Where it all began, a natural curiosity:
At a small rural primary school, charmingly old-fashioned even by 1970s standards - a teacher first inspired me to learn about wildflowers, trees, and wildlife. For the rest of the year, we absorbed geography, history, and maths through practical exploration. It was brilliant for young minds - can you imagine such a curriculum today?
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By the time I reached secondary school, many of us could identify native plants and trees, track down sticklebacks, and understand local habitats, from Saxon villages to Bronze Age Landscapes. We could even draw detailed maps of our area. These were the kind of instinctive, hands-on experiences that seem sadly absent in modern classrooms - experiences that helped shape a lifelong appreciation of the natural world.
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As a child I was drawn to natural history documentaries, one early favourite was "Before the Ark", which aired around 6 a.m. just after the Open University programmes, I would have been about about seven years old.
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This background inspired me to start photography - to create a record of what’s there. From that point, it wasn’t a big leap to start seeing things more artistically. I began to see people and subjects differently, focusing on balance, light, background, and atmosphere - more than just their everyday appearances.
Preserving the Natural: More Than a Picture
No moment ever looks or feels exactly the same twice. The laughter of a family, the way sunlight falls on someone’s face, the hush of a gathering, or the rhythm of the wind across a field, these subtle elements shape how we remember people and places.
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For me, photography is about more than appearances. It’s about atmosphere: the essence of a moment that makes an image truly resonate. Whether in portraits, events, or the natural world, I aim to capture not just what you see, but what you feel, so vivid that you can step back into it, even years later.
We are part of the environment too. A quiet walk with loved ones, a celebration that brings people together, or the enduring character of a landscape, these aren’t just fleeting memories. They’re reminders of a world and relationships worth preserving.
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In an age where so much around us feels artificial, I believe in the value of the real, the genuine expressions, the honest stories, the natural beauty. Photography has the power to hold onto these truths. That’s why I do what I do: to create images that last, not just as pictures, but as living moments.