My passion for photography started in the 1960s. I saved my pocket money and bought a cheap 35mm camera (Boots Beirett). Since then I've been shooting, developing, printing, exhibiting, and deriving great pleasure from it. When people ask me what sort of photography I do my stock answer is "slow photography". This is meant in the same sense as 'slow cooking' as I believe that time is an essential ingredient when contemplating, preparing a shot or shoot, and considering its' post-processing.
I have never stopped learning whatever I think can help me. Ongoing regular practise seems to help me continue improving, though that may be hubris and is best judged by others. What I do enjoy is discovering the work of different photographers and trying to pass on my enthusiasm to inspire others to keep improving their own work.

As well as judging photographic competitions I also give talks and workshops mostly, for clubs in the south west of the UK. My details are listed on the Western Counties Photographic Federation website and in their printed guide. Competitions are judged at the PAGB travel rate, Talks are £25 for a full evening plus PAGB travel rate and workshop costs are a bit more expensive due to preparation required. You can use the form below to enquire about availability.

One man, one woman and one exhibition instigated a profound change in photographyfrom the early part of the 20th century.. The man didn’t even consider himself a photographer, the woman definitely was a photographer and the exhibition was held in Stuttgart then travelled the world (apart from the UK!). From Paris, this ‘Modern’ era of photography quickly spread around the world and lasted to the end of the century. The change was dramatic and many new genres had their beginnings and subsequently many others followed. It also marked the moment when the art world accepted that some photographs were works of art. By looking at over a hundred images, this talk examines the change point in some detail then moves on chronologically through more recent genres into the present.

Professional photographers need to be sure that they rapidly achieve consistent results in their work and to aid this they develop their own methods of working particularly when it comes to post-processing image files. This talk steps through a systematic approach that will help any photographer achieve the best image quality possible from their equipment and their post-processing and editing work. It is software agnostic so, whatever you use it applies. Throughout there are tips, and insights to aid understanding. The talk is particularly useful to those new to, or those who want to improve and speed up their post processing.

Like the three ‘Rs’ of education, this talk explains the three ‘Ps’ of photography. These are the most important principles for improving anyone’s photography. It explains how they are interlinked and will help anyone improve over time. Regardless of whether you are relatively new to photography or have years of experience, by the end of it you will be planning your own route to improvement.

This is a quick paced inspirational talk that covers what anyone can do to improve their work and, at the same time, become more creative at it. It concentrates on everything apart from equipment. It covers some of the same areas as ‘Kaisen your Photography’ though in less detail

A short talk that explains why printing images is important and offers both; a simple methodology and, the alternative full end to end calibration option. It compares the relative costa and pros and cons of using a bureau service versus using your own printer are covered in detail. There is also some advice about printer choice and how to keep them working reliably.

The workshop is intended for audience participation after a short slideshow introduction there are set of exercises.These will test competence at basic photographic tasks. The exercises require some time to set up and need a number of tables to be available. Generally, it generates a lot of activity and inter-member conversation and has been very well received.

Many think that the measure of a photographer is the number of acclaimed single images they produce. However, it is often the case that just as many find fame in the quality of sets of images they produce. Projects can help a photographer investigate something specific over an extended period of time. They can also be used to train the mind how to see images. If you are looking for something specific you will examine your environment more closely.