It’s apparently a big deal when you turn 21. To be honest, to me it’s just another number. I’m marking the day by running a half marathon (a suitable 21km) and eating an entire cake (okay so maybe not that part). But it is a nice point at which to look back and even forward, so let’s do that.

When I started taking photographs I was possessed with finding the beauty in the world around me – from birds to sunsets, the play of light on water, the more mundane things in my back garden. That hasn’t changed, however, I’ve come to appreciate more the value of knowledge and experience. You can have all the vision in the world, but without the skill to back it up you can’t realise your potential. And there’s no shortage of ways to learn about photography nowadays, the internet alone is a hoard of free resources. I’m lucky that I’ve had a patient teacher and someone to share adventures with.

So, looking forward! I was asked recently what motivates me to take photographs, and I found it a difficult question to answer. It seems like it’s just something that I do that makes me happy, and that I wouldn’t be me without. I thought about it a lot, though, and I managed to tease out what really drives me to be a photographer.

I’m in love with the process of it. Spending time out in the world and capturing moments, each one feels like a little triumph. I’m in love with learning new things, from knowing my gear inside out to applying rules of composition to make images that aren’t just snapshots. I’m in love with telling stories – and this is something I really need to work on. I have always loved to read, and telling stories with photographs is something I aspire to do. I want to learn how to make images that tell a story in themselves, and how to put images together to tell a story.

I’ll always take photographs. Whether it be to make a nice image or to tell a story, it will always be a part of my life – so I can look forward to all the images I have yet to create.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my journey so far, and that you’ll stay to see where the future finds me.