A Personal Message

The first memory I have of noticing photography, was from when I was a child. In the house where we lived at the time, there was a long narrow hallway, and along that hall were beautiful black and white portraits of our family. Those portraits were taken by my father, and I always remember them, even to this day.

My father was big into photography when I was younger. In the attic of our childhood home, he had his own darkroom, with an enlarger and a red light and all the other accoutrements. There was always film strips hanging up in there and the smell of photography chemicals in the air. As a child we were kind of afraid to go in there, but it also had an allure of mystery and wonder to my five year old self.

My dad was never a professional or anything like that, but he was always tinkering. I remember vividly he also used to shoot 8mm and super 8 films and there were lots of films of us as kids, which are still around somewhere. I always remember him having a camera with him of one form or another when we were younger.

So obviously that’s where I got it from.

He gave me my first camera when I was a teenager (although I think it was actually my sister’s who didn’t use it any more). He let me borrow his when I got a little better, and this started me out on my photography journey.

But it wasn’t just the photography that got me to where I am today. It was also cinema.

We were a big family growing up, and while my dad was an electrician by trade, he worked nights in the local cinema. In fact, this is probably what he was best known for. He worked as a projectionist and manager, and we always got to see the films for free. When I was older, I got a summer job there and he thought me to be a projectionist too. It was during his time that I began my love of cinematography and film.

It was a love that would go on to seeing me work in the film and television industry, and for the last 20 years that has been my main job. It’s not something I used to think about much, but if it wasn’t for my father working in the cinema, I wouldn’t be where I am today, and would probably be doing something else.

My dad passed away two weeks ago.

In the midst of the pandemic and the restrictions and everything that’s going on, the last two weeks have been like a surreal bad dream. I didn’t want to really talk about this as I don’t like sharing personal stories too much, but as I wouldn’t be writing here, or working with photography, or everything else I had achieved if it wasn’t for my dad, I felt I had to mark it some little way.

I don't think he ever really got what I was doing with my blog and websites, but it's a fitting tribute that what he started as a hobby many years ago, has passed down and reached out and touched people all across the world.