How did you start in photography?
Like most it seems, it was my grandad who encouraged me as a child to photograph my family, he was always there when you were sulking, had a splinter or a bee sting. It wasn’t until art college that I realised just what I had learned from Grandad and used composition and colour theory to build an image just like he did with his family portraits.
What is your genre and how did you fall into that genre?
I certainly don’t limit myself to one genre but I don’t shoot everything either! My first commercial opportunity came in the form of a nighttime guided nature walk on a brand-new housing estate.
After seeing a few of my BTS ballet images shot from the theatre wings, the community development team approached me to tackle the very low-light event lit only by torches. The success of this 1 image gained their trust and the past 10 years of event work.
What advice do you have for those starting out?
Get to know and experiment with EVERYTHING your equipment can do. Don’t be afraid to push every dial, knob, or button, you won’t break it, a mistake now (as long as you review and learn from that mistake) could be called upon in a future project.
What has been one of the most memorable moments in your career so far?
Many great opportunities have been had so far but shooting the wedding of a terminally ill man with a young family days before he passed. As hard as it was, my sole goal was to use every skill, trick and technique I have ever learned to ensure his wife and children will have beautiful and lasting images of them together (unfortunately covered in snot and tears) but a few hard smiles were had.
What is your favourite piece of equipment?
The Camranger was a game-changer in 2012 and was in my bag until it evolved in 2018. V2 came with increased signal strength & is used at least once a week wirelessly tethering clients directly to my camera.
A camera with ABSOLUTE silent shooting functionality is another favourite.
Are personal projects a part of your journey and if so where do you find the inspiration?
I can certainly see the benefits of personal projects, however, mine are usually making or modifying equipment to enhance the job or create something I wish existed but doesn’t.
What do you feel has been your biggest achievement so far?
Holy macaroni there have been, like you all, so many achievements but still to this day shooting my own children’s passport photos was so simple yet genuinely a proud moment to see it at a customs checkpoint.
Do you feel your photography style has changed over the span of your career?
Every new client brings new expectations and sometimes new skills to learn. I have plotted the evolution of my business over the past 10 years.
From Shooting backstage at the theatre shows I built.
A chance image posted to early social media of a ballet I shot from the theatre wings led to event photography for a development company, that team needed headshots which introduced me to the team needing lifestyle imagery and the public open spaces being landscaped as part of the developments. Aerial photography evolved from needing a better angle to capture the estates.
At the same time, A choreographer whose dance I shot brought me on board to shoot a theatrical fashion show she worked on which introduced me to the modeling agency that needed a studio photographer. This taught me the skills to control lighting and direct people on set and location which intern changed how I shoot headshots & corporate campaigns, fashion and children.
If you had not chosen photography as a profession/interest, what would you be doing?
I spent 25 years building and painting sets for theatre, film, commercials, window displays and other photographers. I’d probably still be doing that.
Our Sponsors
|