IT'S ALIIIIIIVE!!

Well then! I never thought I'd see the day where I actually have my own website!? What has the world come to?!

I can't lie, it's been an awesome start to my return to photography. All of the above were taken between 12th April and now (2nd June).... that's a lot of editing!

For those who don't know, here's my background (in a bit more depth than my "About Me" page.

I first got into photography when my brother got his first camera (I think a Sony Alpha 100!) I used to borrow it all the time, taking photos of whatever I could - mostly the ornaments around the house, especially at Christmas! Although my best photos at the time were when I was snapping away in Auto.

The day that I got my first camera was monumental. It was a tiny little Sony point-and-shoot compact camera, but it was mine! I would take it everywhere with me; the beach, on holiday, to the local theme park, everywhere! I even used it to take my portfolio photos for my college application (I'll hesitantly add some photos below...)

Around that time, one of my friends let me borrow their DSLR to go to the local gig venue so that they could teach me the ropes of gig photography... and to get away from full auto shooting! I was instantly hooked by the challenge. I would go back week after week, desperately trying to improve my photos to something worth showing people. Managing the darkness of the room, the changing lights, the energy of the crowd, I found it entrancing!

The day that I got a DSLR of my own was incredible. It allowed me to fiddle with the settings non-stop, experimenting to learn composition, lighting, the exposure triangle and how to manipulate them for my own artistic gain. I just couldn't get enough.

But life circumstances hit like lorry when I was 16-17, and I had to focus on work and adult responsibilities. Photography was put on hold while I focused on life stuff. But even life stuff can develop into new opportunities...

One of my first jobs was a seasonal role working at the local family-friendly theme park as a ride host. And I loved it. It allowed me to release my energy in creative ways of interacting with people to enhance their experiences or address their concerns. Things like putting on an Australian accent and playing the role of a zookeeper, just to make the boring train ride with animal cut-outs that little bit more entertaining! This got noticed by management and promotion opportunities came my way in the form of a team leader, allowing me to train others to develop their own ways of enhancing guest's experiences.

From this, I was able to obtain a full-time role in Customer Services. My creativity and keen eye brought more opportunities in the form of Digital Marketing and Social Media. And guess what was part of that... photography! It had come round full circle, and I was being paid to do what I had dreamed of! Okay, it wasn't quite in the same way as I had wanted back then, but it was definitely a step in the right direction!

I became the Digital Marketing manager and photographer in 2016. I would arrange for families to get free days out in exchange for me being allowed to photograph them on the rides for park's website. I used my skills to capture all sorts of different moods, feelings and emotions for the rides, the restaurants, the aquarium, even the surrounding beach. If I ever wanted to go on a ride, I never need an excuse - "I just need to get a few shots!" From freezing time in an image, to slowing things down to create speed, my images were being used everywhere for them!

And then Covid hit. And long with it, some more life circumstance changes. I had to sell my photography equipment to make ends meet. And on top of that, a job change and a house move to another county entirely.

But as with anything, change bring opportunity. And that's where we are now. I've bought my equipment back, I'm shooting more bands than ever (the local music scene in Norwich is incredible!), I'm balancing my health and mental health and things are heading in a very good direction. I'm even using photography as not only a business interest, but as a way to relax. The nature and wildlife here is incredible, so it's difficult to not appreciate it through the eye of the lens! And I'm pretty sure that I've not even scratched the surface.

Furthermore, I now have a space to share my journey that is all my own and I can reach more people who may be interested in it. Or it can be a place to sneakily put discount codes for my products and services! If you've made it this far into my first blog post AND you're one of the first 5 people to contact me with this, email me quoting the code ItsAlive020626 and I'll offer you 50% off of your first shoot, no matter what it is. I'm feeling nostalgic and generous, so what better thing to do than to share that feeling with others.

Looking back at my photographic journey, it's incredible to see how far I've come from the kid with the compact camera. I've learned so much about photography, and learned so much about myself through that process. I've developed techniques and skills, like composition, focussing, blurring or freezing motion, anticipating the moment and so much more. And even so, I have so much to learn. I'm so excited for that journey; I hope that you will join along with me, too.