Biography
I became interested in photography back in the 1970's.
As a child I grew up in East Yorkshire and most of my spare time was taken up with either fishing, scouting or playing squash. It was through the scouts though, that I realized the outdoor life was for me. I enjoyed the scouting ethos and as a result of the training I received, I started to lead walking and climbing expeditions on the North Yorkshire Moors, The Lake District, North Wales and latterly the Highlands of Scotland.
It was a holiday in Switzerland during the mid '70's that really inspired me into photography. The clear blue skies and the sun glistening on the snow capped mountain peaks, looked absolutely stunning. The photographs I took of the Eiger 3970 m, the Jungfrau 4158 m and the Monch 4099m won me my first photographic competition within our local rambling club. This inspired me to carry a camera on all future expeditions and journeys.
During the mid 70's and 80's I was heavily involved with the Search & Rescue organisation, taking me to all kinds of strange places. Whilst training to become a dog handler with the association, I had the misfortune on my final assesment course at Tranearth in the Lake District of being blown off a ledge above a tarn called Goats Water on the Old Man of Conniston. This resulted in an overnight stay in hospital in Barrow with a dislocated elbow and broken arm! Fortunately we both qualified in 1981. Unfortunately though that put paid to my fishing and squash.
I got married in the early 80's and my time then was spent supporting and raising our family as well as working in the aircraft industry.
Having worked for almost forty years in a large aircraft manufacturing company in East Yorkshire, I was fortunate to take early retirement in 2009. Today I live in North Yorkshire and much of my spare time is spent outdoors photographing wildlife and landscapes. At that time I was accompanied on many of my photographic assignments with Bridget & Poppy, sadly they both passed away in 2015, they were probably two of the most patient and loving chocolate Labradors in the world. Today I am quite often accompanied with Meg & Gracie, two more Chocolate Labradors, equally loving and mischievous just like Bridget and Poppy. I'm sure pictures of them will keep popping up on the website.
I am often asked what gear do I carry in my bag, well it often depends on where and what I am hoping to film. Firstly I always carry with me a small pocket size point and shoot compact digital camera, namely a Canon Ixus 510. This is a tidy little camera with good resolution and neatly fits into my shirt breast pocket or waistcoat pocket. I carry it on all my trips and daily dog walks as there is nearly always something that catches your eye.
For landscape and wildlife work I use a Canon EOS 1 DX mk11 and occasionally the Canon EOS 1DX mk1 as a back up, with a EFS 17- 85mm lens.
For shooting wildlife I use the Canon 200mm-400mm telephoto lens or the big EF 400mm f/4L IS USM lens with a EF1.4 converter. The 400mm lens is a brilliant bit of kit, though it comes at a price - its heavy! I certainly cannot hand hold it so have to carry my Monfrotto Carbon Fibre tripod with a 'Wimberley head' which works really well together.
Whenever I visit a wildlife reserve I always carry a pair of Binoculars around my neck, as far as I am concerned nothing can touch Swarovski. I have a pair of EL 12 x 50's, they give me a remarkably clear view and especially in poor light, everything looks crisp and sharp, and their after sales service is second to none.
The other question I often get asked is about outdoor clothing. I have a loyalty towards Rohan, I have worn Rohan Clothing since its concept in the early1970's. Their striders and bags (trousers) are extremely comfortable to wear and fast drying and hard wearing, they really do last for years, so much so that their 'bags' range of trousers are still as popular today as they were when they first came out back in the 1970's. Their range of shirts are excellent too, roomy, well made, good sized breast pockets, quick drying and ideal for travelling in. They have shirts for all climates too, from Desert to the Artic and I would recommend them all. The Rohan outdoor clothing is brilliant and reliable, I tend to wear waterproof Sallopettes when photographing out in the field as they prevent your base layer gapping between your trousers and shirt bottoms as well as keeping you dry when the weather turns inclement, they have two good sized breast pockets which are very handy for keeping lens gear in as well as other bits and pieces. The Husavik and Vertex jackets are good, practical, warm and waterproof jackets, I wear them a lot when photographing as well as dog walking, they have lots of zippable pockets which are ideal for storage as well as being very comfortable to wear.