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Back story

Having left school at 15 it didn't take long to realise that there must be more to life than working as an accounts trainee in a small industrial town (my first job).

One of the up sides to growing up in a somewhat insular environment was that it stimulated my curiosity about the world outside. Someone suggested that university was an option, so five years on that's where I ended up, going on to study fine art (mostly painting) and cultural history. I soon became interested in the aesthetic and documentary possibilities of photography and armed with a cheap Zenith camera and a basic darkroom knowledge it wasn't long before I was hooked. I've always liked 'wandering around', take a camera and you learn how to see.

 

Influences

Influences include the work of Lee Friedlander, Robert Frank, Raymond Moore, Harry Callaghan and numerous so called Street Photographers. Although I have a personal preference for the direct, formal aesthetic of black and white, I greatly admire the colour work of William Eggleston and other similar photographers.

 

Current work

For around 20 years I worked as a lecturer in media education (including photography) and continue to make photographs. Recently, I find myself spending more time photographing in public spaces though not as a 'purist' street photographer (they are a breed apart). I don't work well to particular briefs or projects and prefer to rove and snap what interests me.

 

Digital

The development of digital cameras has driven a dramatic increase in number of images taken. Photography in its many forms has become more accessible and is surely the most popular and democratic form of visual expression.

Some say this has led to a 'dumbing down' of quality and content and that camera and darkroom skills are no longer required.

They may be right, digital processes along with AI are changing things big time. However, for me it's still about where you point your camera.

The meaning, the message.

 

Exhibition space

Given popular interest in photography, dedicated gallery spaces here in the UK

still seem relatively limited (with some notable exceptions). In the Bristol & Bath area where I am based, we have lost a number of galleries in recent years. However, while the Royal Photographic Society (RPS) along with the Martin Parr foundation have re-surfaced in Bristol. Other groups such PhotoBath and iN-PUBLiC continue to develop an online presence.

Interested parties need to actively promote and support sustainable exhibition spaces throughout the UK and indeed elsewhere. Not just pop ups but something more permanent to build upon.

 

Gear

For me it's all about looking and seeing. If you think a particular camera helps you do that, then fine. Most of the main digital brands seem to produce similar outcomes. It's how you use them that counts. I started with a Zenith E moved to Pentax, briefly Leica and then Nikon and now Sony. Although I still have and value my Nikon mechanical cameras, I currently use a Sony DSLR most of the time, though often with manual lenses. I do miss the traditional darkroom space and try to get in there as often as I can.