Personal, Photography

Hertfordshire Living feature

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I was delighted to be approached by local magazine, Hertfordshire Living, who asked to profile me alongside some photos of the county.

The editor subbed down my interview to fit a single page (to let the images do the talking, I hope!)… but here is my original interview I submitted over email. Hopefully it captures my love of photography and Hertfordshire:

What inspired you to get into photography?

I’ve been working in TV for nearly all of my adult life, so a move to behind the lens seemed like a natural transition. I’ve had numerous ‘point and shoot’ cameras, which were then overtaken by the quality offered by smartphones. Then Christmas 2013, I was given a Nikon DSLR, which took my photography to the next level. My D5200 has taught me all I need to know about photography and I’ve produced some stunning photos from my travels around the world. This camera also served as a decent video camera with its microphone inputs. I shot the Watford Liberal Democrats election video with it, and I’d like to think it helped them sweep the boards in this year’s local elections! Then in May of this year, I took the plunge and upgraded my camera to a mirrorless Z6. WOW! This has, again, taken things to the next level. I can now photograph and video in low light, pushing my ISO to unimaginable limits. 

What’s the best picture you’ve taken? 

Without doubt my favourite photo of all time has to be from my trip to Iceland. Seeing the Northern Lights had been on my bucket list for some time and I was hopeful, that in 2016 when I went out there for five nights, I would see them. I booked onto a Northern Lights tour, which was canceled for four nights due to bad weather. Then on my last night, just a few hours before I was due to fly home, the skies cleared. I set up my tripod and set my shutter release cable to capture long exposures at 5 second intervals. I knew roughly where the northern star was and point my camera towards it. Nearly two hours passed and my battery was spent, and memory card, full. The coach driver came out to look for me as I was holding the whole party up. No one was particularly amused! When I came home, I stacked all the photos in Photoshop, played around with a few adjustments and the result was just incredible. You can see the stars revolving around the earth, accompanied by the dancing rays of the Northern Lights. Everyone comments on this photo and it’s raised money in local fundraisers. I’ve had it printed and framed and it’s got pride of place in my living room. 

What’s your favourite subject?

I have a fondness for cityscape and landscape photography – and my home is adorned with framed favourites. If I come across a particularly gorgeous vantage, it’s amazing how much the framing can change in just a few steps or when the sun goes in. ‘Golden hour’ is my favourite time to photograph. The harshness of the afternoon light can make even the most basic of pictures beautiful. I am also a big fan of long exposure photography, especially traffic trails (attached). Patience is needed, as are good weather conditions… but the weather sealing in my new Z6 means now offers expanded opportunities. I always shoot alone because I don’t like to keep my company waiting, because believe me, I will wait until I get the most perfect shot. 

What do you love about capturing Hertfordshire?

We’re blessed in Hertfordshire with some stunning natural beauty. We’ve got woodland, rivers, canals, lush parks and bustelling town centres for captivating street photography. From the mist in the winter, the gorgeous sunsets in the summer to the carpets of bluebells in the spring, Hertfordshire is a place where photography can really make your passion thrive.