A sun enthroned in heaven

"An image of the sun enthroned in heaven, radiating one thousand beams of light:
Were one to shower bright rays of light upon all beings, how exellent." - The Seventh Dalai Lama

Light plays a very important role in my work, its something I find tremendous beauty, divinity and inspiration in. I look at people like Turner and I find inspiration in the way artist like these captured the subtle interplay it creates in our world.

Spiritually I find it very uplifting as well, I see God in the way that the sun comes out from behind the clouds and the way that street light comes through trees.

Its something I'm always trying to capture and never quite reaching, this sun enthroned in heaven.

Branscombe and the beauty of Devon

If you were to ask a holiday maker about what they would imagine to be the idlic English village and coastline. The village of Branscombe in Devon really would be it.

Beautiful, charming and quaint with an absolutely stunning coastal paths and seaside towns nearby it really is the perfect place to relax and get away from the stress of the working world.

After receiving an invitation to go camping I leapt on the chance to escape for some much needed relaxation. And after setting up on a near by camping site I was soon enjoying the fresh air and rolling hills of Devon.

I spent the first day just relaxing, drinking and chatting with friends, it was the next day when we decided to explore along the dramatic and steep coastal path that I got to experience a bit more of the sun, sea and stunning beaches that makes Devon such a special place.

Miles and miles of dramatic coast line, dappled forests and beautiful towns just begging to be explored where just some of the things I experienced on the walk we took that day. And waiting at the end was the wonderful town of Beer, with its charming shops just begging to be explored and its long awaited beer garden where we restored our energy with drinks and delicious food (all rounded out by a live band).

The next day the rain was coming down thick and fast but as it was my last night we decided to treat ourselves by wandering down mist covered lanes to a wonderfully old fashion tea house where we had cake, tea and scones. It was a wonderful send off especially as I had really enjoyed the lovely misty countryside on the way down.

As I was given a lift to the station I lay back in my seat and let the train stream through the countryside and carry me back from the beauty of Devon to my home.

The Tenovus Cancer Care Goodnight Walk 2016

The annual Tenovus Cancer Care Goodnight Walk is an event that is as inspiring as it is fun. Its a chance for all those who have been affected by cancer to come together and literally light up the night. As people of all ages came together and walk to raise money to fight cancer and to support each other.

The 2016 event was no exception as it was a night of fun, dancing, community and frivolity with at its a heart a serious message of hope for the people whose lives had been touched by this disease.

At the event as people geared up for the walk there were hula hooping, dancing, music, beauty stalls, a selfie mirror, our very own live choir singing and and more joyful entertaining then you could shake a stick at. As I wandered the event people dressed in outlandish outfits, amazing colours and bright lights wandered past.

Then with a whoosh they were off, setting off to make a loop of the five and ten miles walks. People of all ability and physically fitness setting off to make a difference for themselves and others.

On route they were given the opportunity to light candles in brightly coloured jars in memories of those they were walking to support.

As a volunteer I was given a lift to one of the station where we set up a bright, light and welcoming beacon for our walkers complete with water and a bathroom break to refresh and reinvigorate them.

As the night drew to a close and the last of the participants past I was left with a feeling of warmth that only came with the knowledge that we were really helping people. That in no small way we had all helped to light up the night in the face of cancer.

If you still want to make a difference there is still time as there is another Goodnight Walk being held in Swansea on the 16th of July, interested? Then follow the link below:

http://www.tenovuscancercare.org.uk/get-involved/sign-up-to-an-event/goodnight-walk-2016/

An urban apocolypse

Sometimes I swear my photography has a will of its own. I picked up my camera with the explicit intention of going out to take a bunch of colourful urban photos. Halfway through editing my pictures decided otherwise.

Colour became monochrome, darkness crept into my work and the sky went from vivid blues to dark and ominous greys. The world and the language of my photos had suddenly changed and instead of riotous colour. I was now looking at a world nearing its end.

It was changed in short order to a very urban apocolypse.

Life amongst the dead

Life and death are innately connected to each other, as one thing breaks down new things thrive in their stead. No where is this clearer then in a graveyard, filled as it is with plants and trees bursting into life. Multitudes of birds and a diverse array of animal life.

Its comforting to know that even as our lives pass we can be buried to provide life and nutrients to such beautiful and diverse life and that our loved ones will place us to rest amoungst such peaceful beauty.


I set out with my camera to explore this recently, to capture the beauty that remain when our lives have past. To prove that in the places where our remains are placed we will still find life amongst the dead.

The emerald heart of the forest

Its no secret for me to say that I love nature, I never feel more alive then when I'm out surrounded by trees, streams, rocks and rivers. I love the way that light falls through leaves, the way that barns and buildings become reclaimed. Ivy and brambles slinking into the cracks and binding everything in green.

The sound of birds above me and the song of the brook running over stones. Rustling leaves and the sound of rabbits brushing the undergrowth. Th dappling of sunlight passing through clouds. The wind, the rain, the sun and the forest, nature has its own living beating emerald heart.

And step by step man is killing it, encroaching further and further upon it and pushing it further and further back to its boundries to a pint of no return and it breaks my heart. Nature is precious and beautiful and like anything precious and beautiful it should be preserved. We should spend more money on it, build gardens around it, use less harsh chemicals on it and protect more of it.

This is the only way we can protect that most precious jewel, the emerald heart of the forest.

Broken glass and falling stars

 After a warm month of May I decided to go out and about taking pictures of what I could find outdoors. But despite the beauty of the natural world around me what I ended up being drawn to were the puddles upon the ground around me.

They reflected the sun and clouds beautifully and tinged with oil and blown by the wind the reflections they produced unraveled and became abstract shapes and patterns upon the ground.

Broken glass and fallen stars exploded in their depths or morphed to become some strange moon filled sky. I was enraptured by the abstract beauties they produced.

And so even though I set out to capture the beauty of May I caught in puddles broken glass and falling stars.