About

I've been around cameras since I was a mere whipper snapper, I recollect my Dad on holiday, enthusiastically, some might even say zealously, setting us up for family photos, those ardent smiles beginning to wane after two hours of watching him check the light meter, again, re-compose for the best vantage point, again, and then finally pressing that hallowed shutter, only to discover the film had run out.

I remember getting a 110 mm film cartridge camera for my 9th birthday, I believe it may have even been a Boots own branded version, which is obviously where my dedication to quality began. I took it away with me on the family holiday that year and I can still remember some of the photos I took, do you know why? Because they were amazing.

Well, OK they weren't, but that is the first time I remember thinking about composition and the interaction of elements within the frame, rather than just my usual point and shoot at its most base level. Not that I knew what any those things meant then of course, in fact you could have probably sat me down and dedicated wasted, fruitless hours of your life on photographic tuition in a selfless and to be honest, foolhardy attempt at enlightening me and I would have in all certainty been more interested in my sherbet dip dab.

But anyway, the point I am making is that, now I know, ahem, what those things are I can look back and realise that was the first time, albeit unknowingly to me, when I got the 'photography bug' as they say, and who am I to disagree with 'they'.

But of course the folly's of youth are nothing if not inconsistent, so my next dalliance with photography came at art college (yes I had no idea what I wanted to do so when I left school, so like so many before me, art college seemed the obvious choice), where part of the curriculum included black & white photography, again the camera came to hold inherent possibilities, so I worked hard at 'seeing' as a photographer, at balancing tones and shades, letting textures, patterns and natural forms inspire me creatively, I was still utterly useless of course but at least I had more of an understanding of the lingo.

So if now, even after your soul destroying attempt all those years ago to educate me, you still had the wherewithal to try and expand my photographic horizons and had at this juncture in my life, sat me down and patiently and expertly rallied to me about the beauty of photography, I can delight you with the fact I would've only had one eye on the sherbet dip dab.

So finally, after an inordinate amount of time spent at college in one guise or another I emerged into the world with my trusty Praktica in hand. For reasons I bore myself if I go into I ended up in Great Yarmouth of all places, plying my photographic trade. Now, Great Yarmouth is not widely known as a 'hot bed' of photography. In fact it is not known for much besides dingy amusement arcades, a slate grey sea and more badly executed tattoos per square mile than anywhere in the world. (If you have evidence to prove me wrong I would like to see it, that's how confident I am).

So a year later, after agonising months in a studio churning out portraits of people who's idea of a classy photo included, but did not limit itself to, deluded ideas such as having a family photo with all the participants semi disrobed, in the fervent belief it would add a touch of 'dignified glamour' to the finished result. (I can testify that stretch marks, fast food made flesh, the aforementioned tattoos, and that's just the kids, do not imbue a sense of timeless elegance to any portrait). And no, transferring the result onto a plate or mug did not make that piece of tableware special in any way. My bags were packed and I was headed London bound.

Cut a long story short, a couple of years later I decided that photography was not all I had hoped for as a career and I moved on. If at this point you had tried to sit me down and impart your fountain of photographic knowledge to me, you would have had a sherbet dip dab lolly vigorously launched towards your head.

Fast forward a few years, including a new career in graphic design, jacking it all in and living in Australia and New Zealand for a couple of years then taking a spirited tour around South East Asia for 6 months, returning to England in a foul mood and starting from scratch again. It was high time I re-discovered my love for photography and the abundant scenery that the UK has to offer. So that is in fact what I did, and am still doing to be precise.

It sometimes amazes me, having used a camera in one semblance or another for most of my life, that it has taken me so long to appreciate how much of a spiritual and creative voyage it is each time I press that shutter, how each photograph is its own journey. Plus of course I find it so frustratingly difficult to get my hands on those damn dip dabs these days I have to do something to occupy my time.