I seem to have been using cameras for ever - from 110s, 35mm cameras and even my mum's Kodak No. 2 Pocket Bellows camera (she inherited it, she wasn't that old).
Around the age of 7 or 8 years old I remember taking photographs of the old Space 1999 Eagle craft next to a Lego house!
The aperture lever on my mums bellows camera always fascinated me and watching the reverse image on the back of the plate was almost hypnotic. How we have moved on, well apart from the Bronica!

Part of my Art foundation course was the study of photography at Nuneaton Art College in 1982 and very quickly I developed a passion for it. The particular part of photography that really interests me is in the composition of an image, and the fact that you have to look at what's around you to find the right composition, just the smallest distraction in the frame can cause the eye to fall to the wrong place and detract from the overall image.
I try to teach a huge amount about composition as this is 95% of good image, without good composition the image has no soul, it can be technically perfect but nothing to hold you or interest you!

I started running my own darkroom in 1989, while I was working as a freelance computer programmer, occasionally selling images and undertaking one-off assignments. I also worked as an assistant for a photographic studio in West Wales for a few years, which included running courses.
Being involved with computers also allowed me to develop my second passion, digital photographic editing, although I prefer to get as much out of the camera as possible - using filters for instance (The more you can do in camera is always going to be better). My interest in the digital editing side slowly moved towards the restoration of images and prints from non standard negatives. 

I set up Builth Wells Photography in 2003, providing a range of services including courses, portraiture, commercial and event photography. I have developed my own technique and style over the years, although this style seems to have been copied by a few local photographers. My free time is often spent scuba diving (mostly off the west Wales coast), hill walking and bouldering - all of which have given me an intimate relationship with the landscapes around me, which is reflected in my photographs.

I enjoy teaching on a one-to-one basis whilst sharing my technical and artistic know-how. I still get a kick out of the moment when my students start to understand what light and composition are all about. My images are sold through shops, restaurants and craft centres, as well as via the internet and at shows and fairs. 

To order prints online, see the online shop section here. 

My long standing commitments have included the role of Official RWAS Spring Fair Festival Photographer since 2003 and Main Ring RWAS Show Photographer. 

The equipment - for those who want to know!

I have a Bronica ETRsi 645 Medium format camera with a 75mm PE lens. I'm currently waiting for Digibacks for the Bronica to drop in price and then I'll be back on the Medium Format. I currently use two Nikon cameras - a D700 and a D300 for back-up and students' use. The lenses that I use include 10-20mm Sigma (for the D300), 17-35mm Nikon f2.8 (D700), 105mm Nikon Micro f2.8 (D700), Sigma 120-300mm OSM Sport f2.8 (D700 and D300), 50mm f1.8 (D700), 28mm manual f2.8 Nikkor 20 year old lens for star and Aurora Borealis Photography.