THE DISTANT PAST
My dad, like most dads, took pictures of his growing family. He had an old Leica - well, it's old now though I guess it wasn't so old at the time. But how I became interested - no, passionate - about photography I really don't know. It's one of the black holes in my self-knowledge. When I was 12 I set off for Boots one Saturday and bought a sturdy little camera called the Beirette; it must have cost about £5. I'd been dreaming about it for months. I put a roll of Kodachrome through it and that began my love affair with photography and colour - my first kiss if you like. Later, when I was 17, my dad bought me the most beautiful camera ever made, a black Olympus OM-1. I didn't quite sleep with it but it often stayed on my bedside table so I could look at it as soon as I woke up. In any event the affair had been consummated.
THE PAST
Though studious I was crap at school. Happily, my 'A' Level grades were so poor that I had to abandon any ideas of going to University to read history and instead answered an ad in the Observer for a Photography course at Salisbury College of Art. I thought an art college would be all partying, sex and drugs - but alas, not this one: all the students were local and went home to have tea with their parents at four o'clock. So after a year I jumped ship and managed to get accepted onto the BA in Photographic Arts at the Polytechnic of Central London, from where I graduated three years later. I had chosen the film option, as opposed to the photography one, partly because cinema had become my new love and partly because a beautiful Venezuelan girl called Debora had also chosen the film option.
THE PRESENT
I've been working ever since in the Film and TV industry, firstly as a runner for a TV commercials company (though I got fired for impersonating the Managing Director at an awards ceremony), then as a film editor, and latterly (and for most of my career) as a Location Manager in TV drama. But photography has always been there for me and as years went by I realised that this is my only true calling. It's been a long way since my first roll of Kodachrome but I seldom feel such joy as when I'm able to capture the world in even a tiny part of its colouful magnificence. Though even that joy is surpassed when others are refreshed or even moved when they see my photographs. If I'm lucky I hope that that might happen to you too.
PUBLISHED WORK
Condé Nast Traveller commissioned one of my photographs as a double-page spread for their 'Where Are You?' feature; this is the Little Big Horn picture that you can see on Page 2. The 'Carhenge' photo on Page 1 was a competition finalist in American Photo's landscape category. Escape Routes magazine commissioned me to shoot a twelve-page feature on San Francisco; the Market Street Cinema picture on Page 5 comes from that. While shooting an assignment for British Airways' High Life magazine on Unesco's orphanage programme in Casablanca I went out early in the morning and came back with the two pictures that you can see on Pages 2 and 4. I've also been fortunate to have had an Italian landscape photograph of mine published in House and Garden magazine. Finally, in late 2009 I was thrilled to have had my first London exhibition.
WHERE NOW?
I've always had an interest in fashion photography because the creative possibilities seem limitless. And for me the combination of colour, form, texture and beauty is as irresistible as you might expect. As a result between August and October 2010 I am embarking on an ambitious project of three location-baaed photoshoots to produce a portfolio that I'm hoping will help launch me into the fashion photography world. Look out for my dedicated Fashion Photography website, coming soon!
THE EQUIPMENT I USE
I often get asked about this so for those who are interested this is what floats my boat. Although fully conversant with digital capture I prefer to use film wherever possible. All the photos on this site were taken with either an Olympus OM-1 and Zuiko lenses or various Contax bodies (G2, RX, 167MT) harnessed to the incomparable - and unsurpassable - Carl Zeiss optics (all prime lenses). I also have a medium-format Mamiya 645 system for high-end work and for digital capture use the plucky but surprisigly high-quality Panasonic G1 4/3 micro-system camera.
My film of choice is the astounding Kodak Elite Chrome Extra Color though my upcoming fashion portfolio will be shot on the less-saturated version due to the former's dreadful skintones! Exposure being so critical with transparency film whenever possible I try to back up my readings with incident-light measurements from a Weston Master IV light meter. I individually scan each selected transparecy with a Nikon Coolscan 5000 and then work on the resultant digital files in Photoshop CS3.
AND LASTLY . . .
I live in London, UK. All of my work can be seen on flickr so if you want to see more that is the place to
go. Should you wish to buy anything (in lots of different formats) go to my redbubble page.
I also have a colourful life beyond photography. I love to hear from people so why not send me a message on the opposite page. Meanwhile, I hope you've enjoyed your visit here.
CONTACT ME
