About Me
Starting at the very beginning is tricky because I don't actually know when my photographic journey started! I can't remember a time when I didn't have a camera in my hands. Starting out with simple point-and-shoot cameras, I must have cost my parents a fortune in film developing! It all got very real when, for my 16th birthday, my parents bought me a second-hand Minolta SLR camera. I loved it! I suddenly had an amazing gadget at my fingertips with a zoom lens and a focussing ring. Instead of just pointing-and-shooting, I was able to start getting creative. Luckily my Dad was an eager amateur photographer himself and made sure that I had a good grasp of shutter-speed and aperture so that I didn't waste too many frames!
“Tell me your secrets and ask me your questions, let’s go back to the start”
I often look back and wonder what would have happened had I actually studied photography academically. However, because I had a very musical upbringing (at one point I was studying piano, flute, clarinet and cello every week) I started off along the path of focussing on music which meant that the door was shut on studying art, and consequently photography, at school by the time I was 15. I often picked up prospectuses for college with the aim of studying photography in my spare time but it was always a case of "maybe next year". Of course "next year" never came - I was too busy with my GCSE's, then A-Levels, then getting a weekend job and going out with my friends! Before I knew it, I was at University studying Earth Science! I later managed to obtain a second degree in science - a masters in Micropalaeontology - and soon found myself in Dublin researching for a PhD. Essentially, I spent almost 10 years studying mud which took me from Plymouth to London to Dublin and even over to New Zealand. But no matter where I went, photography followed.
“It’s in my roots, in my veins, it’s in my blood”
Something else that followed me was music - it's no accident that I have littered song lyrics throughout this page! Although I left my lessons and playing days back at school, I continued to attend concerts and gigs. It started to gain more momentum when, back in 2005, I stumbled across the song "High" by an unknown artist called James Blunt. I started attending more and more concerts and, along the way, made some amazing friends. In turn, I discovered more music, attended more gigs, travelled all over the south-west, discovering more music, attending more gigs etc.... you get the idea! No matter where I went, my camera was often by my side. In those days, camera phones were pretty much non-existent so I would often be one of the only people taking photographs (if only the same could be said for concerts nowadays!). Consequently, my photos started to get noticed. My love of photography, the group of friends that I had formed and my passion for attending live music events all combined to offer me an amazing opportunity - I was invited along to take some photos at Dermot O'Leary's BBC Radio 2 Christmas Party. And that was when everything changed!
“Beautiful dawn, melt with the stars again. Do you remember the day when my journey began?”
Before I knew it, I was photographing rock stars! I was being given the chance to photograph some of the biggest artists in the world - Manic Street Preachers, Muse, Bon Jovi, Elbow, Coldplay, Taylor Swift to name just a few! In the process I went from being a hobby-photographer that was volunteering their services for free to a business-owner who was being paid to travel around the country living their dream! I won't lie, it wasn't quite as glamorous as it sounds. It was very exciting and a real roller-coaster but it was also stressful. I was there to take photos - I was no longer there to enjoy the music and I would often find myself locked away in the sound booth during some of the most amazing concerts I had ever attended, frantically editing photos so that they could be published online before the concert ended. I would often get home way past 2am the next morning feeling physically and mentally shattered. It was an amazing few years but completely unsustainable. Luckily, alongside the music photography, I was also being asked to photograph weddings which, despite also being long, tiring days, were such amazing, emotional days to be a part of. Over the last few years I have felt overwhelmingly privileged to have been asked to be a part of so many beautiful wedding days and, as such, weddings are now my primary focus. I still undertake the occasional music shoot but they now tend to be local events rather than the big concerts that I used to cover in London and beyond.
My photographic style as well as my business focus has evolved over the years but what remains is a love for story-telling. I apply the same reportage style of photography whatever the subject and I work discretely so that I can document important events and capture real emotions. I am now based in Wiltshire which is such a beautiful place to live - I love being able to get out and explore (often with my twin nieces who constantly keep me occupied and amused!). Oh, and if you've been wondering - no, I never did finish my PhD! Quitting was the hardest decision that I have ever had to make but, looking back, I wouldn't change it for the world!
“The world is in your hands. The world belongs to those of us who still believe we can.”
