A bit of personal history and comment if you are interested…
It was my mother who first got me interested in photography. She had worked as a retoucher for Archie Handford, a portait studio in Croydon that was well-known between the world wars. Her only equipment was a fine brush, a sharp knife, a tube of Chinese White, a tube of Lamp Black and a good pair of eyes. She could never have dreamed of what is available today with the vast range of retouching possibilities offered by Photoshop.
My first camera was a Brownie Box, which at the time cost 25/-. I was told to hold the camera still when I pressed the shutter button, and not to point it into the sun. My first roll of film revealed a snap of my mum looking apprehensively at the camera, certain that I was about to get something wrong.
Several cameras later, I bought my first single lens reflex, a Topcon Uni. It was the cheapest fully automatic SLR I could find, and it came with a 50mm and a 200mm lens, both of fixed focal length. The total cost was £29.50.
I moved up to the professional level with my next camera; an Olympus OM1. Almost the first thing I did was to drop it onto a concrete path – not recommended, but it survived without damage. I later added an OM2. In due course these were replaced with a pair of Nikons.
It has always taken me time to become comfortable with any new technology. So I had resisted the move to digital, despite some of the clear advantages that it offered. But when all my photographic gear was stolen on a visit to Uganda, I recognised it was time to make the change. I have certainly not regretted it.
My primary interest is landscape and architecture, and finding images which evoke a particular mood. The planet on which we find ourselves is an amazing part of creation, and the changing seasons, weather and terrain provide endless opportunities for recording its diversity. But it is so often the lighting that makes the difference between a great and a mediocre shot.
A set of extension tubes opened up another world, allowing me to explore some of the detail that we so easily miss.
Thank you for visiting my website. I hope you will enjoy viewing this selection of images.
My first camera was a Brownie Box, which at the time cost 25/-. I was told to hold the camera still when I pressed the shutter button, and not to point it into the sun. My first roll of film revealed a snap of my mum looking apprehensively at the camera, certain that I was about to get something wrong.
Several cameras later, I bought my first single lens reflex, a Topcon Uni. It was the cheapest fully automatic SLR I could find, and it came with a 50mm and a 200mm lens, both of fixed focal length. The total cost was £29.50.
I moved up to the professional level with my next camera; an Olympus OM1. Almost the first thing I did was to drop it onto a concrete path – not recommended, but it survived without damage. I later added an OM2. In due course these were replaced with a pair of Nikons.
It has always taken me time to become comfortable with any new technology. So I had resisted the move to digital, despite some of the clear advantages that it offered. But when all my photographic gear was stolen on a visit to Uganda, I recognised it was time to make the change. I have certainly not regretted it.
My primary interest is landscape and architecture, and finding images which evoke a particular mood. The planet on which we find ourselves is an amazing part of creation, and the changing seasons, weather and terrain provide endless opportunities for recording its diversity. But it is so often the lighting that makes the difference between a great and a mediocre shot.
A set of extension tubes opened up another world, allowing me to explore some of the detail that we so easily miss.
Thank you for visiting my website. I hope you will enjoy viewing this selection of images.