Having spent childhood holidays in Cornwall it was very exciting to up and move at the age of ten from a quiet hillside Derbyshire village to what is often called 'England's Mediterranean'. The reality of growing through my teens in the late 70's and early 80's in a place where jobs and industry were sliding into a depression soon took away the rose tinted views of the picture postcard image painted by the tourist board.

At 16 I picked up my first camera whilst doing an art foundation course and was immediately drawn to the beaches and granite outcrops that form this spectacular coastline. This started my obsession with rock formations and the shoreline. In time I started to find that the typical orange glow sunset pictures were not was I was looking for and inspiration came from the great photographers of Americas West such as Edward Weston and Minor White who captured beautiful detailed observations of small areas in a vast landscape.

In 1998 I managed to self-fund a trip to the deserts of Utah, Arizona and Nevada to see for myself how breathtaking it is. On a three week journey and limited funds it was difficult and also dangerous to avoid the tourist trails, although some would test most day tripping hikers. As a desert novice I soon realised how those early pioneering photographers had created a benchmark for people to follow.

The key elements of light, form and texture are still the most considered factors to my images whether meandering around the Cornish coast or standing in awe of monolithic sandstone structures. It's the parts that people walk over or stroll past, without a second glance, is where I start looking for my pictures. Although sometimes its hard to ignore a jaw dropping view.

Education:

1982-84, Cornwall College of Further and Higher Education, 2 year OND in Art and Design.

1984-86, Blackpool and the Fylde College, 2 year HND in Photography.

Career Summary:

1986-87, Assistant to Michael Bielby, Advertising/Editorial photographer based in London.

1987-89, Assistant/Acting Photographer BBC Television.

1989-Present, Freelance Photographer.