My interest in photography started as a child with a Hanimex 110 automatic camera, then took a more serious turn when my parents gave me a Pentax MX 35mm SLR camera for my 15th birthday. My brother already had a Praktica SLR and we both joined the camera club at our school where we learned to use the cameras properly and also all about the development and print process which was absolutely fascinating.
We were fortunate enough to eventually have our own darkroom at home and then, later on, when digital started to come along, I embraced it with both arms having studied and earned my living in the field of Information Technology so already knowing my way around a computer and the concepts of file manipulation and storage.
Having albums and books to look back on family holidays, local walks or major adventures fascinates me just as much as poring over the most breathtaking and inspiring formal images by others. My photographic interests are wide and varied but I’ve always had a particular penchant for wildlife and travel.
I’ve always loved to be out in the open, walking up the towpaths of local canals, taking bracing walks by the sea, and pottering through woods and forests noticing each ray of light coming in through the trees, every bird, mammal, and insect and the plants too. When I’m in a town or city I notice the details of the fabric of buildings and look for interesting or unusual sights around me. We’d come back from a day out at a famous landmark and I’d have more photos of the rivets and bricks than of the site itself.
When I first started on my IOP Diploma journey I regarded myself as someone who liked taking a lot of photographs, some of which were, occasionally, quite good. I’d always shied away from taking staged portraits, using flash under any circumstances, and, despite owning many over the years, deploying a filter of any kind. After taking photographs for 40 years, I have learned so much on this course that I am now comfortable in calling myself a photographer.
I now love taking portraits and using filters on landscapes, I really enjoy making long exposures in my landscapes and I’m even starting to enjoy using flash, even multiple flashes when the need arises. Another interesting observation from my IOP studies is that I now take far fewer photographs and I spend a lot less time editing my images, all because I have much more confidence in what I’m doing with the camera and the software. I happily recommend IOP to anyone as it has certainly helped me to take better photographs and make far better images.
I live in West Lancashire and South Ayrshire. By day I’m an IT Manager, I’m also a part-time musician and at all times I’m a husband, father, and grandfather all of which I’m eternally grateful for.
I still have the Pentax!
