Since the earliest years Rob has been a keen and avid aviation geek, with it being the biggest driver in anything he created or learned about, from sketching cartoon aerial battles in class to reading his degree in the Battle of Britain in university. That passion and that drive has evidently made its way to his photographic passion.
Where it all began
I was taken to my first ever air show at 18 months old, on a family outing to RAF St Athan. In 1993 my family and I attended International Air Tattoo (now the Royal International Air Tattoo) after my father won some tickets. This year, if anyone who attended will tell you, was not a good year with the mid air collision of two Russian Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-29 Fulcrums. This didn't put us off though and have attended every year since then (bar 94 and 97) and have done Friends of the Royal International Air Tattoo since 2007.
In 2006, I took photography at College, putting my early days of embarrassing photos in the past, always getting my fingers in the way of my little 35mm compact. Finally, I would learn photography properly, learning initially on film and later transitioning to digital. By the end of the course I had learned the basics and over the years my kit would go from basic to more advanced, but I would not be utilising it as I should. After many years of having to relearn what I had every year I finally had the opportunity to up my ability.
In April 2016, attending my first Centre of Aviation Photography (COAP) workshop at a museum. I not only learned a lot but it gave me the drive to keep trying and learning to better my ability. This not only kept my skill current but also meant trying different subjects and techniques along with different editing styles. As a result of using my camera more and more I have maintained my skill and ventured into other areas that I once thought I would never try e.g. landscape and model photography
In 2017 I was asked to join Full Disc Aviation (FDA), an online publication of like minded avgeeks, photographers, aircrew and people in aviation. My first story started off about the retirement of Phantoms and has expanded into interviews and airshow reviews and photography. FDA has gone from strength to strength, interviewing some of the biggest names in airshows, some of the biggest demo teams and even smaller stories of a personal nature and squadron stories. They are gaining more momentum and I'm honoured to be a part of this sterling group of people. Being a part of this group has really kept my photography at its height, learning new photography techniques but also editing and writing styles and for that I am thankful.
So that’s my story, and by no means is that the end of it, the chapters have yet to be written. I hope you can be a part of those chapters, and I hope I can help you document, photograph and cherish your own life chapters. Let your words be few and your exposures many.
“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.” ― Leonardo da Vinci
