I was born in Paisley in 1978, (a good year for me) and was raised between Renfrewshire and the Scottish highlands.

I developed a love of the outdoors at a very early age, the first house I lived in backed onto a farm, and when we were in the highlands at my Dads old house I would play in the local river and forests for hours at a time.

At the age of 11, I started going for long walks with my Dad - Mum would drop us at the side of a road or loch, and we'd head off into the hills, carrying everything we needed with us, before meeting her again at a pre-arranged location a week or so later.

This set me on a course which I think I was meant to be on.

Later, I joined the TA, specifically the reserve batallion of the Parachute Regiment. This got me even more comfortable and self reliant outdoors than I had ever been, and helped me with many outdoor skills such as route selection and navigation.

After being deployed to Iraq in 2003, I bought my first digital camera and from there gained a hobby, which turned into a passion, and eventually an art.

I've taught myself from books and the internet, with a little help from a dvd now and then once the mechanics of picture taking, it's down to the person behind the camera to try and show the vision that they have for the conditions they find themselves in. I refer to this as photographic the feel of a place, rather than photographing the actual place. (It makes sense to me at any rate.)

I use photoshop in the same way as photographers before me used the darkroom, to bring out the very best in the photograph I choose to be 'the shot'. I don't replace skies or change colours, I don't use software to generate HDR images that give you headaches to view. I do make the most of the shot that I have chosen, and process it for feel, rather than look.

If you have an emotional response to one of my works, (a good emotional response!), then my work is done.

Lewis Golbourn
July 2011