A Beginning.
I did not plan to write stories or share my thoughts. I imagined no one would be interested in what I had to say. Maybe it is still the case, but I have eventually summoned the courage to begin telling stories about the moments I have experienced which I believe are worth sharing.
When I first began taking photographs I did not have a plan. I loved the act of taking photographs and capturing a moment in a few frames. Wildlife was my only real focus, especially the wildlife I shared my home with in the Falklands. I have been lucky to witness some incredible moments; the courtship of some the rarest birds on our planet, seals bringing new life into this world, animals fighting for their last breath against a determined predator and life surviving against all the odds in such harsh environments.
Yet, I never shared most of this work with anyone outside my own home. What was the point to all of it. Sharing the images you have captured with friends and the wider world is liberating, but I lacked the motivation to share on a regular basis. Validation, praise, criticism - all of these things I wasn’t looking for. It felt like I had did not have a purpose behind my images. With all that is going on in the world - poverty, hunger, war, competition - I did not feel my input was needed, or at times appropriate.
It was only recently I found some purpose, a reason to share some of the things I have captured. I want to tell stories - ones which I feel have not been told already, especially ones which focus on the South Atlantic. There are many stories in existence already, but maybe not the ones I hope to highlight. I am not demanding anyone listen to these stories. I simply want to share them, and if that generates thoughts or leads to more discussion, I will be content. If stories are not shared, they might be lost forever.
Images alone do not usually spark anything more than a pleasant glance or a thumbs up, it is the story behind them which draws the genuine engagement. None of this is groundbreaking or new, but it has taken me time to realise it.
I find myself in a truly privileged position to tell stories about places most people will never get to visit, or maybe have never even heard of. I recently travelled with my brothers and some friends to Antarctica, and it was on these trips, while spending time together, that I began to appreciate how I could be more engaged and delve deeper into the stories I was telling. We were fortunate to be sharing our time with some incredibly inspiring people too, and they have motivated me to go further.
This is the beginning. From here I hope to not only demonstrate the great beauty which exists in our world, but showcase the people who are living and working amongst this beauty.
