The Past -
Born in Liverpool UK, I grew up in Africa reading The Jungle Book, Doctor Dolittle and EVERYTHING Gerald Durrell ever wrote encouraged by my wonderful father. When we got back to the UK again I think I wrote every week to London Zoo asking for a job, but at 11 years old I may have been a trifle optimistic!
Life steered me in the direction of the Arts, and I first did a BA in Ceramics in Cardiff making fantasy porcelain creatures, and then my Masters Degree in the Royal College of Art; again based around animals, this time much more anthropomorphic(Johnny Morris was my idol - he who could make the animals talk).
The next 28 years saw me as Co-Director of a company in the film business making (surprise, surprise!) animals for films. I became a sculptor in clay, mainly because I had no facility for drawing, however hard I tried. I do a lot more than that now but I am still mainly a 3D person. However, about 5 years ago I had a bit of a crisis with my work, someone suggested I get a camera, a proper one, (not just a point and shoot of the sort that I was used to for taking reference shots) to try and refresh and re-inspire me. The first picture I took was embarrassing, mainly because I had the lens cap on, actually in all honesty the first YEAR was embarrassing, mainly because I was still taking ‘reference’ shots but with a more complex camera - sadly the point and shoot shots were better!
I genuinely don’t know when something clicked, but gradually I started to actually create with my images, and after I started teaching myself how to do textures and layers in Photoshop, well, everything simply changed!
The Present - a reason and a purpose-
I am a self taught photographer and editor. What I bring to my animal photography is years of looking and studying form, character, and how the play of light affects atmosphere on shape and emotion. I have re-studied the Old Masters, and their use of natural light. I use multiple bursts with my camera to try and capture a glance, a fleeting reaction, a subtle nuance of body language that changes a simple shot into a story that tells a thousand words, enhanced with softly shaping hints of light and background. Textures must never detract from the main character, but should caress and highlight.
Zoos are now Arks of huge import for the wildlife of this world. I have been to many now over the years, and when I photograph the animals within I try to create with the ensuing images a rapport with the viewer, something to make them really LOOK.
I find that sometimes I get the strongest reaction when there appears to be a human emotion within the glance of the animal, and because of that I still find anthropomorphism a fascinating and powerful thing, and feel I have only scratched the surface of what I can investigate and create. It is not only the endangered exotics though - if it breathes I love it, and domestic animals are as wonderful and complex and characterful as any wild creature.
The more I photograph and watch animals, the more I see play and humour and incredible family values within their groups that I want to capture. I see solitary beauty, I see unrestrained pleasure....and I am lost in the wonder of it. I hope you will be too.
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