2014 was a good year for my photography. I really feel like I've stepped things up a notch, honed my skills some more and pushed my imagery. The first half of the year involved working on my own personal photos and projects, switching my website over to Squarespace and preparing work for two exhibitions, and then the majority of the second year saw me photographing a few weddings.
For this blog I've decided to pick out some of my favourite photos from 2014 and reflect on a busy and positive year. I would also like to thank those of you who have supported me throughout the year. Have a look below and click on any of the photos to see them full-screen.
Early in the year I shot a roll of black and white film and this was one of my favourites. It was taken under a set of stairs in the Liverpool ONE shopping centre. This ended up being exhibited in Cologne alongside some other B&W film photos of Liverpool.
In March myself and a couple of my school friends met up in Guernsey for a mini-stag. This was taken on Herme Island. In this photo Akosa is pushing James (bare-foot) around on the shells.
This was taken in April during the British GT event at the Oulton Park race circuit. Getting shots like this can be tricky and requires practice in tracking the car as it moves. Sir Chris Hoy also competed in this race in a similar looking car.
Late in April a few days before my girlfriend's birthday (Hannah) I treated her to a day out to the Blue Planet Aquarium as she loves sharks. I waited very patiently to get the shot I wanted (photographing animals is hard!) and I'm glad I did. Later in the year I exhibited it in Warrington and the print now hangs on the wall of my living room.
In May my girlfriend and I went to Cologne as she was exhibiting work there. While we were there we went to the Cologne Sculpture Park where I took this photo of a sculpture by Thomas Schutte called 'Weinende Frau'.
Another one of my favourites from Cologne. This was taken inside the Kolumba building. It's a very interesting place to walk around even if the artwork is not to your liking. When I was taking this one another member of staff was telling the lady in the photo to move out of the way but I quite liked the gesture.
The first wedding of the year photographed with Carl Johnson (c80j.com). Scott (a friend from work) and Amy Roberts, a lovely couple, got married in the middle of June. It was quite a challenge, especially doing a video at the same time, but it all worked out well.
Thor (my schoolmate Andrew Leater) who is hiding in the back of this photo, had another stag do with a mixture of friends late in June. The theme was superheroes!
In July the Giants returned to Liverpool. I managed to get a good vantage point from a car park for this photo. Trying to get a good photo was difficult amongst the massive crowds in certain areas.
In some instances I found the people observing the giants more interesting. This guy was standing on top of The Black-E building by the Chinese Gate filming events below him on his phone.
This girl was observing from high-up in the Liverpool ONE shopping centre on the final day of the Giant event. I really liked the starkness against the pattern and background of the walls.
I shot my second wedding of the year in August for my friends Andrew and Nicola Leater. Andy has been a friend of mine for about 15 years so it was an honour. The group shot of all the guests outside this church was good photo too but I liked the action in this one.
The third and final wedding of the year in October. Marcus Rogers, a close friend from my Uni days, married Victoria. Again being entrusted with this from a good friend was an honour. Choosing a spot for the big group shot was a tough one due to space and lighting, but in the end I was pleased with this photo.
In October I finally got round to checking out some of the Liverpool Biennial artwork. This was taken in the Albert Docks and was called the Dazzle Ship.
The main Biennial exhibition was held in the Old Blind School. The building hasn't been used for years but from walking around you can see all sorts of traces of the past. In this photo the grey paint had been worn away to the red layer underneath.
In November I visited the Yorkshire Sculpture Park with family on the way to the Lake District. I liked this photo of Hannah turning towards me as the low-sunlight beamed across her and the hill.
Later on in the day at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park we stumbled across this Highland Cow. I took my time trying to get a decent shot. The cow gave itself a scratch with his horn and this photo ended up being the last one I took.
Towards the end of the week in the Lake District I decided to photograph a library van I had seen parked up for several days. I realised someone was living inside it so I tried to be respectful. The photo ended up being one of the best I've ever taken.
For my birthday Hannah surprised me with a trip to York. As we were walking along the city walls I decided I could probably get a good photo of her with the walls and path disappearing behind.
Another photo of Hannah in York taken just outside the Minster. I was taking a few photos of gargoyles while she patiently waited for me (as always) and just in this moment she turned away as I decided to take a photo of her. I really liked the natural feel of this one and really compliments the previous photo.
This was taken a few days ago when I was at my parents' place for Christmas and is my last favourite of the year. Hannah and I decided to go for a walk along the front of Old Colwyn on a windy day. As a result the water was choppy and waves were crashing against the walls.
Thanks for looking through this selection. I'm hoping I can step things up even more in 2015. I've already got a backlog of ideas and photos to work on so watch this space and subscribe below to keep up to date!