So this is me!

I was born in May 1963 in Elm Park, Essex. I now live in Southend so still an Essex boy!

Was interested in photography from an early age with a point and shoot cartridge version being my first camera. That camera produced square prints.

I didn’t get my first SLR until the 80s and that was a Pentax LX. Great camera that I used right up until I changed to digital approximately 20 years ago. The camera I have at the moment is an Olympus E410 which has produced most of the shots in my gallery. I will be upgrading in the near future.

Along with my camera, I also have studio equipment including lights, softboxes and backgrounds. I used to have a studio set-up at home but sadly no more.

My interest in website design came around the same time as I moved to digital photography. Since then I have designed many websites some for myself and others for businesses that I have worked for or have been in contact with me.

At first, I designed websites from scratch using pure HTML and CSS however I mainly use WordPress now

As my favourite subject at school was Mathematics, it was natural for me to be interested in spreadsheets. I have reached advanced level in Microsoft Excel as well as Word and PowerPoint.

My Excel creations have included a stock & invoice package and project management. As for Word & PowerPoint, I have created letterheads and interactive presentations.

When it comes to family history, it is only recently that have I shown an interest. I started with a trial subscription to Find My Past and it didn’t take long for me to get hooked.

Apart from my own, I have researched family trees for several people and now I am including maps of where family members lived at the time of each census.

My interest in all things history is a far cry from when I was at secondary school because I couldn’t stand the subject!

My photographic experience has focussed on people, creating personal portraits and model portfolios.
Product photography for websites and advertising is another area I have worked in.
I hope to develop skills in architecture and buildings photography as it is an area that is distinctly lacking from my repertoire!
I am at advanced level for Photoshop and have used it to repair old photos as well as to create a many options for a model portfolio. I also have the ability to scan old slides and negatives to digital photos.

When it comes to my website design experience, I have covered both hard coding using HTML and CSS and more recent WordPress.
I use both Bakery Builder and Elementor when designing via WordPress.
For my hard coding designs, I have used Dreamweaver and on a few occasions Microsoft Notepad if Dreamweaver isn’t available.
As for the designs themselves, unless I receive a particular remit, I offer a number of alternatives when it comes to colours and the general set-up such as menu.
I offer logo design if one isn’t available to use and I can set-up a e-commerce website if required.
You can see a sample of my website design work by going HERE

Office systems refers mainly to Microsoft Office(Excel, Word & Powerpoint) however I include Adobe Acrobat within the same group.
Stock/Invoice, Programme Manager & Price Comparison are just 3 spreadsheets that I have created that can be adapted for your business use. I can also help if you require a bespoke spreadsheet.
I can design business letterheads and other stationery items using your logos or I can create a logo if you haven’t got one.
When it comes to presentations, I have created training versions including videos and interactive quizzes using Powerpoint and document versions using Acrobat.
So whatever your office needs to run a bit smoother then send me your spec and I can create several options for you to choose from.

Family history and indeed history in general is something I have only recently become interested in. While researching my own family history, I developed several different spreadsheets, documents and even maps to chronologize a  family history beyond a just a tree.
Your Ancestors is the website I designed where all of the research I do for people is displayed. Of course the research can only be viewed by the person who requested it or if they decide to share it.
I use mainly Find My Past for family tree research but I also use Ancestry, The National Archives, Find A Grave and BillionGraves amongst many other sources.