Design – with a side of exploring.

My early years in the UK were influenced by my grandfather who was an amateur artist and my Dad who was an engineer. Those influences have fed into a mix of interests some of which I’ve pursued later in life.

After Design school and early jobs in the creative sector in the UK, 1990 saw me leaving England on a bicycle one day in answer to the siren call of curiosity. That ride saw me traversing much of Europe with just a tent and a set of panniers. Eventually I ended up in Aotearoa/New Zealand where I went on to enjoy a career in Design and Advertising based in Auckland.

After a brief stint in Guatemala and then a sojourn in Queenstown, in 2019 we bought a little old church on the Hauraki Plains south of Auckland which we are slowly restoring. You can follow that story here.

Today I can rebuild the engine on my 1970 VW Kombi, replace the weather-boards on my 100 year old church home, pull a reasonable espresso, repair lead-light windows, hang an exhibition, converse in rough Spanish, I can still draw OK and I’m re-learning the art of making beautiful dark room prints!

I’m married and have 2 adult sons who live adventurous lives in the wonderful outdoors industry around Aotearoa and the world. I’ll admit to being envious of some of the stuff they get up to and the places they go!

Where does the photography fit in?

I’ve always loved photographs and the process of making images. But a long time ago, in a galaxy far away, my first Creative Director boss sent me off to a professional photography studio in Birmingham to oversee a shoot he had commissioned. I looked on in awe as these photographers brought the set to life with what looked to me like magic. Moving a light, adjusting this diffuser, and testing with Polaroids until the shot was perfect. This alchemy was intoxicating!

During my career I’ve had the good fortune to work with some of the UK’s and NZ’s most successful professional photographers – all of them have taught me a lot.

My process

I like it best when we can sit down together – either with yourself as business owner or with your creative agency – and work out what you need and how to make it.

If you already have a brief, great, send it over. But if you need help shaping one together, I can also help with that.

I’ll often respond with a ‘treatment’ which makes sure what’s in my head is what’s in yours and then when it comes to the shoot, we are all working to make the same thing – no surprises! Except the good kind!

I work mostly in the Waikato and Otago regions of New Zealand but I’ll go wherever your brief takes me.

Still exploring.