Prior to migrating to Australia in 2012, I was a soldier in the British Army. Following the childhood dream of becoming a Paratrooper, I joined the Parachute Regiment in 1989, which was the beginning of a 22 year career where I was lucky enough to travel the world, meet some of the most interesting people you can imagine and experience diverse cultures throughout my travels.
The British Army has many specialist trades and endless career opportunities and I was fortunate enough to be able to continue my passion for photography by training to become a professional photographer. Following an intense 6 month trade training course at the Defence School of Photography, I embarked on the next chapter of my military career as an Army Photographer.
My life as an Army Photographer was hugely rewarding and extremely varied. Travelling the world, capturing unique imagery of the most exciting aspects of what the British Army had to offer, using some of the best quality photographic equipment money could buy - a dream job for an aspiring photographer!
From documenting the life of a soldier on exercise, capturing a member of the Royal Family on ceremonial duties, providing broadcast footage to major news organisations whilst on operational deployment, providing specialist photographic instruction to a variety of organisations; my photographic assignments were extremely varied. This huge variety gave me the opportunity to develop a wide range of photographic skills and experience.
Fast forward 22 years and I made the decision to retire from the Army in 2012, opting to move to the the other side of the world! I now have the pleasure of capturing the beautiful coastline and landscape of the Bellarine Peninsula. The subject and style of my photography has changed beyond recognition but my love of photography remains. When people learn of my previous photographic career, they often ask me if I have any favourite images captured as an Army Photographer. Having captured so many images over the years, it's hard to pick out a single picture. My assignments were extremely varied but I always enjoyed capturing gritty environmental portraits of soldiers at work and had a reasonable amount of success, winning numerous awards for my work.
Let me know what you think of this style of imagery in the comments below?Â
Cheers,
Paul