Basics.

Born: London, 1974. I am a London-based photographer.  Photography is my hobby.  I am not a 'professional' photographer.  I have no interest in doing this as a job.  The world is already full of more talented people than me.  I would not enjoy photography as much if it were to satisfy someone else's needs as opposed to mine.  This website is to show some of my work to the world - if it's interested. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me via the links on the top right of the page. I enjoy the processes of photography not just the actual picture taking.  Whether it be thinking of concepts for shoots, processing images, finding solutions during shoots.  I suppose I do not treat the images I make as 'art' but more an exercise in making a scene/person/object look 'interesting'.

History.

I've had a camera since I was about 14.  The first, was a film camera, the Olympus AF-10, which was a nice little compact camera that was very easy to use.  I made the move to digital in 2004 and began with a Fujifilm Finepix F410.  I think everyone thought how great digital was but in reality the quality of the files were awful!  In 2011, I was given a Nikon L120 and this was the camera that made me want to pursue photography seriously.  Not having manual controls forced me for an entire year to concentrate solely on things like composition, post processing and shooting creatively.  Eventually I bought my first DSLR (which is also my current camera); Nikon D5100.  Why Nikon? My dad shot Nikon.  That's the only reason.  It's no better or worse than any other brand of camera out there.  My 'street' camera is a Fujifilm X-Pro 1.  I use it mainly when I want to travel light.  I also have a a film camera - an Olympus 35RC rangefinder.  I still like shooting film, it definitely slows me down and make me think about the shot a little more.  I also joined my local camera club in 2013 because I wanted to meet like-minded people and also improve my photos by having independent views on my work.

Influences.

The following photographers have had the most impact upon my outlook on photography.  I am in no way comparing myself to any of them.  If I had an inkling of their skill, imagination and creativity I would be a very lucky person.  Viewing their work is always a source of inspiration. 

Henri Cartier-Bresson ; Perfect compositions everytime.  A man who could incorporate surrealism into the realistic world of photography effortlessly. The reason I spend that extra split second looking through the viewfinder.

Garry Winogrand; Mr. Street Photographer.  For me, he epitomises everything great about shooting the street: fearless, funny, outrageous and always in the right place at the right time.

Ansel Adams; I think he spent more time honing his images in the darkroom than taking them.  He would re-visit work years later and improve upon them.

W. Eugene Smith;  A man so obsessed with taking the photo.  No one was allowed to touch his negatives. An assignment would be finished when HE said it was. A model in following your own path.

Sebastiao Salgado, Andreas Gursky; Two photographers who see the world in it's epic scale and the relationship it has with inhabitants and yet photograph it two very contrasting ways.

Joe McNally, David Hobby; Two photographers who are incredibly generous teachers.  If you want to know about flash guns - these are the go-to guys.  David's website (www.strobist.com) is one of the best resources on the internet.

Martin Schoeller, Rankin;  Out of all the things I photograph, I don't think there's anything more interesting to me, than the human face.  These two guys can tell a person's story in a single photograph.

Images.

The images produced by myself on this website may be distributed, downloaded, manipulated under Creative Commons.  Basically if you use an image, you have to credit the author (unless you have prior permission).  If you are unsure, please contact me.