Hi! Now that you know a little bit about me I can give you an insight into who I am.
As you already know I’m Charlie, I’m originally from Liverpool but have lived in South Wales for 36 years, not always but mostly happily.
I trained as a Fuel – Injection Engineer (Diesel Fitter) after I left school.
I left my hometown in search of a job and life in the eighties.
Of course my camera came with me.
I eventually settled in South Wales and did the usual married had kids, you know that sort of stuff.
That’s the past now the present.
What am I like, what do I like?
Interests
There Has To Be Music.
I grew up listening to Pink Floyd, Rush, Black Sabbath, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zep and other great bands of the time. I’ll listen to almost anything these days except, The Beatles. I refuse to listen to The Beatles. The quickest way to get me out of a room is put the Beatles on.
Hobbies And Pastimes
From an early age, I have been an angler. Fishing sparked my love of the outdoors, I love being outdoors in any weather. Away from fishing, I am an avid gamer Xbox is my platform of choice. I have played with the same group from the UK and the USA for over ten years. Some even flew in from the States and others travelled from across the UK for my wedding.
Humour
I have a sense of humour that goes hand in hand with being a Scouser. I also have a warped and dark sense of humour, tending to laugh at inappropriate things and times. If I find something funny I can and quite often do have tears of laughter streaming down my face. I laugh hardest at myself often until my sides ache, but as a result of my FND I can’t feel my sides ache.
If I had To Describe Myself
I wouldn’t know where to start. My eldest son once described me to French Police as a Big Fat 45-year-old Scouser. There is a story there, one day you might learn it. So how to describe me, tall 6’2″ 20 stone (280lb), loyal and fiercely protective of those I care about and love. Makes me sound intimidating, doesn’t it? I’m not, I’m a big softy, I have been known to shed a tear when a bride walks down the aisle. I love a good laugh and hate intolerance there really is no place for it in the world today.
Photographers Who inspire Me.
That’s easy to answer. I am not inspired by any photographer either living or dead. There are photographers whose work I like and who I respect. Vivian Maier, Gordon Parks, and Scott Typlados to name a few. The only people to ever inspire me so far were my late sister and my parents.
Mental Health
For the vast part of my life, I have lived with Bipolar. At times life has been a struggle. I refuse to medicate, I have tried but it only made me worse. I have always found a way to deal with my condition. Photography works for me.
FND (Functional Neurological Disorder)
It’s taken me a while to accept that I have this condition, but now that I have it still doesn’t make life easier. What is it? FND is a condition where the brain and the body fail to communicate. I like to think of it as having a permanent brain fart, although it is a lot more complex than that. More can be learned about FND and its effects here.
Nature
Like most people I look at nature photos with awe, and have a huge amount of respect for the photographers men and women who spend so much time in pursuit of their goal. Last year I decided to give it a go for myself and although I’m not on the league of Hannah Stitfall or Harry Martin to name just two. I’m happy with my results. Check out my gallery pages to judge for yourself.
The Future
Who knows what the future holds? I haven’t got a clue, but I know one thing it holds: a wooden box with me in it. I have some thoughts on how to lighten the mood on that day, but until then, there is life. I take each day as it comes and make the best of it. There’s no point in planning, as some bugger always mucks it up. I plan to take photos as long as I can hold a camera and be a constant embarrassment to my wife and kids. When I can’t do that any longer, then it’s game over.