“My love of photography is driven by my own creativity and wanting to capture something special between perfect moments”
I grew up in Cockermouth, which borders the Lake District National Park in West Cumbria. Cockermouth is only a stones throw from the western fells of the Lake District and the lakes of Crummock Water, Buttermere and Bassenthwaite. Growing up we spent many family days out at Crummock, Whinlatter Forest and the beach at Allonby on the Solway Coast.
As a young adult I was fortunate enough to work overseas and travel, and I have lived and worked in some of the UK’s biggest cities, but my love of the countryside has never left me. So when the opportunity arose to move back home in 2011, I jumped at the chance.
When I am asked about how I got started in photography, or what piqued my interest to begin with, the most simple answer is people. When I was little I was given my first camera as a birthday present, a Kodak instamatic camera. I took it everywhere with me. Photographing daffodils, dogs, my brothers and anything else I found interesting. I had to save enough pocket money to buy film and then pay for the photos to be processed, which was followed by the excitement of receiving the envelop containing the negatives and the the photographs, and looking through them for the first time.
I can remember taking photos with my little Kodak camera for a competition. The local fair was in town and there was a man selling balloons, surrounded by dozens of kids. The scene fascinated me and I bent down a little to photograph the balloon seller, framing his balloons in the sky. Which was probably the first time I thought about composition, without realising it at the time.
For a long time photography was just a hobby and working as a photographer was never something that I had considered. Not until a career change in 2006 led me to working as a makeup artist and my first photoshoot. I was more interested in the way that the model posed and what the photographer was doing than the job I was there for. Suddenly my childhood hobby was now at the forefront of my mind.
People are interesting. The things people do are interesting. The way people look at each other, laugh, smile and cry is interesting. When you find something interesting all that you need to do is to grab your camera, bend down a little and take the shot.
My passion for being a Lake District Wedding Photographer has evolved from working as a makeup artist since 2007. The more I worked with photographers on photoshoots and at weddings, the more curious I became.
There is a beauty in a photograph being unique. Something that can never be repeated Something to treasure in years to come
I continued to work as a makeup artist when I returned to Cumbria in 2011. This is also when I started to work more in photography. I have learnt from, assisted and been a second photographer from some of the best photographers in the business. Going on to photograph my first wedding on my own in 2016
I continue to be passionate about both photography and makeup, but these days you are more likely to find me behind a camera than holding a makeup brush. As well as photographing weddings I do love a good photoshoot with families, couples and local businesses for their profiles and marketing. From time to time I like to indulge in a little landscape photography and head out somewhere interesting with a model to collaborate on something a little more creative. Which I also think makes me a better wedding photographer.
When I’m not taking photographs (or painting faces) I am a keen runner and I have completed numerous half-marathons and a couple of marathons (including London in 2019). So if you don’t bump into me carrying a camera in one hand and a makeup brush in the other, I will probably be quite happily running along the road or a forest trail, with a black labrador by my side. The dog, who is quite affectionately known as Digby (not his real name) isn’t very good at taking photographs but he is a very good boy.
