Photography - Introducing Myself

["Scott Engering" <Scott@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Where do I begin? I am supposed to start with some kind
of 'job title' indicating my interest in stone but what
do you call someone whose working interests draw upon
and combine the following? Geologist, surveyor,
archaeologist, conservationist, lecturer and writer.

The best I could come up with was Building Stone
Consultant. Still none the wiser? Before all of this I
used to be a simple building restoration contractor,
with specialist interests in the matching of stone for
the repair of historic buildings! You are all welcome to
ask how I got here but, before this thread gets taken
off-line as a 'commercial plug', I should quickly add
that the words Pauper or Mad could easily be included in
the equation, since I can't honestly say that this has
earned me a regular income and, possibly, never will and
has nearly driven me to complete and utter despair.

Let's stick to photographer, as my camera has always
been by my side (7000 images), it provides my link with
sculpture and because I think that my eyes are better
suited to working with stone than my hands. This isn't
to say that I have no appreciation of the 'hands on'
aspects of the material because I spent a back breaking
few months in a quarry at the sawing table, cutting a
variety of materials into all shapes, sizes and quality
of finish, just to appreciate the stonemasons' point of
view.

Anyhow, whether it's at the edge of a steaming volcanic
crater, down a mine, up a scaffold or just walking along
a rocky coastline to take in the air and pick up the
occasional interesting fossil, I have always got a few
words to say on the matter.

As far as sculpture is concerned, I have never felt
compelled to pour my heart and soul into a block of
stone but given the opportunity, by the offices of the
National Monuments Record, to scour the towns of the
East Midlands and Yorkshire, to photograph examples of
post war architectural, monumental and other
freestanding subjects, I have been left with an ever
keen and observant eye to appreciate and record good
quality work, be it in the Netherlands, Italy or Milton
Keynes.

I look forward to some intelligent and stimulating
conversations.

SCOTT ENGERING