Who and Why

“You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.”

- Ansel Adams

Who…

I’m Simon and I’m a portrait photographer in Devon, UK.

Photography is something I dabbled with in my teens and really got into in the early 2000’s. I learnt first with film cameras, homemade lights and a darkroom in the attic. I enjoyed being there for the transition to digital and I’m very excited about what the future holds for photography.

I began my business in 2008 and I’ve been lucky enough to work as a photographer ever since.

(Find out more about me further down the page, if you’re interested)

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Why…

“A portrait is not made in the camera but on either side of it.”

- Edward Steichen

The world’s oldest known portrait, found in caves in Southwestern France, is around 27,000 years old.

The first photographic portrait was made by Robert Cornelius in 1839.

Legendary photographers since then have given us memorable images of important people; portraits that define an era. Think of a well known figure from recent human history and almost always a photographic portrait comes to mind.

The interaction between photographer and sitter produces an image that represents someone at a moment in time. It shows a person aware, deliberate and allowing themselves to be seen as they want to be seen.

Anyone can take part in this. Everyone deserves to be celebrated- to represent a point in their journey, to represent being with the people they love or to represent a business they’ve built.

I heard that we take more photos today in two hours than in the first 150 years of the history of photography, but most of these images are stored on our fragile devices. The vast majority will sadly be lost over our lifetimes.

A portrait session is a relaxed, exciting and empowering experience that produces images that will not only be enjoyed now, but treasured later. They’re the keepers. They’re a way to define you in your own era. You won’t lose these photographs.

Portraits are a gift to yourself and a gift to the people you care about.

Being a portrait photographer is a wonderful mix of creativity, meaning and craft, and it’s a privilege to do it.

“Photography is a love affair with life.”

– Burk Uzzle

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Who part 2…

I’ve been very happily married for 20 years and have two wonderful teenagers and an elderly cat!

I’m interested in lots of things. Not always at the same time, but they loop around, one hyper-focus after the other. Here are some things that we might end up chatting about during a shoot…

(I’m not brilliant at small talk but love a deep dive!)