About

Art lessons at school were painful. Anyone I am related to can draw beautifully. But not me. Even my pottery was bad. It collapsed like a soufflé, providing nothing more than comic value for my friends.

It was gently suggested my time was better spent reading about it. So, I found myself sitting quietly in the corner of the 'Art Shack' (and it was a shack) reading books on art and photography while the rest of the class produced their enviable creations. I must confess I found the books on art a little intimidating (later remedied at Southampton University). But I discovered books on Ansel Adams. I was hooked.

Patiently helped by my father thus began a hobby which I have loved ever since. There is something quite magical watching the golden light gently illuminating the landscape of the British Isles. My El Capitan.

Recognition

Occasionally, my work has kindly been published by others, including Canon, the BBC, Amateur Photographer, and the Take a View competition, where the picture was commended.

Honfleur harbour at low evening light, photographed on a childhood trip to Normandy — Honfleur, Normandy — among my first photographs, aged twelve.

A harbour at low tide with a large anchor in the foreground, Northern France — Northern France, the same trip.