Hello there! I am a thirty-something British chap who loves photography, travel and media. Also, a nice cup of tea. I’ve returned to the United Kingdom after spending the last four years travelling and working in SE Asia, Australia and New Zealand. It’s something I always wanted to do. Before toddling off around the world, I worked as a video game designer and I still love games and dabble in that industry too. I’ve always loved travel – I used to go on adventures in my holidays including the jungles of Costa Rica, the ghost city at Chernobyl, on safari in the Serengeti and excursions to Asia.

My Photography History

I got interested in photography properly around 6 years ago – when I bought a new camera for a safari holiday. Using only my new Panasonic as a weapon, I managed to beat off herds of ravenous, bloodythirsty lions and giraffes. This may be a lie. Soon afterwards, I did a short digital photography course and I was hooked. I started to focus on photography seriously during my Asia-Pacific travels. I wanted to not only document my travels, but improve my photography skills. The experience I gained, especially the first year in Asia where I didn’t have to work, was invaluable. Although I wasn’t able to dedicate much time to photography in Australia and New Zealand, I still kept it up when I was able to travel.

My Photography Goals

1 – To continue to pursue and improve the level of my photography, learning and always taking advice and criticism on board.

2 – To share my photography with others to inspire them to travel, meet people, try new experiences and educate.

3 – To use photography with respect – to your subjects and those around you.

How zen of me to say that, and to prove the point here I am posing with a Buddhist monk. I also seem to have massive gaps in-between my toes.

Style

Although I mostly take travel or documentary photos, I’m interested in all forms of photography. My current style is at the “real” end of the spectrum. Besides my camera I don’t use other equipment, and I try not to do much post-processing on my photos unless I am after a specific artistic look. Also, on the subject of style, I’m really, really stylish. At least, that’s what my mum told me, and she would never lie to her only son, right?

Photography Equipment

Current camera – Sony A7
Lenses – Sony Zeiss 20mm prime, 55mm prime, 28-70mm zoom.

Previous camera – Pansonic G3
Lenses: Panasonic 20mm prime, 14-45mm zoom, 45-200mm zoom.

After compact cameras I went mirrorless (tech speak, sorry non-camera nerds) and never looked back – although costly, the payoff in size and weight is totally worth it when travelling. I think the A7 is great, though it has a few annoyances. Going full frame was a big investment for me that I think is paying off. I am really pleased with the low light performance which was a major reason for me upgrading. I feel like some kind of night vision ninja with this thing!

Accessories – I very occasionally use a tripod – but 99% of the shots you see on here will be handheld. Then there’s the usual cleaning gubbins (how many people get the seriously wrong idea about your Giotto Air Blower?). That’s it.

On the technology side: I use a laptop with Adobe Lightroom for processing and organising photos, external hard drives for storage/ backups, and plenty of good old SD cards! I also just got a cheap Android Samsung tablet which is proving great for quick reviews of photos using camera wi-fi – and for apps like Instagram.

As you can see, my kit is pretty minimal, but keeping things light and simple is essential when you are constantly on the road. However – now I’m not a dirty vagabond, I’ll start learning more kit, such as reflectors and external flash.