I have been a serious landscape photographer since 2003.
I started my working life as a trainee commercial artist which led to the hobbies of watercolour painting and pen & ink wash drawing where I learned about composition, colour and light.
I have spent the last 20 years as a printer engineer which has helped to develop a critical eye.
I often have to travel several hours to my target location, so I prepare a shoot by calculating sunset and sunrise times, the position of the sun on the horizon, where the tide will be and what the weather and cloud cover will be like. This often means coming home completely empty handed and revisiting the scene but if the light isn't right, that is the cost a landscape photographer has to pay. Some of the best images however can be captured at the spur of the moment with little planning, so it pays to always have a camera at the ready for those special rare moments.
I capture my images using digital equipment but aim to emulate the characteristics of Velvia 50 film known for it's very saturated colors, high contrast, and exceptional sharpness.
My favourite part of the country is undoubtedly the Western Highlands for it's characteristic rugged and mountainous terrain and beautiful craggy coastline. The Glencoe and Rannoch Moor areas are a frequent haunt, but I also have an abundance of wonderful scenery on my doorstep...the North East coast.
I work regularly with Arbroath Abbey Timethemes (formerly the Arbroath Pageant Society) as their official photographer and in 2008 was invited to the press launch of 'The Enchanted Forest' at Faskally Wood, Pitlochry, resulting in my images being used in a BBC Online news article and on the official Enchanted Forest website.
I regularly have images published on local community websites and on the BBC Online picture section.
I am currently authoring a photography book documenting the North East coast from Dundee to Ardesier which will be announced on this website on publication.
Keep a lookout for the Angus 2009 Calendar which includes my image of a sunset over Montrose Basin which won 1st prize in the Angus Summer Photography Competition in 2008. |
