about

"I often think of that rare fulfilling joy when I am in the presence of some wonderful alignment of events.

When the light, the colour, the shapes and the balance all interlock so beautifully that I feel truly overwhelmed by the wonder of it"

A quote from Charlie Waite, professional landscape photographer.

Charlie's words often go through my head while sitting on a hillside, in the dark, watching the light change and waiting for the sun to appear. Will I be treated to this rare fulfilling joy? Or will I return home with a memory card devoid of images? To me, this is part of the fascination of photography and what drives me to revisit locations time after time - there is always a better image waiting to be made!

My photography began in my youth with a series of pocket cameras. Then, in my early 20's, a major change occurred - I bought a 35mm SLR! This offered so much more control over the image taking process and really opened my eyes to photographic possibilities.

Now living in East Dorset, I am very lucky to have so many wonderful locations within easy reach. Dorset's Jurassic Coast, the Purbeck hills and the New Forest are just a short drive away.

I am also very fortunate to have Tracy and Matthew, an incredibly patient wife and son who understand my need to get up at 4am and go sit on a hillside in the middle of nowhere!

In 2004, I made the move to digital photography with a Canon EOS digital SLR. While digital gives me immediate results and feedback, I still use techniques from my film days to get the shot in the camera and not while sat at the computer. Digital's instant results has helped improve my photography no end as I can now take a shot, assess the image, make any adjustments and reshoot whereas before, I would have to wait for a film to come back from the lab before seeing the results. This has all helped me to appreciate the difference between 'taking pictures' and 'making images'.

Apart from conversions to monochrome, what you see on this website is what I took on the day with the only edits being something like a small crop or an exposure tweak - just like in my 35mm days. If it takes more than a minute to edit an image, it's deleted and I revisit the location - I'd much rather spend time behind the camera than in front of the computer!

I'm inspired by many, but my favourite photographers include (in no particular order);

Charlie Waite. Amazing landscapes, lovely person, and a great outlook on photography.

Joe Cornish. More amazing landscapes, and a thoroughly decent chap!

Adam Burton. Yet more amazing landscapes, but Adam's early work was on my doorstep so encouraged me out with my camera.

David Noton. Yes, even more fantastic landscapes but some great travel work too. And another Dorset man, nuff said!

Ansel Adams. If you've ever taken a landscape shot then you would admire his work.

Steve Bloom. Fantastic wildlife shots.