▁bul ky ▁wooden ▁camera , ▁many ▁large , ▁frag ile ▁glass ▁pl ates , ▁and ▁potentially ▁explos ive ▁chemical s . ▁He ▁photograph ed ▁in ▁a ▁wide ▁variety ▁of ▁conditions ▁and ▁often ▁had ▁to ▁improv ise ▁because ▁chemical s ▁were ▁difficult ▁to ▁ac quire . ▁His ▁subject ▁matter ▁varied ▁enorm ously : ▁from ▁hum ble ▁begg ars ▁and ▁street ▁people ▁to ▁Mand ar ins , ▁Prin ces ▁and ▁senior ▁government ▁officials ; ▁from ▁remote ▁monaster ies ▁to ▁Imperial ▁Pal aces ; ▁from ▁simple ▁rural ▁villages ▁to ▁magnific ent ▁land sc apes . ▁ ▁Later ▁life ▁ ▁Thom son ▁returned ▁to ▁England ▁in ▁ 1 8 7 2 , ▁sett ling ▁in ▁B ri xt on , ▁London , ▁and , ▁apart ▁from ▁a ▁final ▁phot ographic ▁journey ▁to ▁Cy pr us ▁in ▁ 1 8 7 8 , ▁Thom son ▁never ▁left ▁again . ▁Over ▁the ▁coming ▁years ▁he ▁proceeded ▁to ▁lecture ▁and ▁publish , ▁present ing ▁the ▁results ▁of ▁his ▁travel s ▁in ▁the ▁Far ▁East . ▁His ▁publications ▁started ▁initially ▁in ▁month ly ▁mag az ines , ▁followed ▁by ▁a ▁series ▁of ▁large , ▁lav ish ly ▁illustrated ▁phot ographic ▁books . ▁He ▁wrote ▁extens ively ▁on ▁phot ography , ▁contrib uting ▁many ▁articles ▁to ▁phot ographic ▁journ als ▁such ▁as ▁the ▁British ▁Journal ▁of ▁Phot ography . ▁He ▁also ▁translated ▁and ▁edited ▁Gast on ▁T iss and ier ' s ▁ 1 8 7 6 ▁History ▁and ▁Hand book ▁of ▁Phot ography , ▁which ▁became ▁a ▁standard ▁reference ▁work .