Where did you grow up and did that place influence your work?
I grew up in Winchester, Hampshire for the majority of my childhood. I did however have my first birthday in India when my father took a sabbatical near Bangalore. When I was eight my family moved to Australia for a year - again as part of my father's work. This involved a job and house swap with a family based near Melbourne. My grandparents lived in London so weekends would often be spent visiting them combined with going to art exhibitions that my parents were interested in seeing. I'm sure all the time spent in galleries has influenced my work. Even if I wasn't focusing on the art, I tended to observe the people around me in galleries pretty thoroughly!
How did you get into photography?
People and specifically their faces have always interested me. There were some long periods where I wasn't attending my secondary school due to illness. A lot of time was spent looking at pictures in books and cutting out photos of faces I liked from pages of my mother's Vogue magazines. I also regularly used to look through the family photo albums when I was little. Not just trips and holidays, but also everyday moments at home too, were documented by my father. He and I both have quite poor memories so rely on these pictures! I certainly learnt huge amounts from my father's approach to photography. He has a good eye and has always been good at discreetly catching people on camera with ease. My grandfather was interested in the more technical side to photography. He converted a bathroom at home into a successful darkroom. At family gatherings my grandfather would always have a few cameras hanging off him. I remember being very interested in the polaroid camera he had lying around. I found out quite recently my grandmother's father had a photographic shop/studio.
What’s been the biggest highlight in your career so far?
Working with BAFTA has been such a pleasure. They have given me some great actor portrait commissions but also shooting the BAFTA Awards has been fantastic. Freedom to roam and shoot whatever catches my attention - which tends to include lots of candid moments backstage.
Which photographer has most influenced your work and why? Which photography book do you keep returning to?
Eve Arnold and Jane Bown are two photographers I admire greatly. Not just for their timeless black and white photographs but their personalities and general approaches too. I often refer back to their books trying to understand the sensibilities and qualities of the portraits they have taken.
In the last five years, what new belief, behaviour, or habit has most improved your life?
To always try and go with what you're naturally drawn to... As obvious as it sounds - follow your nose!
