Marple Gallery 1

Marple Gallery 2

Marple Gallery 3

Peaks Gallery 4

Peaks Gallery 5

Marple Gallery 6

Marple Gallery 7

Anglesey Gallery

Cyprus Gallery 2

Cyprus Gallery 3

Photography and I became soul mates in 1979 when I first moved to Marple. This was pure coincidence but what a superb location it was in which to take up landscape photography. I picked up my first camera at the relatively late age of 42 and now, twenty-something years later, I'm in the Autumn of my life - and guess what? - it's my favourite season!!

Autumn features quite heavily in my portfolio due, of course, to the brilliant light and colours available at that time of year and in the countryside of Marple where I'd confined myself, photographically, for a goodly part of my love affair with the camera. Later, with rambling partner and fellow scenic "snapper", Ron Booth, I took to "walking on the wild side" up i'th'ills in the Peak District. We walked both Dark and White Peak areas and, hopefully, I captured the wild beauty of these contrasting regions. As you'll see, mountain streams and waterfalls feature heavily in the Galleries - at no little expense I might add - having found out that when it comes to a mixture of slippery stones, water and cameras I'm a failed juggler! I also found out that pure mountain water does no damage to colour negative film but it isn't very kind to expensive lenses!

If the great photographer in the sky looks down kindly on me I hope, in twenty years time, to be still hunting for that ever-elusive "perfect landscape picture". Enjoy the photographs in these Galleries and if you get a tenth of the pleasure looking at them as I got from taking them then you'll make this "photographic Peter Pan" a happy man.

UPDATE FEBRUARY 2001:
It's eight months since I upped and left Marple to live on Anglesey's fair isle. Some culture shock!. We are situated on the north-eastern side of the island, between Benllech and Amlwch, in 'an area of outstanding beauty' but it is so different from Marple and the Peak District that I'm having to adjust the way I think about landscape photography. It has been put on the back burner whilst we sorted the house out, combined with the wettest Autumn in Welsh (and I guess English) living memory. I've managed to shoot some snow-scapes, although I was told by the natives that 'it never snows on Anglesey, you know', and some snatched shots at a Shire horse farm.

Life is never dull here and I've managed to become a voluntary warden on Parys mountain open cast mine, have taken up bird watching and been invited to join both the Lions charitable organisation and Probus and more importantly have been accepted as a 'regular' at my nearest local 'The Pilot Boat', which is a Robbie's pub! I'm none too keen on the two-tier pricing system, though. The bitter is £1.80 until 9-30pm at which time it drops to £1.50, all to do with the tourist industry I was told; well, there aren't many tourists about in February, I can tell you!

The small scattered hamlet we live in is called Brynrefail which loosely translated means 'the smithy at the top of the hill by the post office which doubles as a general store except on Wednesdays when the owner goes mackerel fishing'. As I said, there is never a dull moment here and the following is a typical week of exciting events…………….

On Monday the postman didn't come; Tuesday the wind moved the wheelie bin four inches; the tide came in twice on Wednesday; on Thursday a sausage burst in the frying pan; and on Friday I came over all unnecessary when somebody knocked on the door and asked the way to Bangor.

Need I say anymore?.......

UPDATE JULY 2003:
Well here we are, more than two years on since my first report from Anglesey. My goodness, but doesn't the old 'tempus fugit'!

When we first arrived on the island I came across a small town called Llanerchymedd and, as I was as puzzled as you are now about how to pronounce it, I decided to take up learning Welsh. Boy oh boy, has that given me some headaches two nights a weeks for the last two years! You may, or may not, know that the Welsh export most of their vowels and rely on y's, w's, and double l's, to confuse the English, and employ a grammatical torture called mutations which can turn Bangor into Mangor or Fangor!! - Don't ask!

I'm still a warden on Parys Mountain and am now a 'friend' of the Amlwch Industrial Heritage Trust, which was set up to restore Amlwch Port, the mineyard and some of the workings of the copper mine. I go birdwatching off Point Lynas, although there's plenty to see from our garden and surrounding fields. We have a regular twice a day visit from Percy, our friendly cock pheasant, who gets most annoyed if his supply of bird seed isn't ready for him. The landlord of my local, the Pilot Boat, still welcomes me with open wallet and makes sure, through his pricing system, that I don't drink as much as I used to do!

So, on the photographic scene what have I been up to? Well, I've moved into the digital imaging field on my computer using Adobe Photoshop, but still use my old film cameras for 'doing the business'. I have, of course, thought about getting a digital camera but haven't got two thousand pounds to spare for the one that I want!

