“Where painters or drawers create a version of an image, photographers capture what is real”

I started taking photos as a child using a Kodak 126 Instamatic camera. I remember being impatient, waiting for the photos to arrive after a week. I always kept my favourite photos where I could look at them, study them. Now I am the keeper of visual memories for my family, my children and my grandchildren. My children
and young grandchildren all enjoy taking photos. Looking at the world through a child’s eyes is fabulous.

I worked in retail photographics and ran a black and white department for a professional lab in the 1980s. We were still using enlargers and trays of chemicals. Now I enjoy the post processing part of my photography, using Lightroom and Photoshop on my computer instead of being in a darkroom for hours.

Predominantly I photograph people. In our world, everyone is a photographer now. Most people have a camera in their pocket at all times ie; their mobile phone. I  like to think that I use my photographic skills, my artistic skills and my knowledge of technology to produce images.

I use different sorts of lighting to create dramatic images. I use my artistic skills to create vibrant images that provoke a reaction for the viewer. I use my creative energy to provide photos that the subject will really enjoy looking at whether it is on their CD cover, their promotional posters or on their wall.

As a photographer, I capture a moment  in time, even if it has been carefully set up. That moment when a special smile or facial expression happens, makes the  sometimes long hours of setting up all worthwhile. It is a joyful hobby.