Hi, I’m Des. Great to have you here!
Looking back on my photography journey, I can see a number of moments that shaped the way I see the world through a camera.
The first takes me back to the age I grew up in (yes, I’m a late Boomer!), when I joined my father in his homemade darkroom in the attic. Surrounded by chemicals, trays, rolls of negative film, an enlarger — and that unmistakable dim red light — I discovered the magic of transforming moments into images.
It probably explains my enduring love of black and white photography, and my fascination with tone, atmosphere and the stories that can exist beyond colour.
Mountains have also been a defining part of my life. Through running my own mountain tourism company, I spent years guiding people through high mountain environments around the world. During this time in Morocco, I wrote a guidebook on winter mountaineering in the High Atlas, which naturally involved photography as a way of documenting the landscapes and experiences around me.
But over time, I learned that places are never just about the places themselves. Behind every landscape, every community and every environment, there are human stories waiting to be discovered.
Following the Arab Spring, my path took me from the mountains into humanitarian work, supporting NGOs in Sudan, Iraq and Afghanistan. Working in these complex and challenging environments taught me a great deal about resilience, dignity and the quiet strength of people living through extraordinary circumstances.
When I eventually stepped away from this work during the global pandemic, I found myself mentally exhausted. Photography became a way of reconnecting — not only with the world around me, but with the curiosity and optimism that first drew me to making images.
Whilst I don’t ignore the darkness and complexity that exists in many parts of the world, my photography is drawn towards life, beauty and hope. I look for the human moments that reveal connection, resilience and possibility.
Whether photographing a person, a place, or an organisation creating positive change, my aim is the same: to tell stories that show what exists beyond the surface — the people, the purpose and the hope behind the image.
When you engage me for a photographic assignment, that is the perspective I bring.
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