My poor old black and white darkroom has become redundant and now serves as a store-room. Now that saddens me - after some 25 years of lurking in the dark watching images come to life in the developing dish.

I'm still at odds with the land and seascapes round here - because it all looks so photographic - does that make sense, I wonder? I'm working at it though, and have started to build up a small portfolio, some of which the Webmaster has kindly 'hung' in the new galleries.

Snowdonia has beckoned for some time and this year, with guidance and leadership from my good friend Roger Lunt, I've been hawking my camera equipment up some rather steep 'bonks'! Now that is a wild and beautiful area and if my legs hold out I'll be making many photographic excursions there.

So that's another report to you finished; if you are ever over this way please call and visit us, or have a chat with me by email, I'd love to hear from you.

UPDATE FEBRUARY 2006:
Since my last update there have been lots of changes. I made it up to the Snowdon Summit via the Miners' Track, a long hard slog but oh the views from the top - amazing! Even better than that I walked with my friend, Roger, right round the Island on the Coastal Paths - incredible. Stunning cliff and sea views - and tired old legs! Even better than that last June Margaret and I decided to swap islands and ended up in Cyprus !!

We sold up lock, stock and barrel and headed for the sun and there's plenty of that here. And even better than that, photographically, I'm now totally digital, which means full control of my image production. It's completely rejuvenated my photography and I'm now twice as passionate about my passion (the word hobby is too inadequate). We live on the West of Cyprus {as most Brits do} about half a mile away from the sea. 

My photography centres mostly round the coastline - The Sea Caves area and the Akamas Wilderness with its brilliant weather-carved gorges. A story for you here. I drove into the Akamas one day to capture some stormy sea shots; I parked the car up and rushed off to the cliffs, spent an hour there and went back not to find my car!! I'd completely forgotten to note a landmark to guide me back to it. Now, losing it in a multi-storey car park is bad enough but in a wilderness? I wandered about for an hour and a half talking to myself and couldn't believe the names I was called! There's a decided lack of buildings and street lighting, not to mention people in that neck of the woods so I was getting panicky as the sun was about to head for it's bed. I finally stumbled across my car which ,of course, must have been moved by some idiot as I couldn't possibly have been stupid enough to lose my way------- could I?

It's Spring here now and there's a profusion of wild flowers which I couldn't have thought possible in the searing heat of July and August when everything's a beautiful shade of brown - except my legs of course. There's an abundance of photographic opportunities here and I haven't even scratched the surface yet. As usual, I'd be delighted to hear from anyone who wants to talk about photography or who just wants to talk!

The Webmaster is very kindly updating my email address and adding just a few images from Cyprus. Ya mas! Cheers!

PS ET didn't go home. He's alive, well and living in Cyprus. If you don't believe me have a look at my additions to the Gallery.

UPDATE JULY 2008:
Two years on since my last update from Cyprus and we are still living in the Paphos area but in another house which just happens to be a 16 - roomed colonial-type bungalow set in 3 acres complete with a tree house ( rented, of course, the bungalow, that is, not the tree house ! ) The cost of living here is still cheaper and it’s still fairly crime free.

Photographically things have changed somewhat, in that I moved into Pet Photography last year, having decided that I needed a change from land and seascape projects. For 'pet' read dog as the Brit community here take in the many hundreds of rescue dogs that are thrown out by the Cypriots. I have photographed something like 50 or so pooches from a Great Dane to the tiny bone–chewing dog called Kevin featured in the third Cyprus gallery, with the kind permission of our illustrious and highly talented Webmaster. ( It is brilliant to log on and keep up to date with all things Marple.) I have also treated myself to a new Nikon Camera having, of course, first grovelled before ‘her good self’. To those who like to know the technical bit, it’s a Nikon D300 with a VR 18-200mm lens. My most expensive camera – ever! Its features are too numerous to go into detail but what I can tell you is that the manual has 420 pages!!

I hope you enjoy the new additions and my previous invitation still stands. If you feel like a chat about photography I’m your man and, of course, I’d love to hear from any of my old friends. Cheers till the next time.

Marple Gallery 1

Marple Gallery 2

Marple Gallery 3

Peaks Gallery 4

Peaks Gallery 5

Marple Gallery 6

Marple Gallery 7

Anglesey Gallery

Cyprus Gallery 2

Cyprus Gallery 3