Shining Image Gallery-About my Photography

Update:- Having returned from my trip to "Thailand" ( Bangkok & Chiang Mai ) and the beautiful Island of "Bali" I have literally thousands of photographs to sort through, Thailand is now being uploaded onto my new site www.shiningimagegallery.com . 5 weeks of living and breathing Asia where people thanked me for taking their photo. The sights sounds and smells are just awesome!!..........

Planned trips this year......... April-May Cuba, Barbados, St Lucia and Jamaica and later in the year a few days at the SEAL colony at Donna Nook in Lincolnshire UK...... Last year my big additions were a Moroccan Safari taking in Chefchaouen, Imilchil Marriage Festival and Marrakesh !! and early June I had a date with some VERY BIG CATS!!! yes Tigers, Lions etc no this wasn't a safari but closer than normal aquaintance at a wild life conservation park with world renowned photographer Chris Weston. Also in Spain Granada, Madrid and Barcelona and London in the UK all these can be found on the new site

HELPFUL HINTS........in "Welcome to my Gallery"

I already had a sense of the importance of recording a moment in time. The simplicity of the act of clicking the camera shutter belie it’s influential effect. But David Fuentes photos ( see "Black & White" gallery ) made me see how artistic, informative and inspiring this medium can be.

Since then I have been experimenting, trying to capture beautiful moments! Times that tickle the inside of your soul and awaken a sense of contentment, that despite all that is wrong with the world or your personal life it just feels great to be alive. Sunshine, fiestas infectious laughter, and then I find beauty in the most ubiquitous objects! Hence....... “Interesting Angles”, rusty old fishing boat doors (the one’s that weigh the nets open) the salt from the sea oxidising the metal creating such wonderful colours and patterns, from the continual use day after day, old and interesting I say. In..... “Life at La Vila Port” I have included a found still life. I came across the remains of one of the ports resident cat’s dinner, fish bones complete with fresh lemon, who? Ah well never mind it amused me.The flat I rent overlooks the marina and fishing port of Villajoyosa or La Vila Joiyosa depending if you speak Castellano or Valencian dialect, the translation is the jewelled town, apt ode for such a colourful place it’s just perfect for observing life.My photography will always have certain limitations (but I think this actually heightens my sensitivity towards my subjects! and to fully appreciate life itself) I am limited to instantaneous moments dictated by a back injury, making it difficult to stand still or even sit for long periods. Which is why I am mostly to be found laying horizontally, and if I have to lay down might as well do it in the sunshine. But when you've been doing that for a while and your as agile & active as I am in between (probably why I'm so slim!) OK so it could be frustrating.. ..but well It's probably why I have crazy moments in my life.......Like when I took a flight to Mauratania ( west coast Sahara) on a whim to visit David who was working there...had to buy a standby one way ticket & worry about the rest later....I only have 3 photos that he took, and thats when you realise how important they are!! And then I know not many women would class being invited to go out on a fishing boat a fantastic opportunity but having checked if there was somewhere for me to lay down I was really excited." Aboard Cantal " Video & SLR cameras sporting freezer bags! 3.45am only other signs of life-alley cats doing the night patrol. Just one thing I forgot to ask until the moment arose! Anyway this led to probably the funniest and most embarrassing moment of my life, a story fit for a book easily equal to Bridget Jones fire mans pole situation. Friends seem to find my antics amusing, so maybe one day I’ll tinkle those laptop key’s.Anyway that’s why I call some of my photographs lucky shots, timing a sunrise/set to me is crucial. And when I know I have captured it perfectly wow! There’s no better feeling I’m usually found to be singing quite loudly by this time yes, yes, yes, and another yes just for good measure. When I first spoke to my very patient web designers Clare & Lynne about my idea, they asked me how many images do you think hmm! hadn’t really thought. How about 6 categories and 10 images in each they asked? that sounded okay. But once I started to sort through my photos the categories were growing, and now I had in excess of 200 images and still rising. Although crazy as it seems some are duplicated for presentation purposes. But I just love the effect of grouping all the “Reflections” images together, and it is a "Gallery" after all. And how things have grown I've just put over 200 images for the "PARIS" at Valentines page Sunlight is our most important and powerful element to life. But the only time we can see the full strength embodied is via reflection off of a shiny smooth surface such as water, metal etc. That is how the name “Shining Image” evolved, just in case you were wondering! Now a lifes work I think so I invite you to please browse through the gallery and ENJOY!!!!