I’ve no idea if you want to know anything much about me, but in case you do?

I’ve loved photography and messed around with cameras since I was a kid. I made darkrooms in bathrooms, dismantled (and wrecked) cameras, then begged my parents for replacements. I’ve always thought photographs were magical with a power to transport us back to a given moment, a kind of time travel? I realised early that the challenge was to make pictures that for some reason ‘sang’, that grabbed the eye, captured attention, made you stop, look, think and feel. It can happen in so many ways, but that’s always the aim. Photojournalism and documentary photography grabbed me, I started travelling, ‘practising’ photojournalism, making pictures that told stories, and enjoying the responsibility and possibilities of picture making. At University I spent more time away with cameras than studying and left having won picture awards from The Guardian and The Independent which helped me get work for papers. Through the years snapping for all sorts of news organisations and clients, on the side I also photographed lots of weddings. Being a bit of an idiot it took me ages to work out I didn’t need to copy a set wedding photography style but could photograph a wedding as a wonderful long day’s picture story in my own way. I’ll always love photojournalism and documentary photography and I hope this passion informs the way I photograph weddings.

I've always loved an event, an occasion where something important to people is happening. Particularly when it's drawn out for long enough for me to get immersed in the story. And weddings are just that - incredibly memorable days full of people, emotions, fun and colour. And because actually we're all human, and so thankfully we can only control our expressions and reactions so far, wedding days are made up of people being themselves. I don't believe in perfection, or that weddings are a fashion shoot. They're so much more interesting, joyful and important than that. Posing throughout your wedding day doesn't sound like fun to me? I want you to get married and enjoy everything knowing that your pictures are just being made. I hope you'd like your wedding photographer to not be a bother to anyone and just get on with framing the atmosphere, charm and character that your families and friends will bring to the places where your wedding will take place. My experience is that beautiful pictures come from reality. Whatever the weather, whatever goes on, it’ll be your wonderful day, and I’ll help you smile about it for years to come. 

Talking of weather, we all think we want the sunniest of days. But perhaps be careful of what you wish for? On my August wedding day it was too hot. The sun was so harsh during garden drinks everyone clustered under the shade of a huge Mulberry tree. The carpet of squished crimson berries under our feet gave the fringe of my wife’s dress a serious red tinged hem and ruined many a pair of wedding shoes!

I love meeting couples and listening to their plans, and having been to just a few weddings I’ll advise and help if you need me to. I’ll do all I can to make sure you get a super set of pictures, and without the fuss of many other photographers.

I travel a lot but home is on the island of Portsmouth - and yes, it is an island. I think Venice is the only other European Island city...possibly where the similarities end. I’m in Southsea, the old seaside resort bit of Portsmouth, and having now been here 20yrs I can't really imagine living away from the sea and beach. I’ve teenage daughters who both already muse about their potential weddings so I know for just how long brides have been planning when they contact me. Making pictures that live up to this depth of thought and organisation is as important to me as not disturbing your day. As a photojournalist I learnt that being accepted as a picture maker is all about the care with which you interact with people. I've discreetly worked within so many situations that I’m pretty good at just fitting in and unobtrusively making pictures. People tend to see me work and assess I both care about, and seem to know what I’m doing, and just let me get on with it. So I can float around all day without getting in the way. I hope this might suit you.

Lastly, this page was meant to have just one small picture of me. But my eldest daughter produced this set of portraits which she thought helped show me more honestly than if we'd just used the one. x.