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About Mike Herring |
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| Naturism came in to the lives of Mike and
Valerie in 1968. Through the pressure of working for an International Printing
/Manufacturing Company as Art/Photographic & Technical Print Manager, 7 days a week,
Valerie (wife and mother of three) declared that a break away from the situation was a
must. Mike was amused that the holiday was to be taken at a Sun Club. Valerie had thought
long and hard on this, and so arrangements were made through the CCBN who advised as the
clubs available. The family was left at home with the grandparents and, caravan in tow,
Mike and Valerie settled down to the start of what has turned out to be a new way of life. As a result of this short break, the family was then introduced to the lifestyle. Dawn, then 7 years old, Teresa 2 and Paul 1, all took to naturism straight away, so much so that the caravan remained at the club and each weekend was enjoyed with our new found naturist friends. In 1975. Mike started up his own design and photographic studio, and it was this period that naturist friends were asking for their photographs to be processed in the small studio laboratory. In 1979, Mike started up a film service for naturists and found that the demand was great, so much so that this had to be expanded. This Naturist Film Service is now some 20 years old, and the family are involved in processing the volume through the system. Valerie handles the admin side of the service and Mike controls the quality plus the host of letters which is all a part of providing a personal service for naturists. Arriving out of this film service came commissions from naturist tour operators for Mike to carry out photography at various resorts to be published in brochures. In 1979 the first project started, and the family were treated to the first of many invites to the continent to watch Dad photographing the naturist at leisure. In 1985 Mike and Valerie, through their travels, found that there was a lack of information available, not only for the naturists but also for people wishing to join in the lifestyle of naturism. Mike, Valerie and family were now well enough known by naturists and the various campsite owners, and so a video was thought to be required. Several industrial videos had been filmed and produced by Mike, and so it was a natural lead into the first video on naturism.
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The first two videos, "Freedom of France (1985)," and "Back to Nature (1985)," Mike worked on his own, the moral support coming from Valerie. These two videos were well received by naturists, so much so that Mike has produced 15 to date with the latest one at the mixing stage. Paul, like most young people drifted away from naturism at the age of 14, however in 1989 asked to join in the family business so as to learn photography and video filming, that was at the age of 19. Since that time Mike and Paul have traveled some 14 thousand miles across the continent filming the naturist way of life. Wherever possible Valerie also travels with them, leaving the running of the naturist film service and photographic practice to the two daughters Dawn and Teresa. |
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| It is fair to say that this has become a family business. The success comes out of being naturists, understanding the lifestyle through living it, and above all else having respect for the naturists that keenly allow themselves to be filmed and interviewed which helps to promote naturism.
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