When I look back over my life, most of the strongest and fondest memories I keep, have  a link in reality through a photograph. There was this beautiful photo album that I still have today, that we would pore over for hours, demanding stories of all the people and places in those gorgeous family photos. I would climb up onto my Father’s knee;- I can recall the smell of his aftershave and his funny old sailing jumper that he loved. We would compare knobbly knees and arm muscle size (for the purposes of my being his future sailing crew!) and fight over the scruffy toffees that he always kept in his pockets. I was his darling and he made me feel so safe and comfortable.

I remember the rasp of the thick pages as we would slowly turn them, and the funny little paper “corners” that kept the photos in place, as we flipped through the treasured photo albums. I can remember rushing to get to my favourites (always the portraits!) and always trying to think of new questions about the people so we could stay a little longer on that page. They smelt of “olden days” and toffees too! I remember being entranced, as he would describe in detail the stories of this or that scallywag relative, or this or that travelling adventure, that belonged to each photograph.  I can describe all of the characters still, even though they are mostly long gone, and I know about their quirks and personalities, their achievements, hardships, triumphs and their disasters. I know about the events of each day in the photos and whether the people laughed or cried… and I also remember thinking – One day, I will do this with my children.

For all these precious memories; the histories and the mysteries, the stories when combined, live on to tell our family’s tale – these are the moments we want to hold on to and treasure. Making sure that you have those wonderful memories saved, and that your story transcends time. A photo album isn’t just a load of old photos to me. It’s a place you visit, on sad days, to remind yourself of happy times, and a place to keep the button noses, sticky out ears and knobbly knees that make you what you are.

Our lives are stories, and people’s stories are always so interesting. That’s one of the best things about being a portrait photographer. Getting a tiny glimpse of what it’s like in that person or family’s life through my lens, and then recording something of that person’s character not only for their own future to look back on, but also for their descendants.  A visual historian. Saving those angels and scallywags for future generations  to hear about and understand who they are and where they came from… That is who I am, and what I try to do.

The studio is based in Edwalton, Nottingham, but there is no problem bringing the studio to your location. I work mostly in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Leicestershire, but travelling is not a problem.

PLEASE PHONE 07773 938669  OR EMAIL TO CHAT ABOUT AVAILABILITY OR TO BOOK YOUR FAMILY, CHILD, OR PR PORTRAIT SESSION.