Gloomy Sky 0006 Photograph

I am a photographer/visual artist based in London. My interest in photography stems from a desire to capture my surroundings and the emotions they stimulate within me. The creation of my art is a multi-sensory process heavily influenced by sound and music.   My journey to becoming a photographer had humble beginnings. Through simple explorations into basic techniques I discovered a beautiful and complex field. I was tempted to further my study at university, however, having already obtained a degree in a different creative discipline I was all too aware of the dangers that the structured style of syllabus education may have posed to my artistic freedom. It was important to me that my individuality was not stifled and for this reason I chose to continue independently, using the less formal approach of 'trial and error'. Although difficult at times, an absence of conventional rules allowed my natural instincts to take over and my ability and creativity flourished simultaneously.     My art is brought to life with the assistance of my camera and a range of lenses allowing me to capture the world from different perspectives. Once I strike a perfect frame while on the field, I then retreat to my digital darkroom and begin to blend the image and sound. Music plays a central role in this part of the process, not simply as an infallible source of inspiration but more often a directional force. The relationship between sound and still imaging may not be immediately apparent, at least it wasn't to me until I noticed that being under the influence of different music pieces often led me to different creative decisions. A certain piece would inspire certain colors, tones or saturation, which inevitably influence the final outcome of my perception of the moment. I now have a consciousness that the evolution of my art is brought about by an ambition to translate not only the emotions that the image invokes but also the timbre and texture of a piece into color tones and black & white. Gloomy Sky series: Mother Nature and its powerful presence inspired my project Gloomy Skies. The 'Great British Weather' is often a hot topic of conversation, usually for all the wrong reasons. Looking up to find a cloud filled sky can be rather depressing for most of us, not to mention dull and uninspiring. I didn't believe that this had to be the case and I set about searching for its beauty.