Biography

This photograph is the earliest memory I have.
I remember the garden, my fathers boots
(which I was quite literally filling at the time)
and the fact that just after this photo was
taken I found out to my dismay that the boots
were full of ants! I guess the strength of the
memory is connected to the fact that this
photograph survives. 
 
The journey since 'Ant boots' has been wild, with the odd bite along the way.
I spent 13 years as a successful Art Director writing and designing TV adverts
for some of the worlds largest brands. You've probably laughed, cried and even
moaned at my work on your television.
I left the glamorous world of international travel and mingling with the rich
and famous 5 years ago to follow my love of photography and try to explore a
more personal path of creativity,
Along with the knowledge and skills shared with me by some of the best visual 
people on the planet, I embarked on a course in Professional photography at
The London School of Communication, It was both refreshing and humbling - 
it had been 15 years since my first degree in fine art and design.
It's taken until now for me to feel creatively comfortable about sharing my
photographic work with you, a broader audience.
 
I have a deep love for the contemporary but have never overlooked the traditional.
I guess that's why a lad from Nottingham who's lived and travelled around the world
has made London his spiritual home.
I live in north London with my dog. She has grown used to me getting up at all
hours on a hunch that there's a shot around the corner for me if I just go out and
find it - unlike previous long-suffering girlfriends.
 
What all this experience has given me is a realisation that if you yearn to
make the best of yourself creatively, you can never stop listening and learning.
That's why it's important that my images are of the highest professional order.
It's crucial to to be in touch with what surrounds me and not take for granted
or become blasé about all that I see.
When I'm shooting I soak up everything that is around me and only ring it all out
of my camera when I have exhausted the moment.
The images on these pages are a mixture of some which I stumbled across and 
some which have been set up.

My work has been described by one art critic as having 'an awkward naturalness,
giving off a magical quality, both in its subject and story telling'. But I'll let you decide.
Like 'Ant boots', all these images have stories but I have decided to leave them
open to your interpretation and let you enjoy the mystery of these memory papers.
James.