I’ve loved photography for a very long time. I received a Boots Instamatic camera on my 10th birthday and, very excitedly, l took some snaps at a Hull Vikings speedway meeting.
The results were terrible. Well, that’s a rubbish hobby I thought and never used the camera again.
Luckily, my interest in photography was rekindled at age 15 when I began to shoot bands that came to Hull such as New Order, Altered Images, Bauhaus and, er... Sex Gang Children! (apparently still touring and with the same name).
Photography led me to be on stage at the Royal Albert Hall with my hero, Ian McCulloch, of Echo & The Bunnymen. If that sounds like it was some kind of awards ceremony, it wasn’t; I’d chucked some photos I’d taken of Ian and his wife, Lorraine, at a previous gig onto the stage and Ian asked to keep a couple of them. My hero.
My skills improved but then I had my equipment nicked from my flat, in Newcastle where I was studying. Naturally, being a skint student I spent the insurance cheque on ‘Newcy’ Brown and vinyl.
(I’m fast-forwarding a bit as I’ve been told to keep a website profile short.)
Worked in advertising (I was a terrible account handler) and then as a sales rep for a printing company (I was a terrible sales rep).
So, I packed it all in to pursue my childhood dream of being a photographer. Well actually, I ended up in film and video production, but my love and knowledge of photography have developed over the years and composition and lighting underpin my work. Those attributes, coupled with directing nous, graft, editing skills and a bit of talent means I make rather good films for brands and organisations.
Phil, May 2019