UPDATED 12 SEPT 2008

Hello and welcome to my website, i thought long and hard about what to put on the homepage, and after much deliberation settled on a biography of sorts, dont worry its not a 60 gazillion word essay that will put every one to sleep within 15 miles........ well i hope not..... I am based in Northampton, and have been a photographer for 18 years, i specialised in function photography, and moved on to Wedding and Portrait photography, before trying my hand at Stock photography which is where i am now.

Up until early 2008 I was a member of the Disabled Photographers Society and was successful in an application for responsibility for the quarterly print competition that the DPS ran throughout the UK. I was also submitted a succesful panel that earned me my LDPS distinction in 2006, and am now concentrating on further qualifications.I am also a member of the Bureau of Freelance Photographers. (although i should point out that being a member of the BFP is not an indication of how good a photographer you are).

as to how i became involved in photography....? Way back in 1990 i was serving in the Terratorial Army it started as a laugh for me and some friends, i soon however grew to love it and made the decision to go full time into the army, but fate intervened, a week or so before i was due to sort everything out and sign up i was involved in a nasty RTA (Road Traffic Accident) on a motorbike, i suffered severe trauma and amongst other things contracted a type of Gangrene, the doctors battled and saved my leg, but that was the end of my army dream, while in hospital i shared a bay with a young man who would end up influencing my life a great deal, he was a freelance photographer, who  took photos for Autosport magazine, we got along really well, and i loved listening to his photographic adventures and looking at his images, so much so that i insisted a relative bring in an old Zenit 35mm camera that was colecting dust at home, i then picked my friends brains and started tinkering. things ticked along like that for the next 10 years or so, i devoured (not literally) all books on photography and photographic skills, I took photos of everything learning from trial, error and experimentation. It was quite an achievment for me as any of my family will tell you, I have fads! i take up a new hobby rush out and buy all the kit, throw myself into it for a week and then sell everything at a loss...! but not this, my love for the art continued as a main hobby and i grew from noob to advanced photographer over the years.

In 2000 the new millenium i was working part time as a doorman at a nightclub, we had a particularly rough night and a riot ensued, during this my injured leg from 10 years previous was stamped on and severely damaged, the consultant was tremendous and tried everything to save it, i had about 12 operations and numerous infections ending with Sceptecemia, it was at this point due partly to this and partly to the previous injuries that the leg had sustained that I had to make the choice to amputate the leg, due to other complicating factors i could no longer carry on working as an engineer, in short i needed a new career, it didnt take long to realise i was good at one thing... photography.... with renewed vigour i set about building a portfolio to show people, but what i really needed was a break into the bussiness. That break came in November of 2001 when my partner showed me an advert asking for a photographers assistant at weekends, i wasnt optimistic and lacked confidence, although i had done weddings and other stuff, there was bound to be more people better suited, i mulled it over for a week or so before finally ringing and was suprised to get an interview that night. I took my portfolio up and was greated my a lovely couple of retirees running a small function photography business, i showed them my work and they asked me there and then if i would come and work for them! i couldnt believe it, at last i was going to get some professional experiance, my first night came and it turned out i would also be taking pictures, so i took my small amount of equipment along and borrowed the rest! it was a utter catastrophe i could not stop shaking i was so nervous, people would stand in front of a backdrop i would lift the camera up and you could visibly see the camera shaking, needless to say all my images were a little er.... soft! I went home that evening totally demoralised and certain my career was over before it had begun. A week later i got a phonecall asking me to go out again, but this time i would just be watching, from there i went from strength to strength, taking photographs all over the uk including weddings an the odd celebrity here and there, i had become the main photographer for the company and had also become very good friends with the owners, i will always thank them for sticking with me and owe them a lot o gratitude, i had to eat humble pie on a few occasions when i thought i knew it all, i learnt valueble lessons during my time with them. But again fate intervened and further surgery and further complications ended that path, that was a couple of years ago now, which, brings me up to the present.

I only take images for stock now on this site, i have only ever worked through word of mouth, and still get requests for weddings, although at present i am still unable to work 'professionally.' My dream is to be published somewhere and eventually to turn my stock photography into a small self sufficient business, I am well aware that competition is strong, and i dont have the mobility of some other photographers, but i love  taking pictures and learning new skills. I welcome any and all comments about any of my work and endeavour to reply to them all. Please enjoy the site and more importantly my work!.

All The Best

M.J LDPS