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I am a freelance photographer who specialises in documentary, creative portraiture and fine art photography. I am a qualified member of both the Royal Photographic Society and the British Institute of Professional Photography, holding both the ABIPP and ARPS qualifications. I have been practising photography for around 18 years now and started with my first film camera all those years ago. I was shooting film for years before I got into digital photography when it first started to become popular. I cannot remember what the first digital camera was that I bought, but I know the quality was terrible! Digital photography has improved significantly since then and about 6 years ago I bought my first real DSLR. It was a fantastic camera and I spent many days wandering around with that and a cheap Sigma lens attached. This really was the start of me taking photography seriously and thinking about making the leap from amateur to pro. In early 2009 I left my full time job to pursue my career as a photographer and set upon the path to becoming a qualified professional. In 2010 I was awarded my Associates qualification in the BIPP and the RPS for my documentary photography and since then I have started my journey into documenting traditional tribal cultures in Africa. This body of personal work is supported by my commercial work, where I provide portrait, commercial and fine art services to a range of clients from local small to medium size businesses up to media giants such as Red Bee Media and Channel 4. As a side note, you can also refer to me by my Maasai name “Lomayani” which translated means “the one who gives” . This name was given to me by the Maasai village elders after living with them in the African bush, and also donating money for resources to help them build their local school. If you want to get in touch, please visit my website at http://www.jamesoliverstone.co.uk