Edward:  Welcome to Connex family Gaz! t´s such a great pleasure to have u here in the site. Let´s start up with your your personal interests. Tell us about yourself, hometown and how did you become interested in a career as a photographer?

Gaz:  Thanks for inviting me. My name is Gaz and I'm a photographer working in London. I enjoy travelling, being lucky to have visited some amaizing places in the world as well as taking advantage of London with it's theaters and Art galleries (sorry sounds a bit Miss World! LOL).

Originally from Harrow in north London where I went to Art college and studied Illustration and design I kind of fell into photography when I landed my first job working as a junior in a small design agency and had to assist on product shoots for Guinness and Johnny Walker amungst others.

I fell in love with it and within a year had started taking the shots professionally myself, for duty free departments and promotions around the world.

After a stint as art director for a toys and games company I returned to photography this time shooting people, had some successful exhibitions and it's all snowballed since then really shooting large campaigns to models portfolios to magazine covers (about 37 to date!).

Edward:  Do you think that digital era really helped the photographers concerning aspects like quality and tecnology?

Gaz:  Technology definatly, though computers and megapixels are a world apart from dark rooms and chemicals, the speed and ability to see emediatly what you have shot, download it and send it via the internet in seconds is a God send, quality I'm still not convinced about.

You could blow a grainy film pic up and it retained a charm to it but blowing a digital picture up showing the pixels looks terrible and I'd still prefer transparency for larger formats for depth of tones and sharpness... but I'm sure I'll have my mind changed on that in a couple of years time, or even months with the advances in technology.

Edward:  In your opinion what were the most remarkable achievments in photography in the last decade?

Gaz:  For me has to be one word - digital. You can't really get away from the fact it's transformed photography, and even made Joe average able to take a half decent pic on their cell phones now! (heh if Helena Christensen can do it ANYONE can!) Though I do think it has somewhat devalued the skill of 'real' photographers to some extent and now you need to be an expert in Photoshop rather than in the darkroom.

Edward:  What do you look most when selecting models to shoot?

Gaz:  hmmm, really it's my body's reaction... starts in my belly and rises up, loosens my jaw, I go deaf, become blinkered and the word 'WOW' usually slips out of the corner of my mouth and runs down my chin... seriously? I can't explain it... I know when I know, but usually the person that catches my eye standing at the back of the room rather than the one standing on a table yelling 'Look at me!'

Edward:  I´m sure you might have some funny/unusual model backstages stories Share with us some of these moments.

Gaz:  Loads but saving them for my biography LOL.. I did have a shoot the other week where the model 5 mins before the shoot walked into a metal post giving themselves a swollen and cut lip and cheek... luckily the model was ok and happy to still shoot and thankful good lighting, make up and strong shadows meant I didn't need to retouch them either!... have to say usually it's me who walks in to a post, breaks their leg baby sitting (don't ask), or has some strange thing happen before a shoot so made a change!

Edward:  You seem to have helped a number of models with their careers. What do you really feel about that?

Gaz:  I'm very proud of that actually... I do a lot of test shoots and often they are a blank canvass when it comes to modeling and I'm always full of ideas and happy to advise them, it's exciting for me too as inspires me when they aren't on 'auto pilot' with poses and they also take the time to talk which often doesn't happen on work shoots which are 'in-out' ...

I heard from a guy the other day I did his first portfolio in London last year and he's moved to Canada and just signed to a huge agency over there and thanked me for all his help... sweet huh?

Edward:  What advice would you give to models and to the aspiring ones?

Gaz:  Be humble! Models that are full of their own importance on a shoot seldom make it and your 'best friend' should be your photographer! Just really to be genuine, on time, prepared and 'on the ball'... it will stand you in good stead to never give anyone the opportunity to say something bad about you in this industry.

Edward: There must be special moments when you feel that you have  captured a perfect picture... Share this passion with us. How does this special moment happen?

Gaz:  I was taught studio photography by a guy who said there were 2 important things to remember when photographing someone. 1. Make a connection with the person as it will show in the picture. 2. Take the time to get the lighting right. I think he was right I take the trouble to talk to the people I'm shooting and try to connect with them, be it for a campaign or personal portrait the shots then become personal to me and that definitely makes better pictures.

I do love creating moods with the lighting too, as I started doing pack shots often having a day to take one shot I really learnt how to create moods and a perfect picture for me is when both the connection with the model and the lighting come together and when I can see in the picture what I see in the person that's a good feeling. Sometimes it might be the one candid frame capturing the model laughing during a serious shoot that can be the one I like the most...but that's just me.

Edward:  If you could select 5 fantastic places around the world for a shooting, which ones you´d choose and why?

Gaz:  Only 5? Ugh! India for 1 (though it could be all 5 easily) stunning people and country but the dusty light is magical. Santa Monica in January, not a sole about on the beaches and I have sat and watched the sun come up with the most amazing backdrop of colours I'll never forget.

I'm a big fan of historic places with atmosphere thanks to my parents taking me to stately homes and hotels as a child so period interiors fascinate me and I'm planning a few shoots later this year in some. I'd love to shoot on The Queen Mary and at Burgh Island Hotel, Cornwal for there art deco style and The Royal Society in London for it dramatic marble staircases.

Edward:  If a model wants to work with you, how do they get in touch?

Gaz:  Really easy, through my website www.pbg-portraits.com or http://myspace.com/picsbygaz just attach some pics and stats.

Edward:  Thanks for sharing your story with us Gaz. Leave a message to my Connex247 readers around the world and tell us about your expectations for this year!

Gaz:  Well I hope you like my work, I'm currently working on a book (my first) and hope to have it published later this year...will keep you posted.