As a child I was fortunate enough to spend some time living at the Welsh Language Centre in Nant Gwrtheyrn on the North coast of the Llŷn in Gwynedd. Here, surrounded by the steep cliffs that formed the valley bowl and the see on its remaining free side, I discovered Quarry Exploration. I would spend countless hours in the derelict Granite Quarries here and down on the beach with the remains of the jetties, WW2 landing craft and Shipwrecks.
Photography would enter into the equation as I was preparing to leave school. I had already eschewed art, despite being quite good at it, out of dislike for my teacher and education in general, but now picked up a camera. Not for art’s sake, but to record the dwindling remains of the Slate Industry. How I wish I could travel back in time and hand my old self my current equipment and tell me where to go and what to see. Sadly many of the sites I visited back then have changed dramatically, but I count myself lucky to have seen some things now lost forever.
In my twenties a rekindling of interest in art came about, and photography developed. My Father-in-law at the time was developing a passion for photography and it rubbed off on me a little, and I started seeing my wanderings as an opportunity to create art and record my industrial ramblings.
The present sees me a landscape photographer, with a definite bias towards the mechanical and man made elements. I shoot with the Fujifilm X system for the majority of my work, but I still have a soft spot for film, which I indulge with an Olympus OM setup.