Biography
Having worked and trained over a vast array of creative disciplines, I am proud to say that all my work I display here I have loved creating. I feel a huge sense of freedom and achievement from their diversity and give thanks to those who have believed in me and opened these doors of opportunity.
As a child I was fascinated how a camera could capture a moment in time and transform it into a two dimensional print, preserving a fraction of time for near on our eternity. After studying Dance, Textiles and Photography at college I went on to study at The University of Portsmouth a Degree in Photography. I studied how photographs could preserve memory, sometimes distorting it. For instance we can appear to look happy in family celebration embraces but the photo may fail to reveal the argument that had just unfolded between us. In time we may have forgotten the real memory behind forced smiles, therefore creating a staged version of events. I love photography to capture realism, real expressions and beauty in travel, nature and world events. This passion was reinforced after having worked in London, in fashion and celebrity photography, styling and picture editing. This was an amazing experience for me however in all its constructed glory these materialistic subjects lack authenticity and depth, neither do they focus on what is important in the world and subjects that we need to focus on.
"Photography is a reflection of what we allow ourselves to see"
After graduating and having lived in London I travelled for a year and bathed in the richness of nature and culture in Asia, Australasia and Hong Kong. Since then I have travelled in Europe, India, the Middle East and Africa. It was a real eye opener when I realised I owned more in the contents of my suitcase then the whole compound did where I was living. My portraits of The Gambian villagers I met were taken with love, where graceful souls gave up the little they had to accommodate me including a mosquito net surrounding a sponge cut off they used as a mattress. They took the hard stone floor much to my embarrassment. I also had the chance to photograph children to help them get sponsored in education and raise awareness of poverty. Our material objects are only on loan to use in this lifetime, what we think we own does not define us, it’s our actions that do.
I like the idea of using my creative mind to help the world and giving back in some way. I went on to study a diploma in SFX makeup and hair for theatre, TV and film and got very lucky to develop this into a long term career working with the special forces and emergency services as a casualty simulation makeup artist. I got to see firsthand how my creative skills were now training medics to help save lives in accidents, warfare and natural disasters.
I love performing arts and dancing myself, so to work with such big theatre companies and on set is a real privilege. I get very excited with the rush that occurs behind the scenes.
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I work now in developing my career across these creative paths and doing what inspires me. I spend my free time surrounded by my three rescue dogs and finding abandoned buildings with my girlfriend.
I will always aim to be a voice for the unheard and carry on spreading the word on environmental and livestock issues. Beauty surrounds us daily if we stand still and look, be the change we want to see in the world.
Thank you for visiting my site. May you live the life you deserve.
"Beauty surrounds us daily if we stand still and look"