About Me

Me in my Element

Thanks for dropping by my site. My name is Taylor Young. I am based in East Grinstead, West Sussex. I have been a photographer for more than 16 years. It’s my main passion in life. Well, that and food! I am a huge foodie. I am lucky enough to make a living doing exactly what it is in life I love. That’s a rare thing and I have a lot of respect for those that can achieve it.

I began my photographic journey at age 15. I was given a Minolta film camera and shot literally hundreds, if not thousands of rolls of film until I went digital in 2005. I was actually quite slow in purchasing a digital camera. My justification was that there were perhaps 16 million pixels (in the highest megapixel camera at the time a Canon 1DS Mark II) yet there are billions of individual silver halide crystals (the analog equivalent to pixels) in a standard piece of 35mm film. I could scan in a piece of film and get 100MB files, whereas, even the most expensive camera at the time would only yield 25-30MB files.

But that way of thinking was quickly quelled when I got my first digital camera, the Canon EOS 1D. At 4.5MP it seems underwhelming now, but it was a big step for me. From that I upgraded to the Canon 1D Mark II N.  Then I decided I needed a smaller camera system, and at this point I wasn’t doing photography professionally, so I bought into the legendary Leica system. At over £4,000 my Leica M8 was without a doubt the most expensive camera I had ever purchased. Coupled with a set of lenses and I spent almost £7,000 on a camera system that didn’t have autofocus, or any other bells and whistles that modern day digital cameras have. So, when Nikon introduced the D300 I fell instantly in love and sold my Leica gear.

When I decided to finally go pro I ditched the Nikon and went back to Canon. With the 5D Mark II (my current camera) I had finally found my dream system and it has challenged and amused me ever since. I no longer switch camera systems and instead invest my money in higher-end lenses, such as my workhorse, the Canon 35mm f1.4 L lens and 100mm f2.8 L Macro lens.

I am supremely happy that I took the plunge, quit my day job and dedicated myself full-time to becoming a professional photographer. My schedule continues to get busier and busier. No doubt due to my competitive nature and unending search for techniques that will improve my photography. I believe that in order to be a true professional and to excel in your field you need to understand that you don’t know everything there is to know, and that there is always room for improvement.

Over the past couple of years I have built up a very respectable client list, which you can view here.

To view my full bio please click here.