I was introduced to photography at an early age by having to wait for ages whilst my father lined up the perfect shot. At the age of 12 I was given a small, red Konica point and shoot 35mm camera but it wasn't until the advent of digital photography that my hobby really took off. Before then I had used a variety of cameras and even dabbled in the darkroom printing my own black and white photos but being able to see results straightaway enabled me to learn quickly.
When I was a child, I joined the Cubs and Scouts and from there my love of the outdoors started. I was at my absolute happiest when camping outdoors and cooking food on an open fire. I spent weekend and weekend walking on Dartmoor through my teenage years and loved the solitude of the open space.
After completing my A Levels, I did a degree in Satellite Communication and then worked for 7 years as a software engineer. In 2003, I spent three weeks on a road trip in Canada with three friends - the scenery and the outdoor life made me realise that I couldn't spend my days working in an air-conditioned office. Back from the holiday, I set myself a date 18 months in the future (1st April 2005) and on that date quit my job and started my career as a freelance photographer.
I am based in Neath which is right in the middle between Gower and the Brecon Beacons National Park, which means I spend a lot of time and indecision procrastinating about what area to photograph! I love being on the coast first thing in the morning for sunrise; the sound of the sea, the glow of the horizon just before the sun appears and then the burst of light as it appears. I also adore being in the mountains after walking for a few miles, the landscape to myself and watching the sun set.
I am energetic in my photography and have been known to sit on a hillside in the Brecon Beacons all night, from dusk until dawn, to photograph the stars. I have also spent an hour on Pen y Fan in a -27 degree C wind chill for sunrise! The coast is a little easier, but 3:30am has seen me getting up for the day to get to Gower for sunrise.
My photography is constantly progressing and I was awarded a commendation and a place in the book for one of my photos in Take a View's Landscape Photographer of the Year 2012 and 2015. I now run Landscape Photography Workshops to teach people how to take landscape photographs.