About me:-

I was born in Skipton in the (then) North Riding of Yorkshire in the mid 60's. I was brought up in Burnley and then went to the University of Leeds in the early 80's, where I have been based ever since.

At school I was lucky enough to be a member of the school hiking club + spent most Sundays walking in the Yorkshire Dales, Peak District and sometimes beyond.  When I got to University I was heavily (perhaps too heavily) involved with the Hiking Society. It was at this time I inherited my dad's old Praktica totally manual camera. My friends could tell when I was going to take a photo as the hand held light meter would appear, followed by a quick adjustment of the camera settings and then a flurry of activity as I tried to change the screw mount lens and manually focus the image. This was a very good way to learn how to use a camera, even if it meant I missed a few photos and occasionally missed focus. In my portfolio there are still a few images from back then.

After college I got a real job as a microbiologist at Leeds University. I am still there but the role has changed somewhat ! Over the years I have gone through many makes and models of camera including Canon, Contax, Ricoh, Nikon + Pentax. I currently mainly use a Canon 7d, ably supported by the "go everywhere" Canon S90. Over the years I come to realise that the camera you use is almost peripheral to the process of taking photographs. The difficult thing is seeing the image in the first place and then working with the camera to record that image. Having the best equipment may allow you to make a bigger print, but is not essential to capture the image. If you are doing a major winter hike whilst carrying an ice axe, winter gear, suitable safety equipment, enough food to feed a platoon for 3 days and a nice lightweight tripod you may not want to carry the extra 3-4kg that the "best" equipment would weigh.

I sometimes feel a bit sorry for my long-suffering companion Linda…. Often there is a "Jones shaped hole" where I used to be when I have seen something interesting and darted off, or when we have had to climb over 10 foot high gates after sunset, or being bored with me waiting for the light, or having to put up with my camera bag weighing more than her entire luggage, or endlessly running up hills to find the "perfect" viewpoint for the sunset over the bay + many, many other "amusing" photographic anectdotes !

All the pictures on the site are available for sale, at sizes from 10 x 15cm to 90 x 60 cm. I can bond the pictures to foam board or can mount and frame (in hand made frames) the pictures as required. If you are interested in any of the images please email me. Unfortunately as there are no suitable local craft fairs I am not currently running a stall – though I am looking into possibilities for the future...

I love being out when the weather is at it's wildest ! I have been at my happiest up to my chest in powder snow, in a total white-out in the middle of a blizzard at -10C (top photo) or when I am finding a fairly flat rock to sleep on @ midnight on a mountain top (photo on the right). I know it's hard to understand, but some people find this strange ! I like the thrill of travelling and discovering new places, but still enjoy revisiting some old favourites. You don't always have to go far to find new places that take your breath away! You should always have a camera with you though ☺