User Profile

I am a twenty-two year old literature student suffering from chronic depression, studying and living with my Fiance in Glasgow, Scotland. I spend most of my time divided between the city centre and the west end.

I write, and I photograph. My writing is few and far between now; no longer do I write as profusely as I once did, and I am inclined to keep it to myself. I write short pieces instead of longer ones, to the despair of any attempts to keep a proper portfolio. I write because I do: I have never sat down and attempted to write, but rather it passes over me and flows out, and I have to obey the urge to type or scrawl. Before I could pick up a pen and form legitimate words, I would narrate stories to relatives and have them jot them down for me. I spent my time in pre-school nursery classes on my own, looking at books I couldn't quite read yet. I have been consistently drawn to literature throughout my life, as both writer and reader, and have always identified as a writer. I plan to stay within academia and research and lecture, and dream about having lots of bookshelves when I have space for them to arrange my boxes and boxes of books on.

Most of my photography is city based: I'm interested in architecture, grime, people, rubbish, and graffiti. Sometimes other photographs sneak into my photostream such as pictures of my four Roborovski hamsters, snapshots of friends, and images of small and interesting trinkets I collect.

I am strictly an amateur photographer: my photostreams greatly varies in quality, but as time passes I find myself increasingly pleased with my captures. I became interested in photography when I moved to my first small flat in the west end, where I used disposable cameras to document the many discarded toasters and kettles that line the streets at the end of every month when leases end and people move on. In unfamiliar and impersonal roads I found evidence of life; of irons that would once have ironed clothes, of fridges empty that once would have held all kinds of food. These inanimate, everyday objects hinted at the mundanity of existence, despite their forlorn states on empty, rainy streets. I felt less alone looking at a vacuum cleaner on its side, with dust (skin, hair...) still trailing from the end.

After that, I moved onto compact digital. I started with a chunky 3.2mp Canon, upgraded to a Samsung with 6mp, and now I have my first DSLR: the Nikon D40. It was a gift from my Fiance, who I am to marry in April 2010. I admit to not using many of the wonderful functions and tricks it has, but often am content to use the auto settings. I'm starting to feel the need to expand my abilities: to take pictures in the evening streets, to quickly capture moving strangers, and I'm learning slowly. I have no interest in the technical side of photograpy, but in just having fun capturing small things I find interesting, or beautiful, or poignant.

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