About Me

Hi – I’m Colin, a hobbyist photographer living in County Durham in the beautiful North East of England

I’ve had a lifelong passion for photography but at various stages life has got in the way, so my interest has varied over the years. However the COVID Lockdowns caused me to regain interest in a big way. It was a way to keep myself occupied and to be mindful when I went on exercise walks. Although I’ve always loved candid and landscape photography its only in the last couple of years I have got an insatiable bug for portraits. I don’t mean the ‘family and dog in front of the fireplace’ stuff – I really enjoy themed shoots with an edge. Whether grunge/alternative/goth or kawaii/cosplay or even just a great idea or location I have a passion to attempt to make engaging and interesting images

Outside photography I have 2 adult children and 3 gorgeous grandchildren. I’m an avid reader – fantasy fiction, sci-fi, thrillers, crime, occult and horror. I enjoy cooking, music and movies, walking and travel – including camping and getting away in my caravan

I work full time for a national charity and am also self employed as a Master of Ceremonies and provider of Creative Lighting within the Wedding Industry

One of my Bucket List photography dreams is to do a photo tour of the ‘Dracula Trail’ through Romania, Transylvania, Moldavia and up into the Carpathian Mountains to photograph the incredible scenery and amazing gothic castles and buildings in that region

A question I’m often asked is why do I not become a professional photographer.

For me it is because I take photos for my own enjoyment and headspace. I might go and spend 4 hours on a beach taking photos and just enjoying the experience. If I don’t like the images once I get home I just delete them and have still had an enjoyable time.

You can’t do that as a professional. There is a pressure and expectation to turn out the photos the client wants every single time, and for me that removes the enjoyment and mindfulness I love to experience in my photography

Portraits are a little different. Although I’m still shooting for pleasure and have been involved creatively in the theme – obviously the model and any other collaborators want to see some great images. That ‘pressure’ allows me to step outside my comfort zone enough to provide a challenge. I always ensure than my shoots are relaxed, friendly and fun.

Although I’m not a professional, many of the images on this website are for sale as prints or wall art. They are mostly Limited Editions of either 50 or 100 prints so if you buy one you know that it will be a rarity, and might even become valuable one day (probably long after I leave the planet!). If you are interested in any of the images please get in touch and let me know the size and media/mount type you want and I will give you a price