cooks French cuisine, or the chef who experiments with all sorts of cooking and influences, all sorts of techniques and creates his original mix, his own original style?

Initially I was shooting the “clichés” or postcard shots. I still enjoy these but they've been done over and over again, so whilst you produce a beautiful shot, it’s not original. I’ve lots of those I admit.

I then allowed a little more creativity in, without fear of allowing my own style transpire and without shame of using filters, Photoshop and whatever means necessary to create a signature urban mood. If you don't take risks in anything you do, then you aren't going to get anywhere.

Who cares how you did it as long as people enjoy the final product? It’s all about doing things with taste and this a lot of photographers don’t understand resulting in too many effects and going way over the top.