Amsterdam, November 2011

Having lived in London since January I've realised both how much I love this city, and equally, how much I love leaving this city. Leaving can trigger a number of conflicting feelings. For me, I realise how much I've grown from living here only when I leave. It's very similar to how my 'Scottish identity' and fondness for Glasgow truly kicked in when I was living in. Perhaps you need a certain distance to appreciate your everyday surroundings. This year I've been luckily enough to break away from London during recent trips to Valencia in April, Barcelona in June and, more recently, Amsterdam.

Amsterdam inspired, enthralled, shocked and entertained me. I loved their bike culture, the fact that children have their own bike windshield, the bike congestion at every junction and sporadic bike accidents, which in truth are mild compared to London's deadly Dalston Junction. I really enjoyed walking, or cycling, everywhere and not having to take at least a bus, Overground or Underground to go anywhere. I adored the side streets peppered with coffee shops and hidden art galleries, and the massive green space that is Vondelpark

As with my photographs from Berlin in December, I wanted the Amsterdam photos to give a similar insight and to showcase the city's beauty (and gritty undertones). Over the coming days the photographs will focus more on Amsterdam's street style.

-- Daniel