I was brought up in Wigan, Lancashire during the 1980's

When I was around 10 years old, I followed my father into his parents loft and found an intriguing item.  "What is this?", I asked.  His reply was "It is an enlarger."  Over the following years I learnt how to process film, produce enlargements and of course take photographs with an SLR camera.  I started a boarding school near Tewkesbury where I continued my photography as hobby.  In my Lower Six year I had space in my A-level time table and the school wanted it filled up.  The art teacher, Mr McKerr, suggested that I take a GCSE in Art & Design, I laughed as I am hopeless at drawing. But he said I could Art & Design purely in photography.  With his guidance on art and my father’s technical teachings my photography took on a whole new level.  No longer was I taking competent “Record Shots”, but I was now taking serious photographs with meaning.  After passing the GCSE in one year I embarked on the A-Level in my Upper Six.   As a result of properly studying photography, I was required learn about many artists and photographers.  It was during this time I came across photographers Bill Brandt, Man Ray and  Eugene Aget to name a few, but also artists Rene Margritte and Salvador Dali.  Also around this time David Lynch produced the Twin Peaks television series and the film Blue Velvet.  Yes I was hooked on Surrealism!

Early Film Images 

However, I never have considered photography despite gaining a B grade at A-Level more than a hobby and progressed to University to read Business.  Of course I continued photography as being a member of the Photographic Society, however when I left university I lost access to Darkrooms which I considered to be essential in order to produce the images that I liked.  Also my eye sight had suffered and had trouble focusing manual cameras.  Thus my cameras started to gather dust.

In 2009, I was now a freelance IT/Business consultant and although my main business activity was programming financial based systems, I tinkered with the odd web site.  Of course for a web site you need images and found myself every now then picking up the family Minolta crossover compact digital camera to take images for the web sites I was tinkering with.  As a result of necessity I found that computer photographic applications had developed to such an extent that I could perform exactly what I used to do in the darkroom and some.  Also it was so much cheaper, thus before I knew it was starting regain my interest in photography.  This was duly noted by my family who purchased me my first Nikon DSLR for my birthday.  I then joined a photographic club. Now a few years on, my style has changed a little (mainly because photographic judges aren’t keen on my old style), I am thriving on photography…still as a hobby!

Style

Although I love photos by Bill Brandt and Man Ray, I try photographing anything that catches my eye, I don’t specialise.  When you have a camera with you, you see far more as you are searching for that interesting shot.  I still think photography is art, (I once bought my father a sign that read “Photographer.  Artist in Light”). Although a judge recently claimed that an image wasn’t a photograph but crossed over to art, I still believe they are one and the same. I prefer pictures that have a meaning and/or feeling.  I want the viewer to feel some emotion whether good or bad when they see an image.  Or I want them to think what does mean.  I love eyes as they  easily engage the viewer.  I really dislike travel record shots as rarely I find them engaging and capture what photographer is really feeling.  Loneliness and/or isolation seems to appeal to me most and seems to come across in most of my photographs whether a portrait or landscape to single flower.  Mood is important to me as well again in portrait the subjects mood needs to jump out of the shot at you, like wise with a landscape a perfectly toned image can lack mood thus I prefer more aggressive contrasts especially in monochrome.  But it’s not all doom and gloom as a well lit flower can bring euphoria feelings.  Also I like symbolism thus the logo for this site is an Ambigram. (Hover your mouse over the Logo)