I love being outdoors. I used to be focussed on getting to the top, reaching the end and, sometimes, going quickly. Now, whilst I still enjoy those things, I also like to look around the corner and sit awhile in quiet appreciation. There's lots to appreciate. Not just the grand view or the dramatic panorama, but also the small details that knit together to make the fabric of the land; coloured lichen patterning the rocks in a stream, the spray of a waterfall, clouds reflected in a tiny patch of water or the patchwork of light flitting over a hillside. These are the things that inspire me to use my camera in an attempt to tell the story of these places and times.
But the camera is only the first step in this process, and it is only capable of making a documentary recording of the moment I press the shutter button. My aim is to create an artistic image that reflects my thoughts, feelings and observations from that moment and to do this I need to add some of my personality to the camera's mechanical output. I do this by using computer software; not to add dramatic skies were there was none or alter appearances beyond the realistic, but to adjust the flat collection of data from the camera's sensor so that it better represents me.
I only began this journey with the camera fairly recently. Prompted by the desire to bring back something more memorable and meaningful than snapshots from a holiday, I went on courses, I read lots and I tried things out. Some things were more successful than others! By the time I returned from the holiday, I was hooked. I took on a mentor, the inspirational Guy Tal ( www.guytal.com ), who helped me progress with lots of the technical and practical aspects of photography. However, far more importantly than that, he made me think. I feel that the photographic journey I mentioned is in its early meanderings and that there is still much ahead. That excites me.