Amateur Photographer | Art Historian

It was whilst studying for my Undergraduate and Masters degrees in Art History with The Open University that I became fascinated with photography as an art form. In particular, when undertaking detailed visual analyses of a variety of abstract artworks, I became absorbed with the parallels that could be made with the art of photography. In exploring qualities of form, colour, line and space, it became clear that these were also shared artistic values that could also be discovered in the coastal, rural and urban landscape as well as in architecture and interior design. I soon became captivated by the ability of a photograph to reveal inherent abstract characteristics, often teased out through careful composition and use of photographic techniques.

Picking up on a lifetime of simply ‘playing’ with photography from the rough edges, from my early childhood forays with the Kodak Brownie and Instamatic through to my first SLR, the Olympus OM-10, and first digital camera, the beautifully designed Fujifilm FinePix 6800z, it became apparent that these cameras were all destined to be replaced with the ever developing and increasingly more powerful smartphones. But in true photography terms I remained the stereotypical self-taught amateur enthusiast with clearly still much to learn.

Photography, like many of my other interests, sport and art for example, became what I term the ‘delirium of obsession’. Poring over numerous photography text books, camera magazines, professional photography websites, as well as watching numerous videos and studying online courses, I sought to take this amateur enthusiasm to the next level.

My main focus soon became centred on landscape, architectural and street photography. Although I prefer black and white photography, I also use colour and indeed I often experiment with both approaches in order to explore alternative narratives of the same view. I now use a Canon EOS R8 mirrorless camera, which I am still learning to fully master and the list of current lenses and accessories will no doubt grow over time. However, I still take advantage of my smartphone for those unplanned, opportunist moments.

To accompany my photography journey, this incursion into my website design is another cog in that passion wheel.

Welcome aboard!