Background
My father introduced me to photography 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, the boys were great subjects on which to practice and we exchanged photographs by post. Working in the travel industry at that time, several trips to the USA provided many picture-taking opportunities, several of which were used in promotional materials, literature and a travel brochure.
My biggest frustration 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 so when the first digital cameras became available, I was eager to try.
My first digital camera was primarily for use in the job I had at that time, as a Marketing Director for a software company, with the images being used in advertising and publicity materials. 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. This, combined with my known love of tigers, led to me being asked to photograph baby tigers at a wildlife sanctuary as images were needed for marketing purposes. Those images were used extensively on the web, in brochures and advertisements but I knew then that this was what I had been waiting for.
Many years experience in digital desktop publishing and graphic design plus newly acquired skills in web building and Internet publishing suddenly became very useful. With an understanding of digital workflows and image formats I was able to apply this knowledge readily. Unfortunately, the one thing I lacked was time to be able to pursue it outside of work as my role was very demanding.
Everything changed suddenly when a serious medical condition and extensive treatment left me with a brain injury and short-term memory issues which demanded a complete change of lifestyle and career. 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.
Some spare time, a more relaxed lifestyle and clients who needed images, led me to turn again to photography. This, coupled with my love of nature and wildlife led me to seek out subjects on which to practice and re-learn and gradually I started to make progress, both in my recovery and in my photography.
I prefer to think of myself more as a photographic artist rather than as a photographer, by which I mean that for my personal work, rather than record a subject or scene with my camera I like to try and find an alternative interpretation. To try and convey what I feel rather than simply what I see. I use my camera as a medium of capture but prefer to 'make' images rather than just take them by simply recording what is already there. To me, the capturing of an image is just the first stage - I enjoy spending time processing, in trying to reveal the hidden depths and slight nuances of colour, or the picture within an image which may not, at first, have been apparent.
Future plans include doing more research-based projects from which I gain the greatest satisfaction.
Thank you for taking the time to visit this site.
Dedicated to the memory of my father David Fagge – a gifted artist