Li’l Ol’ Me!
I love the great outdoors and i find any excuse to get mucky. I’m a bit like a baby bear grylls!
For weddings… Nothing is too much trouble.
I’ll be your right-hand man…. …your dance partner. …your baby-sitter…. …your shoulder to cry on…. …your clown and your calming influence rolled into one petite, perky package!
I’ll make granny grin, banter with the boozy and chuckle with the children. I love what I do and I’m told my enthusiasm always shines through.
For families… I leave what shred of dignity I have at home and do whatever it takes to entertain your children…. sitting in puddles…. …rolling in mud… …silly faces… …slapstick…. …chasing sticks like a dog (see video below)…. …rolling down hills etc.etc.
That said, there is a serious side to family photography. I love it just as much as weddings and take enormous pleasure creating photographs that show your love, connection and true personalities. So I strive for a balance in my photographs between beaming smiles and emotional cuddles.
There’s method in the madness (I promise!)…
Life before photography
Back in April 2002 I met my Malaysian wife at a wedding while travelling around South East Asia with a friend. She was the wedding planner!
11 months later we got married in Kuala Lumpur and I got to wear a crown, wield a sword (which I broke) and sit on a throne like David Beckham. They don't do subtle weddings in Malaysia!
No camera and faded memories
Back then I didn’t realise the importance of photography so we never hired a wedding photographer.
I wish I could give someone a pile of money to go back in time and capture exotic wonder of our Malaysian wedding.
Similarly, when my dad passed away the following year I realised we only had a few tiny, faded photographs of him.
Dad was a real character - a blunt Yorkshire-man (although I'm from Cambridge) with wild hair and a wild wit. Why had we not bothered to photograph our family and the special days we'd shared?
That's when the penny dropped. As a portrait and wedding photographer I can help bring families together with images that remind them how important they are to each other. Photographs remind you that your life is actually pretty great and that you're really loved.
how on earth did i get to marry my beautiful asliza? that was 2003, so i must have something going for me. she doesn’t look too happy though does she?
The Pay it Forward tribe helping the peterborough community
Me being ‘forced’ to hit the dancefloor at a client’s wedding and getting photographed with my own camera!
Behind the scenes on a family photography shoot. Here I am pretending to be a dog and picking up sticks with my mouth to help me get natural smiles and create family photography in Peterborough that captures the true personality of children.
Stuff I love
You?
Maybe! If you're cheerful and relaxed and don't take yourself too seriously then I'll probably want to hug you!
The Pay it Forward Tribe
It's a group in Peterborough that I joined who do random acts of kindness within the community - everything from feeding the homeless to litter picking and even giving out free hugs and cake in the street.
The ManKIND project
This is my mission to do a random act of kindness for someone from (or with heritage from) every country on earth. Read the stories in the Gallery section.
Favourite movie
Officially it's The Shawshank Redemption. Don't tell anyone, but it's really 'My Dog Skip'. Marley and Me just makes me cry too much!
Travel
Since my wife and I don't have children we get to travel a fair bit. I have a very long bucket list to get through! My favourite place? I loved Komodo Island; it's like the land that time forgot with 3m Komodo Dragons roaming freely through the villages and sometimes into people’s homes. And you thought spiders were scary!
Animals
If it's furry, scaly or feathery then I want to take care of it. Except spiders. If one walks up the aisle at a wedding then I'm outta there!
Alaskan Bush People
It's a documentary about a family of 9 living wild in the Alaskan wilderness. The family is so closely knit and achieve amazing things by working together.
Uplifting Trance music
Yep - back in the day I used to love waving my arms in the air to obscure bands like Underworld, Leftfield and Eat Static. Here's me being photographed with my own camera by one of the wedding guests. They forced me to do it! Woop woop!