Welcome to my world of portrait photography

When you're 21 the way you look is a mere twist of fate . . . your choice of parents

Life's claws have barely touched you.

As your life moves on,

the slings and arrows of fortune - outrageous and benign - take effect

You acquire a sense of confidence,

a sense of "OK life, what now?"

And, for me,  that makes you interesting to photograph

There’s a reality about you.

You’ve lived through many things.

You’ve worked through some hard stuff.

You know there’s probably more  to come.

You know who you are, and you’re fine with that.

And that’s OK, 

Today nothing can faze or disturb you.

This confidence gives you emotional strength

A way, a manner that shines through everything.

It’s why I want to make portraits of grown-ups . . .  a portrait of you

I enjoy making people look good, making them feel good, boosting their confidence.

People tell me they enjoy the experience . . . and the pictures too.

I create natural images – mostly in black and white.

Images that portray character, personality and reality

I want to make you happy, to make you feel good, to feel great  – but not perfect

The idea of a grown-up wanting to be photo-shopped into a perfect, blemish-free and characterless digital version of themselves is ludicrous . . . and a little bit psycho-scary.

The photo session could take place in your own home, or on location, in town, a coffee shop, the countryside or anywhere you like

Anywhere you feel you’re calm, confident and relaxed.

And because you’re calm, confident and relaxed you’ll be more openly yourself.

It’s about having fun . . . but with photos.

Portrait photography for grown-ups – let’s do it

Call me now, let’s start a conversation that leads to some great portrait photography!

OK, so you may be a little nervous at first,

But you’ll feel fine before the shoot starts, and once the camera is out the bag, you’ll be having fun – and we’ll be making images you’ll love.

Too many ‘photographers’ let you just stand there, they just hope you look good – but it doesn’t work like that . . . everyone needs help . . . everyone needs direction . . . and I mean everyone – even the most stunning professional models.

Movie stars, or celebrities, generally get photographed by professionals – and only see the best images – so they always feel secure . . . and photogenic.

Everyone else gets snapped by amateurs – and because you see poor quality, hideous, unflattering snaps – you feel insecure . . . and, importantly un-photogenic.

Everyone’s Photogenic!

Part of my ‘photography technique’ is to help you feel relaxed and confident.  To listen to what you have to say.  To develop a mutual trust and belief . To give you gentle, but constant, direction.  Together we’ll produce some brilliant images.

Let’s celebrate being a grown-up

My Photography Ethos

Having now reached my mid-seventies , I feel my photographic ethos is firmly established.

My approach to portrait photography, whether corporate or social, is to create images that project personality and authenticity.

With digital photography it is easy to get led astray

It’s tempting to transform humanity into hyper real perfection, to create an unreality where reality is far more engaging.

Certainly, I use computer software to improve my images.

However, I began my photography in the days of film and dark rooms, so I rarely stray from the traditional dark room techniques of dodging and burning.

I’ll invariably introduce ‘film grain’ and de-saturate the colours to generate the feel of a filmic image as opposed to digital.​

Portrait photography is about more than an image of a person,

It should be a portrait in the fullest sense, an observation of character and personality capturing the individuality of the subject.

My aim is a true representation for the countless numbers of people who only meet us online, who we never get to meet face to face.

Fashions change but good photographic portrait is timeless, revealing who you really are for generations to come.

The most important aspect of my Portrait photography ethos is the rapport between photographer and subject, the technical side should be as natural as breathing in and out.

As an alternative to regular portrait photogrpahy I offer candid street photography style portraits. Pick your location, pick your day.  Wrexham in the Winter, Acrefair in Autumn or . . . Paris in Springtime

For almost 65 years I’ve been a photographer, over forty of them as a professional. I processed my first image at 12 and was hooked.

I’ve developed a personal approach to different areas of portrait photography.

Simply explained my photography ethos and philosophy is: to capture my subject’s personality, individuality and authenticity, to show the subject at their best and to demonstrate my love of people.

I’ve always been a location photographer, never a studio photographer – it’s part of the thing I have about authenticity – in your office, your workplace, your home , your own environment, in fact anywhere you can be yourself.

Humanity loves humanity – a good portrait has a world-wide resonance.