I have over 30 years experience both as a photographer and academic. As a photographer I starting working as a freelance in the 80's, about the time I first went to University. Whilst at University of London Goldsmiths' College I was pulled into the world of performance photography, both with theatre and dance, and my freelance work helped to sustain me through three years of a degree in Communication Studies and Education. On graduation I was offered a place as a tutor on the course, and so began my life as an academic. I moved from here to Thames Valley University (TVU), now University of West London (UWL), as Head of Photography. Over the following 20 years the photography department developed and now offers an FdA, BA, MA and Doctorate study. The philosophy of the department is hugely innovative, with a real focus on vocation and professional practice. I also taught for the Central St. Martin's School of At & Design, both in staff development and commercial short courses, and have been an External Examiner for the Universities of Surrey and Brighton.
These decades were hugely exciting as we entered the world of digital photography. At TVU we retained the craft values of analogue practice, whilst from the very earliest days embraced the elements of change coming to the medium. In this we worked closely with the photographic industry, with industry partners such as Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Adobe and Apple. In 2007 TVU Photography won the Nikon Discovery Award, recognising it as one of the foremost photographic teaching institutions in the UK.
During my time in teaching I was awarded a Masters degree from the Open University in Online & Distance Education, and Fellowships from the Higher Education Academy and the British Institute for Learning and Development, and was also named an Enterprise Fellow by TVU.
I left full-time teaching in 2010 and returned to my first love of performance photography. I currently work as a freelance photographer, photographic tutor and also still teach p/t at Central St. Martin's.