Finding the core of the wonder, whether it be a cone of bright umbrellas or a cobbled street at dawn, we should give our full attention to it and rely on instinct to decide when to shoot. A meditative approach to photography, 'seeing the world anew each moment', can lead to exciting images, both abroad and at home.

Whatever a photographer's particular speciality, practice with abstracts can only enhance his or her own ability to observe, and perhaps even draw gasps from viewers. So, what exactly are the important elements of a good abstract, and how can we set about seeing potential images?

Dreamscapes are produced using a simple technique known as sandwich slides. As the name suggests, this means that two slides are placed together in one slide mount, so that when they are projected or printed the viewer sees a combination of the two images.

Signs are rarely used as a subject for photography, but sometimes their unusual content or context can be very funny, so enjoy a smile at these mixed messages from around the globe.

A selection of images from Ron's 2008 book, Portrait of Thailand. By combining a deep knowledge of the country and its culture with a keen sense of composition, Ron has managed to capture the essence of the kingdom as it enters the 21st century.

Malaysian Borneo was the subject of Ron's main work in 2006, where he went to research and write part of the new Eyewitness Travel Guide to Malaysia & Singapore for Dorling Kindersley publishers. The Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak are the perfect place for an adventurous tropical holiday, with fantastic dive sites, dramatic mountains to climb, and exotic wildlife such as orang utans, silver-leaf monkeys and black-tipped sharks.

In 2004, Ron travelled to just about every town in Cambodia to update most of the Rough Guide to the country. He particularly recommends the little-visited regions of Stung Treng, Banteay Chhmar, Koh Kong and Bokor National Park.

In 2003, Ron made three trips to Vietnam from his home in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand - one each to the north, south and central regions - to update most of the Rough Guide to Vietnam. He not only visited almost every town in the country, checking out innumerable hotels and restaurants, but also found time to run off around 100 rolls of film of this hugely photogenic country.

Sometimes researching guide books can be a pain, but at others it's smooth as silk. Fortunately the latter was the case on a recent research trip for the Spiral Guide to the Dominican Republic - and these images are part of the result.

In recent years, the popularity of the Thames has soared as people have sought out its calming influence to offset the stress of modern life. Apart from walking beside it, leisure seekers take to boats of all descriptions to enjoy a restful ride on its waters, and a host of events are organized, especially in summer, focussed on the river.

The Eden Project in Cornwall, England, was a massive undertaking - converting a huge, exhausted clay pit into a global garden that reflects the natural diversity of our planet. The images shown here are manipulations of a set of pictures of the Eden Project taken one sunny summer's day.