A renowned Pembrokeshire film-maker and photographer has spoken of how he found his vocation while at a crossroads in his life.

Steven Clarey, who is based in Tenby, now works in the the film and media industry with large global brands such as Panasonic, Red Bull, Monster Energy, Aston Martin F1 on his client list.

“I’ve been fortunate to have so many highlights in my career so far from shooting the launch campaign for the Panasonic Lumix GH5 in Mozambique, working on the Drift Innovation European Tour in 2013, working with Quest TV on Le Mans 24-hour in 2016/17, and my current role of feature cameraman on the FIA World Rallycross Championship to name a few,” he said.

Steven had reached a crossroads in his life when he enrolled as a student at University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) in Carmarthen. He had just left a job in which he was really unhappy. He decided that he should try something different and applied to university.

“I wanted to do something creative and even though I had no experience in film or media I thought it would be a good direction to go in,” he said.

“It also helped that the campus in Carmarthen was in a great location and near to my parents’ house.

“When I initially signed up my main focus was enjoying the student life and partying and having fun.

“However, the second I picked up a camera and started filming content my focus changed completely. The lecturers were extremely supportive of the direction I was taking my imagery, which was filming surfing and extreme sports.”

His favourite aspect of the course was the practical element which allows students the flexibility to film projects that suit them and their style.

The course kickstarted Steven’s career by allowing him the time to practice his craft alongside his studies, with the lecturers on hand to help nurture his skills and navigate the industry.

Steven would spend a lot of time filming surfing during his studies. The skills Steven gained from this has really helped him in his current career in filmmaking.

Steven learnt a great deal from the course from editing, composition, and skills that enabled him to hit the ground running.

“The lectures on cinematography were also a really big help,” he said. “There were so many aspects of filmmaking that I had no idea about previously. I also really enjoyed how much practical work we had to do.

“I’m not a huge fan of essays and although essays were a vital part of the course, I focused most of my attention on the practical assignments.

“It’s a struggle to put into words how much support I had from the lecturers during my time at the university. It was as if they helped turn on a part of my brain that wasn’t there previously, instilling me with the confidence to achieve whatever I wanted to. They also really helped me navigate working with brands and establishing myself as a working freelancer.”

Dr Brett Aggersberg, BA Film & Media Programme Director is extremely proud of Steven’s achievements. He said: “Steven was the inspiration for us to establish the BA adventure filmmaking degree.

"As a student, he produced exciting films based on the outdoors and surfing. Then as a graduate, he continued to specialise in adventurous films and photography, whilst travelling the globe and working for major brands.

“Steven is an example of what we hope our students will achieve by studying and engaging in our creative and industry-focused courses.”

As Steven’s career continues to flourish, he is encouraging others to follow in his footsteps and to study film and media at UWTSD.

“I would say to go for it,” he said.