2016 – A year in review

2016 was an amazing year for me. With wonderful freelance jobs, fabulous weddings and some fantastic experiences with the two Foundation Degrees on which I am course leader, 2016 added up to my best work year ever.  I am very privileged to be able to work in an industry that is my absolute passion, and even luckier to be able to have a career in photography in these two different ways – freelance and lecturing/teaching photography. You can see what I do on the degrees by clicking the links below:

Full time Foundation Degree in Photography (Coleg Gwent, Crosskeys)

Part time Foundation Degree in Digital Photography (Coleg Y Cymoedd, Nantgarw)

I must give a big thank you to Maria Retter and Ian Burgam/Alison Roberts for being brilliant and supportive in 2016, with special thanks to Maria for being incredibly encouraging of the freelance work. The above courses are run via University of South Wales, so a massive thank you for help, guidance and encouragement also goes to Andy Pearsall. With regard to my freelance photography, 2016 was my 11th year as a professional. 3,200 people visited this website with a total of 66,000 views of images and posts across the year, which is quite astonishing.

Top post of the year was ‘Walk through of the Roberts’ (see below), then was the wedding of Sian and Gareth. A job I did for McLaren at Nurburging came next, followed by another job for McLaren in London. Other well viewed posts were the wedding of Lindsay and Matt, Kate and Steve and the shoot I did in London for Porsche and Harrods.

Sian and Gareth – see their write up here. This was an amazing day and superb to part of. I love photographing peoples wedding days – I get to perform documentary photography of happy people having fun. It’s perfect.

McLaren at Nurburgring – see the write up and imagery here. This was quite simply wonderful and huge thanks to JB at the clear idea for everything this year.

The McLaren/Clear Idea shoot I did in London, Canary Wharf was fantastic too, with the imposing skyscrapers providing the perfect backdrop. See all the pictures here.

The wedding days of Lindsey and Matt, Steve and Kate, Kate and Cai, Sarah and Rhyd, Lucy and Luke and James and Anne also did particularly well on the site and were a pleasure to photograph.

All of the weddings I photographed this year were amazing. I’m still yet to post about Adrian and Chris, and Dan and Leighton, both of which were absolutely perfect days.

In terms of viewings on the site, the top personal project was The Glance.

I photograph a lot. I photograph all the time, and with many different formats of photography. I shoot digital, film (35mm, medium format Mamiya 645, large format 5″ x 4″, pinhole), underwater and moving image. I love it. Photography makes me feel weird inside; passionate, frustrated, ecstatic… every emotion. It is a wonderful thing. I have several project ideas that I am hoping to bring to fruition in 2017 – some digital, some film, some 5″ x 4″, some tilt shift, some timelapse… My favourite and most accessible project however will continue to make itself, as I continue to photograph and film my children. It is amazing seeing them grow up, and it is a wonderful project to document, as memories are great, but pictures and movies remind us of the days out in exciting places and the lazy afternoons in the garden.

The kids.

I have plenty to look forward to in 2017 – weddings (including some good friends – Dave and Nadia, Dave and Hayley, Jess and Richard), continuing the exciting FD’s, my own projects and a new (old) style of family portraiture. Keep an eye out for this last one – the classiest, most true to life family portraiture is in the process of being tested and will be available soon.

Thanks again to all who helped me photograph wonderful things, places and people in 2016. The biggest thanks go to my beautiful Victoria who puts up with evening meetings and weekend photoshoots x