When I was a boy..

I feel a bit like Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire today. You know that bit at the start when he writes that essay from the heart, well here's mine.

As I walked through the rain to my latest exhibition in Canary Wharf I beheld the wonderment to a body of work that was first realised about ten years ago but only shot this time last year. From my humble beginnings at the Colour Care Lab located in Boots the chemist and then working with Jean, possibly the worst high street photographer of her generation. To messing about at college and landing a job with Robin Bell the best black and white printer in London where I met all the big names in photography at the time. I had come a long way from the days of smelly dark rooms and crappy jobs.
In April 2003 I had my first solo show in London. It was all I had ever wanted for many years, heck, I even sold two 30/40" prints before the show opened which was a big deal for me at the time. The shows continued and I spent my time either travelling and producing new work, or in the darkroom printing. I moved out to Los Angeles in 2004 confident that the galleries here and in the USA could sell enough to keep me going. In 2005 I had my first book published (no, it was not a Blurb book). The book was launched at Paris Photo where upon I sold more work in three days then I sold in an entire year.
In my first year living in the states I clocked up 60.000 miles just driving around and taking pictures which form most part of my archive to date. I was living the life most landscape photographers dream about. No ties, working at my own pace, shooting whatever took my fancy. Just me and my dog Piglet.
One beautiful autum morning in LA 2006 I got up early and went for a run through the Hollywood Hills. After about 45 minutes I reached the top of a trail above the Hollywood sign. At that moment I felt a sharp pain in my back and was barely able to walk back to my apartment. Three months later I was back in London recovering from spinal surgery. It was the darkest period of my life and I was unable to work for twelve months. I thought everything would be as it was before. The work, the galleries, the print sales. But I was wrong. The Galleries had closed and the market (certainly in the UK) had seemed to vanish over night. But this did not stop me, in fact it made me all the more eager to produce a new body of work, only this time a little closer to home. The North Shore project took about twelve months from start to finish. After making the final edit I was completely satisfied with the results. I got the best prints, best frames, best location, several sponsors and Getty's name behind me. I thought to myself if this doesn't work nothing will.
I wish I could now say that this show has made all the difference. But my friends I would be wrong. To be honest I don't think London has ever been good for selling photography, not even back in the early days when prints where selling before the show started. These days people would rather by a big television to watch X Factor than buy a piece of art, (and I include every artist/photographer here) a big flaming TV that will be worth nothing in a couple of years and pack up when the warranty runs out..
I have tried to kid myself that things will improve within the business of photography, but even as an optimist I cannot see it getting any better regardless of a recession or not. Its sad to think the country that invented the medium is just one big washout and thinks that a cel phone with a camera attached is a good idea.
I am tired of pretending its all good, and I am tired of flogging that dead horse. In fact who reads this blog anyway.


When I did my works experience for the local newspaper at the tender age of 14 a photojournalist said to me;

"You cant make a living taking pictures trees and sunsets.."

22 years later I get the point.