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I brought my first camera over 25 years ago, a Russian made Zenith with a basic 50mm lens. I headed over to Greece for a four week holiday. It was from here that my passion for photography started. I had previously worked as a graphic designer for one year, but after trailing my portfolio around London I began to realise that photography was where my heart was. In those early days I had no idea how much Photography was to influence my life. Photography has become more than just a passion, it has become a way of life.
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Photography forces me to interact with my subject, and demands that I concentrate on all that is in my field of view. Photography is an act of observation and of selection, it becomes a tool of self expression. My other passion was also born out of that holiday to Greece, and that was travelling. The camera became a tool and my photographs an expression of a quest to explore my personal vision and relationship to the world. My philosophy towards life I hope is reflected in my images. The real joy in photography for me is knowing that I have captured a moment in time that will survive long after the time itself has gone.
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Some of my philosophy towards photography can be summed up by this image. I remember walking along the back streets of Beijing, when I came across these men playing cards. I stood and watched, with my camera in hand. I waited for 15 to 20 minutes enjoying the way the game was unfolding. When I was no longer a curiosity to the men, I grabbed the shot. I took only one photo. I then packed away my camera, sat down and enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of cards and tea with these men.
My philosophy is not to add or subtract to the image, to see it for what it is and to make no judgements, let the camera capture the moment as it is.
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Some of the photographers who I admire are Sebastiao Salgado, Werner Bischof, Robert Capa and Henri Cartier Besson. I remember visiting an exhibition by Sebastio Salgador and being reduced to tears by the images of the famine in Sahel. What amazed me the most was the pure power those images conveyed to the viewer. A humble experience, and a lesson in photography.
As for camera equipment I use digital for some work, but I still love film and the black and white process.
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