I began life in Stanleytown in the Rhondda Valley, a coal mining community in South Wales. I attended Stanleytown School, my mom raised four children and my dad worked at the mine in the valley below.
Some of my earliest memories include going up the hill to school, down the hill and over a bridge through the colliery to the shops across the valley. Every couple of weeks my family and I walked to the local cinema to watch western films with endless skies and expansive locations. Looking back today, I can’t help thinking I unconsciously knew I would eventually live in the wide open spaces of the American Southwest.
One of my earliest memories of photography dates back to when I was three years old. My dad began letting me carry the family Kodak Brownie Camera and occasionally even allowed me to take a picture.
In 1966, my family moved to Yorkshire, England – more coal mines, steel mills and soot! Despite the blight of industry, we were surrounded by some of the most beautiful and idyllic countryside in Britain. My teen years are mostly a blur now, but I did develop a love for photography when I bought my first movie camera
In 1978, at the age of 22, I moved to Los Angeles where I began to study cinematography and film. I soon discovered that I preferred ‘still’ photography and chose to make it my medium of expression. During the ensuing ten years, I made many trips back to England and Europe, but decided to remain permanently in the United States and embarked on a career as a freelance photographer working for the City of Pasadena, Caltech, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Pasadena Symphony Orchestra.