Sea Rae Photography

I currently live in Denbighshire in North Wales, working as a chef in a café. My background is as a geotechnical engineer (having studied geology at Cardiff University), with stints as a factory worker and in the Army, so I have a varied past to draw from.

I had always wanted to learn about photography but never really knew where to start. I tried an online theory course but that is really not my learning style (at least initially), so I soon gave up. Then, in 2021, I was thrown into the deep end by being placed in the media capture team whilst I was on deployment with the Army in Estonia. After 9 months of on-the-job learning for photography, videography, and editing, I knew the basics and had also had many photos from my time there published in newspapers, but now I needed to develop my own style.

Immediately after this deployment, I spent 9 months travelling and undertaking wildlife conservation internships in Southeast Asia (primarily Malaysia and Thailand). I loved making wildlife and travel photos. Capturing the way of life of local cultures was particularly interesting to me. I spent 5 months in one remote Karen village in northern Thailand, where the villagers soon came to know me as the one always holding a camera. My passion for underwater photography came after spending my last month scuba diving in Koh Tao. I am still developing in this area, as anyone who has tried this knows that underwater equipment is an investment.

More recently I have joined an online community that sets weekly challenges with varying themes. Through this I have started experimenting with abstract photography and am in love with some of these methods and the outcomes they produce, especially with the landscapes in North Wales.

I tend to have an ‘in-the moment’ approach to photography, always keeping my eye open for interesting moments or subjects and draw inspiration from the environment around me. Everything has potential as a photography subject, if only you look at it from a different angle.

I have recently finished my website, with the hopes of expanding my clientele and developing my portfolio.

Visit: www.searaephotography.com