Like many photographers, my path to this point has not been straightforward, though with hindsight there's always been an alternative thread to my technical life bubbling gently away in the background.

I began my career with a physics degree which led me into the electronics industry. Five years of circuit design, then twenty five* years as a software engineer at IBM were followed by a period employed as a technical illustrator. Eventually I realised the joys of technical work life had paled: time for a new challenge ...

Since my school days photography and nature have complemented and enriched my day-to-day life. I worked from my mid-teens till leaving university at a garden centre and local authority gardens department. Photography played its part, helping to fund my way through university with team and individual portrait shots. While working in software design I spent five years in part-time education to gain the Master of Horticulture (part 1) ** with the intention of a career change that never materialised.

After my early escape from 'conventional' work, I spent several years selling my photographs at shows and invited exhibitions. This was followed by a change in direction to commissioned work - predominantly for a local estate agent. This work stalled with the Covid-19 pandemic - the enjoyment of a cup of tea and a chat with the sellers, while photographing their property, was thwarted by the necessary precautions and restrictions of the pandemic. Since then my main focus has been personal projects and portraits.

Over the recent years my interest in history has grown, so after Covid I began volunteering at Winchester Cathedral. I'm now part of the Tower Tour team leading visitors into parts of the Cathedral dating back to the late 11th century. On my Projects tab you can find how I'm trying to connect history and photography with local interest miscellanea.

* To be accurate, I narrowly missed 25 years and my "long service clock". Took me a while to recover from that disappointment ;-)

** The current MHort is now a rather different qualification. Then it was two days of written exams followed by a day and half of practical examination at RHS Wisley, a year later, . I recall the intense, commercial level, craft skills at speed were the hardest part for me to master. The only similarity now seems to be in the name. I have vivid and fond memories of those years. Leaving my desk at IBM for an evening at Sparsholt College and/or their library was always a healthy escape from coding.

For latest examples of my photographs take a look on my Instagram account: @barryedgeimages