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Natural Born Storyteller
Connected Wight knows potential when it sees it, so we’ve included several of Paul’s outstanding videos on our website. And behind these lovely examples of distinctive storytelling is an equally well framed story.
Paul always had a strong passion for photography since he was very young. It never became his profession although he firmly believed it was what he wanted to do for a living. He spent 6 years as a black & white photographic printer in a small darkroom in London during the late 80’s and early 90’s, working for Bert Hardy (Grove Hardy Darkroom Ltd) and went on to pick up the ‘Ilford Young Printer of the Year Award 1988” So the signs were always there!
And then life happened – he travelled a bit, got married, had a family, and decided to settle back home on the Isle of Wight where he found work in a local workshop. Photography was always on the 'back burner' – more a hobby, a lifelong interest. Paul enjoyed knowing that he could pick and choose what subjects to photograph and film without any commercial pressures.
Looking at the recent past Paul says, “Over the last couple of years I’ve been caring for my elderly mother who has gradually lost her sight through ‘Macular Degeneration (Wet)’ and is now totally blind. I was starting to feel a bit tied down, frustrated at not just being able to just drop everything and dash off here and there when the light was looking great. I find it rewarding at times, frustrating quite often, …and of course very sad – I can think of no disability worse than losing one’s sight.”
Paul’s other passion is walking - going out whenever he can, and because of his caring commitments he can generally get out for just a few hours at a time here and there. But that refines his skills. It makes him look for beauty and interest very close to home in very familiar territory. And that’s at the heart of Pauls work. It’s familiar. It’s of places that are both recognisable and surprising. And the storytelling is, well, comfortable. There’s a natural effortlessness about it.
“I have no desire to go far, see the wonders of the world, meet exotic people (I can see those things on TV!). With the variety of landscape, changing light and seasons, and 140,000 people here on the island, I don’t think there’s a shortage of subject matter. I just need to find it and tap into it.”
Even though Paul has no formal training, beyond ‘having the gear’, it’s good to know that over many years he has developed an eye for composition and an appreciation of light. Now, learning the discipline of filmmaking and everything that involves - storyboarding, editing, sound etc. is giving him a whole new buzz.
Long may it continue…
