So this is the first post of what I hope will be a record of my photographic journey to become the best photographer I can be.

My relationship with the camera began very early on, but I think it was at the tender age of ten when I was given a pinhole camera by my godparents, that I really fell head over heels with a passion that has continued into my adult life. I turned 30 last week, with some trepidation and with all big life stages, I guess you begin to reassess where you’ve got to in life, and if where you have ended up is where you planned to be and want to be.

Just so you can get to know me a little better (quickly) here’s a quick run down of what I’ve been doing so far.

I currently live in Derry, Northern Ireland, which is where I have grown up. It’s an amazing city, with a strong sense of heritage and the people in Derry are known for their warmness and openness (we call it the craic!). The city will change a lot over the coming years as it’s just achieved UK City if Culture, which will take place in 2013. In addition to this, the city is undergoing major regeneration and the face of the city is changing so much. I’m looking forward to the launch of a new foot and cycle bridge, which is planned to open early nest year. What I love living about living in Derry is being able to enjoy the lifestyle of living in a city and yet have some of the most amazing scenery in the world within half an hour’s drive. If you ever have the chance to visit Donegal or the North Coast of Northern Ireland, snap it up!

I have always wanted to work for myself, and was excited by the prospect of one day owning and running my own business. After school I went to university to study International Management at Heriot-Watt in another amazing city, Edinburgh (and as I write this I’m waiting in Starbucks at Belfast International to board my flight to Edinburgh this weekend for my friend Claire’s wedding). I made some amazing friends in Edinburgh and try to visit them when I can. In third year at university I was lucky enough to have a year studying abroad at Örebro University, Sweden, and if any of you have had a year abroad or travelling you will know it is the best time of your life.

After university, I volunteered to work at the Olympic Games in Athens and ended up working in media relations at the International Broadcasting Centre. I loved working with the media and on return home to Northern Ireland, I secured a job with a leading public relations (PR) agency in Belfast. After a year working back home, with all my friends now having moved to London, I made the decision to move to the big smoke. In London, I worked for a great company in St. Paul’s and at the Gherkin (at one stage my desk was by the window on the 28^th floor).

When In London in 2005, I finally decided that after a lifetime of taking photos I loved using my point and shoot camera, that I wanted to know more about controlling my camera and getting the image that I truly wanted to achieve. I enrolled in a summer photography course at Morley College, London, and spent the summer learning from my tutor Julia Horbaschk, who took the below photo of the class outside of Tate Modern.

After this course I knew I wanted more, so I enrolled for the year long City and Guild’s Level 2 in Photography. The class was every Friday night and after working a week in the office really required dedication. Everyone on the course wanted to learn and we all had a love for art and photography. During that year, I took my slr (a Canon 350D) with me everywhere. I made it a point to take photos every day and this really helped me understand my camera.

In 2007 I moved home to Northern Ireland to set up my own PR company, Converse Communications, and I eventually launched a modelling and promotional part of the business, Converse Model Agency, which continues to develop and grow. This experience over the last three years has been phenomenal for me. I have not only learnt tons and tons from running a business, but through the successes and failures, (and there have been a few) I feel I have learnt a lot about myself and the direction I want to take. Having the modelling agency has put me in a unique position to other photographers I think, because I’ve been very lucky to shoot dozens, if not hundreds, of model portfolios, and this has really helped me to develop my skills in the studio and in post production. The modelling agency continues to develop under the stewardship of a colleague who’s been working with me for the last few years. I continue to work with some of the most incredible clients on their PR strategies and love the art of communication, be that visually or verbally.

The last few years have been a period of growth and development for my photography. I have taken numerous courses, read a library of books and magazines; photo shopped till the cows come home and have shot numerous weddings.

Back when I started taking photos (properly) in 2005, lots of my friends started asking me to shoot their weddings and I didn’t hesitate to take them up on this offer. My experience and portfolio continued to grow and then friends of friends started asking, and then people I didn’t know. So to date I’ve shot a range of weddings and have loved working with every couple to capture incredible memories of their big day.

Last year, a colleague I worked in the same company with in London, (although he was based in Edinburgh) said he and his bride-to-be had saw my photos and loved them and they wondered if I would fly out to Australia to document their wedding. They didn’t have to ask twice. I spent three weeks out there at Christmas/New Year, and had the time of my life, making really great friends in the process. When I was in Australia I think I realised that I should maybe put up a website for my photography and see what comes of it. It went up in February and the phone started ringing…it hasn’t stopped. In just over five months, I have booked up most weekends of next summer. It feels amazing to be doing something I love and to be rewarded for it.

Looking to the future, I hope to continue to develop and hone my photography skills and to provide an incredible experience to those brides and grooms who choose to share their day with me.

One of my best friend’s, Jenny Jones, is hosting a dinner party for me tonight to celebrate my 30^th (as they couldn’t make it over to NI last weekend), so looking forward to what she cooks up! Will post some images from the wedding in Edinburgh soon after, so check back soon.