I get asked a lot how long I’ve been doing photography. I’m not quite sure what ‘doing photography’ refers to but i guess I could say I first entertained it back in about 1999 which seems such a long time ago..
Growing up I’d always owned a number of point and shoot film cameras however I knew nothing about taking photographs , SLR cameras or interchangeable lenses. I just wanted to press that shutter and take a photograph with as little thought or effort as possible.
Anyway I was at a concert in Liverpool for my favourite band Deacon Blue and I had managed to sneak my camera into the venue and take a few shots. After getting my film developed I remember seeing this one image that really stood out to me of the lead singer being isolated by the stage lights. I was so proud of the image not least because it was of my favourite singer but because I felt a strong emotional connection to the image. I was proud of this photograph and kept reminding myself that I took this image. That was it I was hooked. Sadly i’ve lost that photograph but I can still visualise it in my mind’s eye.
At the time I was starting a new job and life and work got in the way so I never really pursued photography much more than the occasional holiday photograph. However whilst on holiday in Southern Italy with some friends in 2001 I met a girl who had a point and shoot digital camera and I was fascinated that I could see her photographs immediately, no trip to the chemist to hand over your roll of film, no waiting to see if they were any good it was just instant, something we have come to take for granted. That was it I wanted one.
Later that year when I had some spare money I went out and bought a Canon point and shoot digital camera and was hooked. It was a mere 2mp but I didn’t care it was digital and I could see my photographs Along with this I purchased a Canon printer and starting taking photographs of sunsets and nature and was able to print these out and create collages at home in my bedroom.
I continued to take photographs on future trips to Europe and people would comment on how much they enjoyed them and what a talent I had. I didn’t see it but people kept telling me I should consider enrolling in a class at night school but I kept delaying. I did however upgrade my point and shoot camera to a Nikon DSLR with a kit lens back in 2005 but still I never really took it that seriously, the camera gathered a lot of dust and I eventually sold it and took a break from photography for a few years.
Fast forward to 2009 after much persuasion enrolled in a class at the local community college so I could learn the basics of photography, I remember learning on an old SLR camera and becoming hooked again. I bought myself another Nikon DSLR, a kit lens and a Sigma 10-20mm lens and took as many photographs I could. i never really thought much of my photographs but kept shooting in the hope that I might get one day get better or capture something I would be proud of.
Living in Liverpool, a diverse vibrant historical city helped nurture my love of street photography. As I walked the streets I would witness the ever changing nature of the city and it’s people.
In 2010 I ended up moving to New Zealand and my love of photography really exploded. I start to see other photographers and their work and decided to push myself more and more. I was fascinated by the candid nature of the streets and also by intimate portraits of strangers and knew straight away what type of work I wanted to produce. I felt an emotional connection to the streets, probably born out of my work with the homeless community in Liverpool and my desire to connect with strangers.
i have to credit two photographers who I took a lot of encouragement from the first being Danskie Dijamco and the other being Mark Emirali both in my eyes brilliant photographers who inspired me to become better at what I do.
So as we leave one decade behind I look back on my journey so far I do so with a sense of pride. I feel I’ve come a long way, not just from the UK to New Zealand but as a photographer. There have been many times when I’ve not thought very highly of my work and spent too much time and energy comparing myself to other more experienced photographers. But i’ve finally reached a point where I look at my work with pride and do not compare myself to others. Yes there might be a point where I feel I turned a corner in terms of the quality of my work and perhaps that is when I stopped comparing myself but I’m in a good place.
So where has my journey taken me? Well i started out wandering the streets looking for strangers to photograph and from here it’s lead me into photographing a handful of weddings, both private and public events. I’ve also shot some commercial photography for a number of companies and had a photograph published by Nikon in a book which is the title photograph to this post Ironically it has a huge number 10 in the photograph which symbolises my 10 year journey.
The main thing is I’m happy with the work I produce and have a clear sense of direction and achievable goals. in the next few years . I want to become a better portrait photographer and will look to become an accredited photographer here in New Zealand and who knows perhaps I can become a professional photographer what ever that might mean. For now I thought i’d share some of my favorite images taken over the last 10 years, both personal images and those I was commissioned to take.
