About

I am a UK-based photographer and technology professional with a long-standing interest in people, systems, and how thoughtful work can improve everyday life.

My work brings together creativity and practicality. Through photography, I focus on place, structure, and atmosphere. Through writing and professional projects, I explore technology, leadership, and the human side of modern work.

I value clarity, empathy, and kindness, and I take a human-centred approach to everything I do. I am particularly interested in inclusion, neurodiversity, and creating environments where people feel understood, supported, and able to do their best work.

I am an autism ally, informed by personal experience. This perspective shapes how I think about leadership, communication, and wellbeing, both in professional settings and beyond.

Alongside my main work, I maintain several independent projects, including a technology publication (UK Tech Blog) and creative spaces focused on music & gaming (FYRTEK.com), and collectibles (Blythe Husbando). These projects allow me to explore ideas in depth while staying grounded, curious, and current.

AlanGurling.com is my professional home online. It brings together my photography, writing, and the values that guide my work.

Popular posts from this blog

This is why I listen to metal

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Metal has always been the light in the darkness for me I recently started a Spotify playlist, and I named it “This is why I listen to metal”. For the longest time, I’ve always found solace in listening to some of the loudest, complex, aggressive music, that humanity has ever produced. See, at a young age, I was exposed to a lot of people doing illegal drugs. During my pre-teen years, I discovered that I had an affinity for rock music. It wasn’t until I was in high school where I was exposed to the more harsher forms of music, under the guise of rock. The 90’s just started, grunge was all the rage, and catchy choruses was the lifeline I needed back then. I remember back then, I could not understand Slayer, nor appreciate the intensity at which they were playing. It wasn’t until a couple of decades later that I realised how chaotic my life was back then. But that’s another story for another time. I wasn’t a metalhead back then, not yet. I don’t think I ever expected to be one. The heavie...
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That one time I helped a NEET get a job in Japan

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  The Grounds at St. Paul's Cathedral This is one of my favourite stories to tell about when I was a Work Coach at the local Jobcentre here in West London. It's interesting for me in several ways, and it's significantly one of the main reasons why I believe in being kind to others can result in the most positive change you can help influence in someone's life. This happened sometime around 2011-2012, around the time that the world was starting to rebound from the recession just a few years prior. I was working in a Jobcentre as a Work Coach. A Work Coach is someone who meets the unemployed and helps them secure opportunities that will eventually help them get back to full time employment. My "cohort" at the time was focused on 18-24 year olds who were unemployed for at least 13 weeks, or 3 months. Young adults, basically. I have met many interesting personalities, and it wasn't always pleasant.  There was a young lady who was kicked out of her parent'...
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Things I Like: Smartphones

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Photo by  Nakita Cheung  on  Unsplash Smartphones are awesome. I was reading this article earlier on The Verge about how an iPhone has essentially replaced so many of the writer's other gadgets. I totally agree. I'd go even one further and say that my smartphone has essentially replaced my wallet. Living in London, my smartphone is my digital assistant. It's essential and central to a lot of the things that I do daily. My current phone is a Samsung Galaxy S7 edge. The phone itself deserves a whole post on its own, and I'll most likely post it on my other blog . So what do I do with my smartphone? On a normal working day: Alarm - Several alarms actually. And I can customise how I "snooze" my way out of bed. Newspaper - I skim through the Breaking News just to be sure that the world didn't end while I was sleeping, or that someone discovered a cure for cancer, or we decided to stop using money and follow Star Trek's lead and focus on being...
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