My first interest in photography started when I picked up an 8mm Cine Camera from a junk shop in my early teens. I made a few short films using my friends as actors which was a lot of fun. I joined the British Airways Camera Club in 1980, then I purchased my first 35mm camera, a Praktica. It didn’t have a light meter so it was a guessing game. F11 if the Sun was out f5.6 if it was overcast! It was a nervous time when entering your first competition wondering if the visiting Judge would like your entry.
I learnt a lot over the next few months and years so took the plunge and acquired a Nikon FM2 with a 50mm f1.4 lens. I also acquired a lovely 135mm f2.5 Nikon lens. They were manual focus lens (autofocus was a long way off) Amazingly these old lenses still fit on modern DSLR cameras and the mirrorless with a adapter.I then purchased another Nikon FM2s body, which allowed me to have one loaded with colour transparency (slide film) and one with black and white film. Soon I ventured into developing and printing.

The introduction of Digital photography changed everything, no more darkroom sessions with the smelley chemicals! I attended quite a few Photoshop courses which helped with the steep learning curve. Who could have imagined that when I started photography, that in the future you could see the shot you have just taken on the back of your camera and then on a computer to edit and sometimes make a duff shot into a great shot. When BACC finally closed in 2013 I joined WPS and that has been a really great club as well.
I held a couple of committee positions at WPS which I enjoyed. I still till this day get sticky palms when the judges talk about my submissions!!