HistoryThe first time I picked up a camera wanting to take more than just snaps was back in 1993 when a trip Prague inspired me to capture onto film the beauty of the city. Not wanting to do a nine to five desk job and art being the only subject I enjoyed at school I decided to go to art school. I first did a two year foundation course which led to a three year BA in Fine Art which I did at the Norwich School of Art & Design. While there I specialised in photography but upon graduation had no idea how to earn a living from photography! (click here to see a small selection of my art school photos). Fortunately, soon after graduating I photographed a friend of a friend who himself had recently graduated from drama school and needed new headshots. I took two rolls of outdoor shots and 95% of them were unuseable but I was already hooked. I had finally found a direction career wise to pursue and that was back in 2001 and I consider myself very lucky to be doing a job that I love.
Style
A person rarely feels comfortable being photographed (even an actor!) which is why I always start a session with an informal chat over a tea or coffee. The best way I can explain my style of photographing is to compare myself to a hunter (no pun intended!). I aim to shoot my prey with a sniper gun rather than a machine gun. I prefer to make each shot work rather than leave the law of averages to dictate how many shots work. I do this by directing my clients from behind the camera and giving them different role playing characters to play out for literally every single shot so that I can capture a wide variety of looks.
