A bit about me…

My dad was a keen (and good) photographer, and used to develop his own films and prints by converting our bathroom into a temporary darkroom, and I used to ‘help’ him - and I did the same for myself after being given my first camera. I’ve taken photos ever since. I grew up in rural Kent, where we lived opposite a farm, and I spent much of my time roaming the local countryside, on foot and on my bike, and enjoying the wildlife - which was far more abundant in those days.

I went to college in London and stayed for 40 years and had a family, before moving to live with my girlfriend in Manchester - which I then, but no longer, thought was in the north of England! I moved to Teesdale in 2010, and shortly after that my daughter and her family moved to Devon, where she runs a unique and lovely campsite (‘Hideaway Camping’) a few miles from Dartmoor. So I now make regular trips between the north-east and south-west, and look forward to having more time to explore the many locations that this brings ‘within range’. I have put a few pictures on the website from Wistman’s Wood on Dartmoor, an extraordinary (and famous) copse of ‘temperate rainforest’, with stunted ancient Oak trees dripping with lichens and epiphytic ferns, and will add more images from other locations in the future.

The snow panorama below, of Holwick Scars and the Fell, was the first picture I sold - after a print of it in the much-lamented Strathmore Arms pub led to a number of sales to local residents. And I’ve not looked back! In 2010 I published Essential Teesdale (my affectionate portrait of the dale, with 150 photos over 76 full-colour A4 pages) - just as Covid struck and closed down potential outlets. So I leafleted most of Barney and the neighbouring villages and quickly sold 250 copies. As I finally complete this revamp of my website, I’m about to do the same again - and you may be reading this after having a leaflet through your letterbox! I hope you enjoy the website and, if so, I’d be really grateful if you’d tell friends about it. And do please visit regularly, as there will be regular new additions across the site - and do come and say hello to me in my sales ‘studio’ at Middleton Mart (details on the ‘Introduction and prices’ page). Thank you!