For most of the last 25 years I have worked in academia in the UK and New Zealand, currently as Senior Research Fellow and manager of the Geochemistry Laboratory at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. I am a geologist, but my research interests lie in applying trace element and isotope geochemistry to investigate the geochemical history of the Earth and the evolution of the solar system. I use mass spectrometry to study some of the youngest rocks in the solar system, as well as some of the oldest. The fruits of those labours can be found here – LINK.

My research on meteorites and the clues they hold about the evolution of the early solar system overlaps with a life-long amateur interest in astronomy, which in turn overlaps with a deep interest in photography. Whilst lab-based geochemistry involves technical proficiency and making careful, highly accurate and precise measurements using specialised instruments, the hobby of astrophotography has many parallels but permits some artistic license and creative latitude in the final result. Accurately capturing ancient photons from sometimes extremely distant objects and rendering them into beautiful, eye-catching images is what I get up to when I’m at my observatory in the Wairarapa and not in the lab. This website presents some of the fruits of those labours. Please check out my images, and If you’d like to own a print copy of any of my creations, I’d be very pleased to oblige!