It’s taken me something like 30 years to have a long, hard look at myself and I am sure you’d all agree that’s far too long. It’s not that those years have been wasted as I have achieved all I set out to do professionally…but not creatively! Apart from bursts of outright creative artistry I have stifled myself in pursuit of business. Had I learned much earlier that the poles could have been mutually satisfied, who knows what I could have achieved. But its not too late…

I’m less that a month into my new journey that has involved much soul seeking. Quite surprisingly having picked up a camera a day ago after doing literally nothing for the last two years, it has been as easy as getting back on a bike. My creativity and mind are as vibrant as a twenty year old. Ideas flourish. But its not quite as simple as that. I have helped so many, judged imagery globally (I still do for Master Photographers International) and supported creativity and inspiration. What I have also seen is an upsurge in gratuitous imagery obsessed by technique. And that my friends is no good thing. Other than other photographers, no one is impressed with photographers who produce meaningless, technique obsessed clever imagery with no meaning and no narrative.

I would much rather see raw, honest images loaded with and supported by narrative. It’s ok to say a picture is worth a thousand words, but an image supported by or illustrating a story is priceless! Just take a look at the paintings of the Renaissance and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. One inspired by the Biblical and the other by the Romantic Literature illustrating the age of ancient classicism and Mediaeval stories of Chivalry.

So, after a beautiful and heartfelt day with my lady, my muse, with a word of suggestion I picked up my camera. I knew exactly what I wanted. Something we share a deep passion for. Prepared a tableau, shot ten frames (I’m quite rusty) and side by side, we downloaded, selected and I processed my first two images…I’m not going to show them here yet but I will reveal the titles…

“Dreaming of Vampires, Praying for Absolution” and “I wait, Restrained, yet Hoping for Reward”

Onwards and upwards Martin