Bio

My father introduced me to photography originally when I was quite young and taught me the basics of composition and perspective – in his words, to use my mind’s eye. As an artist, he used photography as a means of inspiration for his paintings and sketches. I loved watching him and learned a great deal from doing so but although I enjoyed drawing I didn’t have the patience for painting and didn’t pursue it. I treasured my Kodak Brownie camera however, and used it whenever I could on holidays and special occasions, taking great pride in mounting my photographs in albums and labelling them all carefully.

I didn’t get my first SLR camera until many years later, when my two sons were young, as a present from my husband. My father again helped me learn how to use it during his visits to us, the boys were great subjects on which to practice and we exchanged photographs by post. Working in the travel industry at that time I was lucky to have several trips to the USA over the following years which provided opportunities to take a wide variety of images, several of which were subsequently used in promotional materials, literature and a travel brochure. My biggest frustration however, was in waiting to see the results when the films were developed and the inevitable disappointment and frustration on finding that what I had captured on film was not always what I had seen in my mind’s eye.

When I acquired my first digital camera, a Canon Powershot G1, it was primarily for use in the job I had at that time. I used it for exhibitions and industry events, with the images being used on the company website and in advertising and publicity materials. This, combined with my known love of tigers, led to me being asked by my boss to photograph baby tigers at a sanctuary in Dartmoor as images were needed for marketing purposes. Get paid for taking pictures of tigers? The images I took that day have been used extensively on the web, in brochures and advertisements. This was what I had been waiting for – I loved the immediacy of digital and took to it without reservation. At last, I could see instantly the results of the picture in my mind’s eye without having to wait, and have the opportunity to shoot again if it wasn’t right.

My many years of experience in digital desktop publishing and graphic design plus newly acquired skills in web building and Internet publishing suddenly became very useful. As I already had an understanding of digital workflows and image formats I was able to apply this knowledge readily. Unfortunately however, although all of the pieces were slowly coming together, the one thing I lacked was time to be able to pursue it outside of work as my role as a Marketing Director for a software company was very demanding leaving no free time. I didn’t even get to see much of my family let alone have any spare time but that all changed suddenly when I was diagnosed with a neural AVM that required extensive treatment and which then left me with an acquired brain injury, demanding a complete change of lifestyle and career. On returning to work after treatment and a prolonged period of enforced absence I quickly found I needed to pursue a less stressful occupation and started working from home on a freelance basis, initially doing design and marketing-related activities.

The combination of some spare time, a more relaxed lifestyle, a need for peace and quiet and clients who needed images, led me to turn again to photography but I found I had forgotten almost everything I had previously known and so had to start learning all over again and then discovered I quickly forgot again. The need for peace, quiet and no stress, coupled with my love of nature and wildlife led me to visit nature reserves and seek out subjects on which to practice and re-learn, which in itself forced me to slow down and gradually I started to make progress. Being relatively new to nature and wildlife photography, I still have a lot to learn but I take every opportunity to try and improve, learning a great deal from other photographers both on field trips, at meetings and online forums, and I read constantly in an effort to learn more.

Gaining my Licentiateship with the BIPP and winning a major award has really spurred me on and given me confidence. After taking various types of photographs of wildlife and nature subjects, I get the greatest satisfaction from the more abstracted images – those which look at an otherwise not extraordinary subject and show it in an unusual way or from an oblique angle, which would make the viewer stop and look a moment, hence the theme of this site. I will be expanding on this theme and adding more images as I explore the possibilities further. In April 2007 I achieved my Associateship with the BIPP – this is really getting serious now It required a great deal of work which I found I enjoyed immensely – the whole experience was so rewarding. Having also enjoyed the short course I did at Salford University in 2006, I was encouraged and began studying part-time for an MA in Fine Art: Site & Archive Intervention, at the University of Central Lancashire, which was a rewarding and satisfying experience.

Finally, I find I am able to do what I have always wanted to do but never realised. I love this new career – I work the hours which suit me, chill out when I need to by visiting nature reserves and bird sanctuaries and just take pictures which I can then spend time on my computer afterwards, processing and enhancing to bring out the best detail. I supply images to a couple of libraries as well as licence some direct to clients and sell prints and cards through several local outlets as well as online in addition to providing freelance design and photographic services.

Thank you for taking the time to visit this site. I hope you enjoy looking at my images and if you do, please let me know. If you are interested in nature and wildlife, art or photography, you will find links here to sites and books which I have found useful and hopefully you will too.

Dedicated to the memory of my father David Fagge – a gifted artist