My name is Owen Watkins. I am a photographer based in Chester, UK. Born in Ystradgynlais in the South Wales coalfield, I grew up in a Welsh-speaking, chapel-going family in a typical tight-knit valleys community. When I left to go to university in London I entered a different world in so may ways. After a spell living and working in and around London I moved here in the late 1990s with my family. The children have now grown up, and my wife and I have firmly embraced it as home.

Almost wholly self-taught, I had a long career in business before leaving the corporate world to focus on photography. I was lucky enough to combine an international career with a love of travelling. It allowed me to visit places I would otherwise not have known, to work with and make friends with people from so many diverse backgrounds and cultures. Over a number of years I have taken my camera to many parts of the world, from the north coast of Iceland to the Indian Ocean coast of South Africa, the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia to the Red Centre of Australia.

I enjoy the world around me, the spectacles nature provides us, and I want to celebrate what I have captured with my cameras. The galleries on this site feature some of my favourite images over the years and currently. I am now taking a particular interest in portrait and boudoir photography, for which I maintain separate web sites. Please do take a few moments to explore these sites as well as enjoying the galleries here.

Many people who have enjoyed my images have taken the trouble to let me know. It is always humbling to find that someone else is moved by an image I have captured. It has also shown me that there are no barriers such as geography, age or cultural background between them and my work. If you like what you have seen, please do send me your comments using the form on my contacts page. It would be great to read them.