The Bit About Me
"I am a travel and street photographer. I travel and take photographs in the street."
Thanks to affordable air travel and Airbnb I have visited Europe regularly and extensively over the last decade. I have met many wonderful people and taken thousands of photographs in hundreds of cities, towns and villages. In each one I hoped to capture an essence of the place, its people and its culture as I saw it. Sadly the events of the last couple of years have not made this as easy and it remains to be seen if that level of convenient travel will be available again. I hope so.
I didn't realise it at the time but I was photographing Europe pre-Covid and pre-Brexit.
How I Got Here
On a trip to New York in 2011, I borrowed a camera to take some souvenir snaps. I never had much of an interest in photography prior to this but on my first day there I woke really early and after just a couple hours sleep I left my friend's Brooklyn apartment to explore. It started to snow, gently at first and then quite heavily until I found myself lost (not for the last time), unsuitably dressed (a recurring theme), in need of coffee (ditto) and there was nobody else around; it was beautiful and exhilarating. I trudged through the snow and near blizzard for a good couple of hours until I got to the Brooklyn Bridge. It was a Monday morning and the place should have been teeming with commuters on their way to work but it was deserted; it was all very surreal (I later discovered it was a national holiday). I took some photos of the Brooklyn Bridge and that moment sparked a passion for photography that has only increased over the years.
A Bit More
I had never really travelled much before my trip to New York, I thought that sort of thing was beyond the reach of a humble postman with a new hobby, two young kids and an understanding wife. However, I discovered that it was possible to travel on a budget, it just required a bit of research, planning, flexibility and compromise. I had an ever-evolving list of places I wanted to take photographs of - somehow I made it happen and in the process created a whole load of experiences that I never would have had but for that snowy morning in Brooklyn. I got the bug and for the next ten years I went away on photography trips to Europe every couple of months. I am fortunate to live fairly close to Gatwick Airport and the rise in popularity of Airbnb gave me very affordable options: my aim was flights and three nights for £150, I didn't always achieve that but it was the aim. I enjoy the planning nearly as much as the trips. If you like the photos please check out the corresponding blog which goes into a little more detail of what I did and how I did it.
Nearly all of the photographs on this website were taken on the same handheld, point and shoot camera that I bought in 2011 for £300, a Canon S95, you can buy one second hand for about £80 now. I don't use any big lenses or expensive equipment, my camera and a small tripod fits in my jacket pocket and I mostly process my photos with a free download called Photoscape, I say this purely to illustrate that photography needn't be an expensive hobby. I have had no formal training but I have read plenty and learnt a little since then and I continue to do so. If I see something that I think will make a pleasing image, I press the shutter and hope my timing was good and if other people like it too, that is a real bonus.
Since I started this hobby, I have won awards for my wildlife photography, I have self published books on the Berlin Wall, the Stockholm Subway, the street art of Brighton, The Beatle's Liverpool and the Doors of Tallinn among others, I am frequently exhibited in my hometown of Brighton, I run regular street photography workshops and I am currently working on a series of travel and photography guides for publication.
I am also a musician, composer and producer.
And author of The World of Marlie Marsh series of children's books.
If you have any comments, queries, questions or theories or simply want to say hello, please do, I'd love to hear from you.