About Chris
Born in 1965 and raised in West Yorkshire, I have my family to thank for my appreciation of the beauty, and also the complexities of the natural environment. Camping and fell walking holidays were a regular part of childhood. During my later School years I attended a British Schools Exploring Society expedition to South East Greenland. It was around this time that I became more interested in photography; from this point on I have always had an slr camera. Post school I spent a number of years involved in the outdoors as an instructor in various centres. Fifteen years in the fire service followed, before ill health, in the form of chronic pain forced early retirement.
Identities are changeable: sometimes the changes are desirable, sometimes inevitable, with passing years. The rapid demise of my perceived ability to do virtually ‘’anything’’ rapidly and drastically changed. Long walks and big hills are definitely a thing of the past!! A number of difficult and fallow years followed.
Eventually I attended a chronic pain clinic in Bath. Three weeks of boom-bust and soul searching led me to the understanding, that by identifying my most prevalent and deepest motivations, I would be able to function in a more complete manner than was previously the case.
Prior to attending the pain management course I had been fortunate enough to have produced and sold a number of prints captured using the family digital compact, (see the patterns gallery). This new (at least to me!!) world of digital capture turned the whole world of photography around for me. Instead of sending the films away to a processing facility, where all the pictures were treated in the same manner, I could quickly edit out the rubbish, and process the good shots, in a manner specific and sympathetic to a particular photograph. In short had control.
A desire to take this to a much higher level, combined with my continuing and deepening respect for the natural world became a spoken, solid and achievable goal. My deepest thanks go to Kevin Vowles and all the staff at the Bath pain clinic.
Married to Amanda, who has been amazingly supportive throughout this difficult time, and with a three-year-old daughter Megan, who generally manages to keep me out of trouble!! The household is completed with my constant companion Murphy a black and white, Collie.
Identities are changeable: sometimes the changes are desirable, sometimes inevitable, with passing years. The rapid demise of my perceived ability to do virtually ‘’anything’’ rapidly and drastically changed. Long walks and big hills are definitely a thing of the past!! A number of difficult and fallow years followed.
Eventually I attended a chronic pain clinic in Bath. Three weeks of boom-bust and soul searching led me to the understanding, that by identifying my most prevalent and deepest motivations, I would be able to function in a more complete manner than was previously the case.
Prior to attending the pain management course I had been fortunate enough to have produced and sold a number of prints captured using the family digital compact, (see the patterns gallery). This new (at least to me!!) world of digital capture turned the whole world of photography around for me. Instead of sending the films away to a processing facility, where all the pictures were treated in the same manner, I could quickly edit out the rubbish, and process the good shots, in a manner specific and sympathetic to a particular photograph. In short had control.
A desire to take this to a much higher level, combined with my continuing and deepening respect for the natural world became a spoken, solid and achievable goal. My deepest thanks go to Kevin Vowles and all the staff at the Bath pain clinic.
Married to Amanda, who has been amazingly supportive throughout this difficult time, and with a three-year-old daughter Megan, who generally manages to keep me out of trouble!! The household is completed with my constant companion Murphy a black and white, Collie.