I always said that a camera is like a killing jar; we have the power to preserve and immortalise anything we put in it. For that reason alone, photography is one of the most powerful mediums on earth. It cheats death. It records reality. It delivers dreams. It can effect global and cultural change. It reminds us of past times that can never be repeated. It reminds us of past times that must never be repeated. It is a visual representation of the human memory. It captures our lives and the world around us from cradle to grave. It sells products. It sells lifestyles. It educates. It teaches us what to be. It teaches us what not to be. It is a distant land. It is our own four walls. It is life. And if photography is the heart, then photographers are the pulse.
My photography has spanned many photographic disciplines from still life, interiors, stills and editorial. Having explored many genres, it is portraiture and documentary photography that are my specialisms. Inspired from childhood by the work of the Hollywood masters like Hurrell, I would experiment in front of a webcam in a darkened room, exploring how light can sculpt the human form, and how chiaroscuro creates Delphic portraits that mesmerise the viewer. By contrast, documentary photography embraces my love of capturing the spontaneity of human behaviour, producing impactful images that create connections between strangers - the viewer and the subject. Photography is the bridge that connects; whether it deepens understanding, compels empathy, or instigates emotions and provokes questions. The visual narrative contained in both is what appeals to me; the capturing of humanity in all its forms, whether constructed or candid.
With four years of experience as a freelance photographer, my portfolio includes a variety of work; from portraits of Eamonn Holmes, Neil Brand (internationally renowned pianist and film historian), and comedian Tony Slattery, which led to a BBC commission producing stills for the Horizon documentary “What’s the Matter with Tony Slattery?” My images have been featured in The Guardian, Radio Times, Financial Times, and on BBC iPlayer. My still life work has been featured by online art curator Ebbinghaus. I was also commissioned to photograph 100 artefacts from WW2 for a book of the same name. My images of an empty Gatwick Airport taken during lockdown generated interest in holding a future exhibition of my work at the airport.
After graduating with first class honours in Photography, I am now focusing on concentrating on continuing several projects I began at university, whilst going on to study my MA in Photography.
I wrote earlier that photography is my passion, but it is more than that. It is an obsession. And when one is obsessed, there can be no alternative, no substitute. One becomes the very thing one is obsessed with. It is no longer a case of the two elements co-existing, easily separated like oil and water: but like oxygen and breathing. It is inherently part of life, with no option to negotiate its presence.
