About

I am a photographer with a foot in both artistic and scientific camps. Astronomy brought me to a serious interest in photography and my first career was as a photographer in support of astronomical research; throughout that time however, it was my personal, artistic work that provided sustenance for the soul.

Never one to really be pigeonholed though, nor to adhere to rules and codes of practice, I am happy to explore the possibilities of working in a sightly unconventional way, to create interesting works. Some years ago, that meant using materials and processes not as intended; now, with the advent of digital imaging, there are fewer opportunities for ‘misusing’ materials, but far greater opportunity to improve or manipulate the image afterwards. Sometimes, mistakes are made – real ‘happy accidents’ – or I will do some serious ‘warping’ of a photograph, and the result can be a surprising, totally unforeseen, image.

However, as much as I enjoy the freedoms afforded by computers and CCD chips, I also enjoy taking photography back to basics, such as when using pinhole cameras. The ability to create images without using modern technology is always a delight. Maybe I’m just thumbing my nose at the relentless and accelerating march of technological R&D, with all of its attendant obsolescence.