Rough Day on the Gold Coast Photograph

I am basically an “on the road” photographer, by which I mean I usually approach the photographic day without any defined idea of what I want to do and very rarely work in the controlled environment of a studio. I move. I take several short trips a month and at least once a year I load my vehicle and drive for four or five weeks, covering thousands of kilometres and taking thousands of frames. I try and make sense out of the wide world as it presents itself and capture the situation or moment which has triggered me to stop and work with my camera. After I find the photograph (or does the photograph find me?) I can spend many hours working the shot in the computer using various programs until I feel the picture has inherited a distinctive personality. I layer the picture with so many changes that it is often impossible for me to repeat the same process again. This contributes to the picture’s individuality. Unlike many photographers, I am not looking for a personal recognisable style. I am more interested in enjoying an ever-changing visual journey. Why should I lock myself into a box? The influences on my work are many. All photographers influence me and I am continually amazed at what photographers have found they can do with a camera. I’m a sucker for anything to do with the Impressionists or Post-Impressionists, always have been since I was a kid. But I also like many older artists (Goya especially), and plenty of 20th century artists: I like Hockney, I like Pollock, Rothko, Hopper, many others. An eclectic lot, to be sure. But, you like what you like and then you do what you do. I have been a professional photographer for over 40 years and my work has taken me to around 50 countries and been used in hundreds of publications. Lately I have been concentrating on taking pictures for myself (rather than for any market) and I hope some of the pictures benefit from a distillation of experience from all those years of travel and work.