Marie Stone

About me

My introduction to photography came at an early age when I attended our local annual audio-visual slide-shows with my parents. My first camera was the SLR Yashica FX-D, which I still have today. I found that the technique of using the camera came naturally to me, I just needed to be visually shown what to do and I was away.

At the first wedding I photographed I was just 17 years old. Wedding and portrait jobs would come my way and I would bring my courage and skills together to produce great wedding and portrait photography.

In 1993 I was offered the assistant photographer role at Madame Tussauds. I enjoyed two fantastic years there meeting many celebrities such as The Dalai Lama, Joanna Lumley, Tony Blair, Linford Christie, Hugh Grant, Pierce Brosnan and Lenny Kravitz.

Due to the increased success of my own portrait and wedding photography, I made the decision to leave Madame Tussauds and progress to building my own photography business. I used a medium format camera, a Bronica SQAi with lenses and a Metz flash gun. I loved using it, the square image gives a fantastic and unique composition.

One thing that I found a challenge was being a young female photographer! Some wedding and portrait customers found it hard to accept that I could produce such quality. Their view quickly changed after seeing the outcome.

I was commissioned to photograph Wes Baker working as a Pastor in Cape Town. This was where I first experienced my own creative photography. Wow, what a life changing experience! I came back with many 35mm and 120 medium format black & white and colour films of outstanding images, a year later I hand-printed the best images onto fibre-base paper, which were exhibited locally.
In June 2005 one of my prints was accepted into the Royal Photographic Society 148th International Print Exhibition.

Being a photographer has a way of reminding me how amazing life is, to be living in the moment, to be totally present. It is impossible to overstate the importance of the communication between photographer and subject, this goes far beyond spoken language - often not available in foreign locations - and relies heavily on sympathetic eye-contact and body-language.

I am not a reportage photographer, nor am I a travel photographer, I am here to capture the beauty in this world and not capitalize on the misfortune of others.
I currently use a Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II.

For the last year I have been working towards producing my new photography book 'Beauty Is Within'. If you would like to purchase a copy of the book it is available by visiting my website www.mariestone.co.uk. To view, or purchase prints of the images in the book follow the links 'By Location', 'By Subject' or use the 'Search' option.
Marie Stone x