My Photography
I first started with photography at school. I was fascinated with the ability to take a snapshot of time. The school had a darkroom and I soon became interested in the processing of my own film. Seeing that snapshot reappear in front of you was addictive. Sadly, after leaving school I didn’t have access to a dark room and my interest waned. It just wasn’t the same handing in a roll of film and getting back a packet of photos. It wasn’t until many years later with the introduction of the digital camera that my passion for photography was reinvigorated. Although subtly different, the ability to capture a RAW image and then process it into the image you imagined reminded me of processing my film in the dark room.
Photography is much more than just taking a photo for me now. It’s a mindset. The ability to capture a moment and allow others to see it how you did, to understand it, makes it far more than just documenting a location or a time. Images have the ability to convey mood, feelings, thoughts. It also makes you notice things others walk past and lets you see the beauty in any scene. Having deployed to some of the most war torn parts of the world as part of my former career including The Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan, this ability to see beauty where you least expect it (and sometimes where you do), helped immensely. My camera has changed my perspective on many things.
My photography also drives me to be outdoors, be it the local countryside, the coast, the city or the mountains and that is when I am happiest. Being able to capture that sense of freedom is hugely rewarding and often the harder it is to get an image, the greater the affinity with it. Beyond Photography
Having served as an Infantry officer in the British Army for 16 years, it’s not surprising that I am most comfortable and happiest when I’m outdoors. This is a recurring theme in my other interests. Beyond my photography, I enjoy endurance races (the longest so far being a 104km ultramarathon), mountaineering and camping. I have also recently started open water swimming thanks to my wife who is training to swim the English Channel. We now live in Hertfordshire with our two daughters and two witless springer spaniels. I am blessed that they all love being outdoors as much as I do, well nearly as much.
Reach The Peak
Reach The Peak has many meanings for me. In part, it’s symbolic of my passion for the mountains, hills and the great outdoors. Not least of all though, it is representative of my desire to strive for ever greater things and capture the best images I can. I hope you enjoy them.
