In his own words, "I had my first camera at around the age of 6 or 7 as a Christmas present from my parents. It was part of an “Adventure Kit” which also had a pair of binoculars, a compass and a water bottle included. I wanted to join the camera club at school, which ran in the lunch breaks, but it was over subscribed and so I didn’t really start to take photography seriously until studying it in Brighton during the early ‘90’s. I think the “Adventure kit” may have sparked my love of travel, as well as my passion for photography.
My first break came shortly after completing my studies at the Brighton College of Technology, I bluffed my way backstage at a rock festival, barged into new wave pop legend Toyah Willcox's dressing room, and secured a deal to shoot an album cover for her. It was a very exciting time.
Since then my work has usually involved montage. It used to be out of necessity, from having to work in tight spaces and not being able to afford expensive fabrics and props for large sets, but it's now become an integral part of my style... I aim to create images that have a richness and sumptuousness to them, and I love high camp and kitsch.
I have more recently ventured into video making, which has been a natural progression from my stills photography. I have done several pop promo videos, and am currently planning more projects, which will come to fruition later this year."
To view more of Dean's work, please visit my online galleries at either: http://www.deanstockings.co.uk or http://www.myspace.com/dean_stockings
