AFTER a two-month winter break, Blue-ginger has re-opened with an exhibition featuring work by former diplomat Chris Poole and his wife, Lynne - the first time the couple have exhibited together.

Chris, who has been taking photographs since he was a small boy, left his Foreign Office life last year, when, as deputy ambassador in Beirut, one of his final tasks was arranging the evacuation of the British community from Lebanon.

His interest in photography extends beyond taking pictures to creating monochrome prints for exhibition and display.

"I enjoy the process from visualising and taking the photograph to processing the film or digital image and making the final print," he says.

Earlier this year, his work as a photographer was recognised by the Royal Photographic Society, which awarded him the Distinction of a Licentiateship of the society.

The photographs featured in the Blue-ginger exhibition are taken from Chris's work overseas, though he is currently at work on a series of Herefordshire landscapes.

"It took a bit of adjustment moving to Much Marcle from Beirut," he explains. "For the first few months I hardly took photographs at all. Then I got used to the light and realised there were some fabulous landscapes all around."

Lynne, like Chris, has been pursuing her passion since childhood and her work encompasses a range of subject matter, from portraiture to still life and landscapes.

Three years' painting in Lebanon culminated in an exhibition of her work at Beirut's Pierre Ghattas Gallery. Within 48 hours of the successful private view, the Israeli bombing of Lebanon began and her work was removed to an underground shelter, where it still remains.

Chris will be revealing some of the fascinating stories behind his photographs, many taken in locations torn apart by war and its aftermath, at the Blue-ginger launch party on Saturday from 6pm to 8pm.

For more information, call Blue-ginger on 01886 880240 or visit www.blue-ginger.com