About the Photographer

This section describes my interests, inspirations and approach to photography.

I am based in the small village of Huttons Ambo in the Howardian Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) near Malton, North Yorkshire.

I have had an interest in photography for as far back as I can remember. I have always had a camera of some sort - but I was often slightly disappointed with my pictures. This all changed when I decided, in 2003, to buy a second-hand, fully manual, medium format camera (along with tripod and very basic light meter!) and to take being a photographer a bit more seriously. I opted for a twin-lens Mamiya C330 - mainly as it was fairly cheap but I was also attracted to the unfamiliar 6x6 format. Using this camera forced me to slow down and consider the composition, depth of field and shutter speed - rather than just taking a quick "snap". This approach has certainly paid off in terms of image quality. I have since bought a Mamiya RB67 - another medium format camera, but with a 6cm x 7cm film size.

My main specialism is in landscape natural abstract photography. The majority of images on this site are taken on Fuji Velvia 50 transparency film - using either the twin lens Mamiya C330 camera, Mamiya RB67, or a Minolta 7000 35mm SLR.

I like the control and the feel of using a fully manual camera. The satisfaction you get from producing a successful image in this way far exceeds that gained from using an automatic film or digital camera.

That said, I recently decided to dip a toe into the digital water and bought a Panasonic Lumix DMC-F7 - a good quality compact that allows you to take full manual control if required. It's also got a great Leica lens. My idea was that I could see if digital photography suited me without having the expense of buying a digital SLR and full set of lenses. My first impressions of digital photography are that I could easily get to like it. I expect that the few gripes I have (such as not having a manual focus ring or cable release socket and - for macro shots - struggling to get a shallow depth of field to throw the background out of focus) would be overcome by stepping up to a good quality digital SLR.

Unfortunately, I suffer from the same problem as any non-professional photographer - that is lack of time, as I have to fit my photography in around a day job. This means massive frustration every time I have to go to work when there is a wonderful sunrise, crisp frosty morning, overcast sky, or those rare times we get a good snow fall - in fact most days really!

Most of the images on this site are taken in North Yorkshire - either in the Howardian Hills AONB, the North York Moors or on the Yorkshire Heritage Coast (although there are also a few shots from further afield).

If you would like to buy a print, please select the appropriate size from the drop-down menu against the image or click on 'Print Sales' for more details of other options.