Born in Belfast, Ireland, in 1963. Married with three children and three grandchildren. I grew up in a time of conflict, a period bemusingly labelled ‘The Troubles’. I believe that my experience of that conflict was, ironically, one of the things that gave me an appreciation of the beauty of nature and the desire to capture it in photos. Our house was in a working class housing estate on the periphery of the city but it was surrounded by fields and hills. The contrast between the mayhem in the streets and the tranquility of what we called ‘the cow fields’ was both stark and welcome.
I enjoy travelling and we are lucky enough nowadays to be able to spend a lot of time in Spain. Visiting new places and taking photos is my way of sharing the experience. In the world of ‘selfies’, I believe there is still a place for ‘ordinary’ photos that tell a story about a time and a place. Or maybe that should be, a story about a place in time?
I take inspiration from people, famous and ordinary, who are principled, empathetic, compassionate and have a sense of justice. In simple terms, people who have a good heart. I have discovered that the photography community on Instagram is full of such people. I’m sure the psychologists could provide a plausible theory for that claim but I base the assertion on my own experiences. I think photography, as well as being a form of artistic expression, contains a therapeutic element which is underrated. When an inspirational moment is captured, it is a fixed reference point of what our perfect world would look like-be it a cluster of whitewashed cottages on a warm hillside or a tranquil beach at sunrise. Moments when the gravity of the world’s problems recede and we glimpse perfection. For most people, sharing that moment with others is not just a wish but a compulsion. Maybe it’s an inherent human desire to spread hope in a world where hope is a rare commodity.
My daughter casually remarked some years ago that I should create my own website. Something as alien to me as creating my own crypto currency! I fumbled my way around and made a few posts at that time but the ever increasing demands of work meant that I had neither the time nor the energy to devote to it. Five years later, without the pressures of work, I am making another attempt. Some aspects are still as confusing to me as crypto currency but what’s the worst that can happen? My approach to most tasks is the approach I take to self assembly furniture. I ‘feel my way’ and when I reach an impasse, I reach for the instructions. And that’s how I started. Late one Saturday night, a number of years ago, I created a website and started posting. With the same unplanned haste, I picked the name, ‘Bleeding Dove’. The insight into my choice of name can be found in the post, ‘Son of Protagoras’ in the Belfast category . I suppose every website should have a description. My intention is to document my travels by combining photos with my observations and possibly provide some information that people will find mildly interesting. And maybe, as I have mentioned already, spread some joy and hope. So, Travel would be an appropriate category to assign to my site, perhaps with some elements of a photographer’s perspective and a dreamer’s optimism thrown in for good measure.
Bleeding Dove 