Andy Biggs

Initially I trained as an engineer and my first interest was sailing. I started photography to record holiday experiences, which regularly involved travelling to sailing competitions.

I soon found more interest in the places visited rather than in the actual sailing. Much of my early work was in the form of slides and I found myself being invited to give slide shows to local groups. However, this work left me personally empty.

The turning point came at the Through the Looking Glass exhibition at the Barbican. Here I encountered the work of Hamish Fulton. The following weeks were spent finding more of his work and also that of Richard Long. Later I attended two workshops given by Fulton at The Photographer's Place, joined the RPS Contemporary Group and Independent Photography in the SouthEast (although I live in the Midlands). I also work with a small group called Heritage Independent Photographers, who are recording the life of Hednesford, Staffs. This group is based at the Valley Heritage Center in Hednesford, has had four exhibitions, and published a book.

I've had work hung in several group and personal exhibitions, which have looked at the landscape and man's influence on it. Recently I've started to build a body of work from Iceland, which I've raveled to on seven occasions; five of these have been by bicycle. It is a country I describe as “The place where the landscape begins”. I've attempted photographing the ice with various levels of success! Scanning small areas of a negative has produced the work shown here. This tends to give interesting colour casts and shows the original grain, focusing the viewer's attention.