I made a submission to an agency of some of my photographs of truffle hunters in Tuscany yesterday and thought it might be worth sharing them here.

I lived in Tuscany for about 3-4 years and became quite good friends with a number of the hunters in the area who took me out with them one winter on a truffle hunt. I can’t say I’m much of a fan of the taste of truffle, still it was an interesting process to watch the dogs finding them and we did have some success as these photos attest.

I’ve also enclosed some excerpts from an article I had published on truffle hunting. In Italian, truffle is tartufo (singular), tartufi (plural).

Hunting dogs getting ready for action - Leah (left) and Dolly (right)

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The Cinque Terre (five towns) on the Ligurian coast in Italy is undoubtedly famous. Features include its dry walled vineyards, beautiful seaside vistas, gorgeous hillsides in the hinterland and all the colour of the towns itself with their seafood, markets, gelaterias and ristorantes.

This image was captured at sunset in Riomaggiore when a golden light bathed the town and the rocky strata on which its built for a few moments.

Riomaggiore, Italy

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Feel free to email Jo at [email protected] with your comments/thoughts/photo aspirations.  See and learn more at www.visitedplanet.com

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“Food is our common ground, a universal experience,” said James Beard
James Beard, a pioneer foodie in the USA once named the “dean of American cookery”. It’s certainly been my common experience journeying from places as different as Vietnam, India, Mongolia, Italy, Mali and Morocco.

There is no simpler, greater pleasure than sharing a meal with people abroad and sharing in that common need and bond over the enjoyment of eating.

Here’s some pictures detailing those experiences.

The baguette, France

If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. J. R. R. Tolkien
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True religion is real living; living with all one’s soul, with all one’s goodness and righteousness. ` Albert Einstein.

From the fervour of Hindu festivals to the quietness of contemplative Catholics there is much in religion that brings colour, life and meaning to many people around the world.

Two young monks at a Buddhist monastery in the Bhumtang Valley, Bhutan

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I am often asked which places I’ve visited are my favourite or where I could live of the places I’ve been. It’s a tough one but I normally answer promptly that home turf, Australia, is the best spot – and it is!

Sunset in South Australia

After that I would probably rank India, Italy, Turkey, Ireland, China and Laos not necessarily in that order. But I also love Thailand, Vietnam, Bhutan, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand.

In terms of a photographic overview here are some of my favourite places to photograph and why.

Prayer by the Ganges, Haridwar (India). You almost can't take a bad photograph in India, everything is so colourful, so exotic and often very unpredictable. You just need to have a camera handy and switched on and you're guaranteed almost once-in-a-lifetime shots like this one.

Sunset in Pamukkale (Turkey). The sun caught the minaret of this mosque just beautifully at sunset. I love the food, the friendly people and the fantastic landscapes of Turkey.

Carnevale, Venice (Italy). Italian festivals are unlike anything I've seen elsewhere. The performers have an incredible ability to engage the audience and audience participation is so fluid and fun. Italians know how to enjoy life and it makes for good people photography.

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Feel free to email Jo at [email protected] with your comments/thoughts/photo aspirations.  See and learn more at www.visitedplanet.com