Artist Statement

All my photographs are in some way related to travel, to ‘decisive moments’ in a journey. I have always thought that Henri Cartier-Bresson comes closest to describing the nature of photography when he writes:
‘Photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as of a precise organization of forms which give that event its proper expression.’
I hold as closely as I can to that concept of the decisive moment and do not ‘photoshop’ the images except for occasional cropping or slight lighting adjustments to ensure that the original image is reflected in the printed form.

I use two Sony A7 series, full frame cameras, together with my Samsung S22 Ultra phone as my ‘pocket camera’.

So, my photography is about travelling, near and far, locally and across the globe. The journey and the destination – travelling certainly does change you, simply on the level of seeing people living daily lives wherever they are - just down the road or many miles away in a different culture with a different history and outlook and in vastly different economic conditions, day in, day out. It brings out the stark contrasts of us all huddled together sharing the same tiny planet whirling through dark, empty space – and yet riven by vast, deep, dark gulfs in living conditions between and within our nations, where almost unimaginable wealth sits side by side with utter poverty and despair.
Travelling reveals great beauty in strange and exotic landscapes and architecture – but the significant thing it has taught me is that despite everything that governments, cultures and religions do to divide us, the majority of people everywhere share more in their common, caring humanity than ever separates us.