Profile
My first photographic memories are of my Dad’s black and white images from his home-made darkroom. They were the usual – family and holiday photos. Dad had made his enlarger, from two green, metal desk-lamp shades and an Army Surplus bellows camera. He’d welded the two shades together and attached it via metal tubes to a stand.
Dad bought me a Halina Instamatic camera when I was 13. Then, when I was 18, I inherited his 18 year old Agfa bellows camera when he upgraded to a Zenith. The Agfa had no light meter but my uncle (also a photographer) gave me his Gossen light-meter. I used that combination for 9 years before getting a Canon SLR, which I bought just after the birth of our daughter – just like Dad had done when he bought that Agfa when I was born. I now use an Olympus Micro-four-third digital camera - it's unimaginably lighter than my old Canon Digital SLR and lenses!
Over the years, I enjoyed action or sport photography as I found it a challenge. For a number of years I specialised in photographing competitive swimming (my own sport) – which was definitely a challenge. I also enjoy landscape, natural history and travel photography.
Back in 1996, I joined a camera club and also started on a 3-year City and Guilds photography course at the local college. The C&G modules marks got me an exemption from the Royal Photographic Society (RPS) for a Licentiate award. Shortly after that I achieved my Photographic Alliance of Great Britain (PAGB) Credit award (2003). One year later I put in for my Associate award with the RPS and got it on the first time of trying. I felt on a roll and in the following year I tried for my Distinction award with the PAGB and got that too. I have tried for a Fellowship with the RPS in 2009, a Masters with the PAGB in 2010 and a Masters international award with FIAP in 2023 but were not successful in any of them but I did give them a go! I am happy with what I achieved.
For several years I was an ambassador for Paper Spectrum. They produce great inkjet papers, mount boards and icc profiling for perfect colour printing. Do take a look at their website (Opens link in a new window). I stood down from that position in 2024 as I stopped going to a camera club and so no longer lecture or judge to clubs. Although I stopped going to a camera club I have not stopped taking photos. I add my photos to this website, change the gallery of images on my walls at home and make books.
Every so often I entered national and international competitions. If images are 'accepted' they go on exhibition in the home town of the organising club. In National/British Photographic Exhibitions (BPE) I have got a BPE4* award which means I have had over 200 national acceptances. In International Exhibitions (FIAP) I have got a EFIAP/b (bronze) - awarded in June 2015. I was close to achieving my EFIAP/silver award when the FIAP rules changed in January 2016 which meant I would then need more than double what I had already had - as a consequence I decided to concentrated my efforts on BPEs and it was in August 2016 I achieved my BPE4*. Further FIAP rule changes along with the fact that since the summer of 2024 I am no longer a member of a camera club meant my exhibition days were over.
If anyone is considering doing the FIAP awards my best piece of advice is to keep very precise records of all your acceptances - country, individual salon names, FIAP number for that salon and year. It will make putting together your application a lot easier. Who needs ‘brain training’ when you have photography! For more info see my "Links - award info" page.
I have made several books of my photos and find this a good way to record my images, rather than most of them staying on a DVD or a computer hard drive. I believe photos are meant to be seen not hidden away. My latest travel book is "Vietnam 2008" - visited in 2008 but not published until 2021, it was the third book in the series of our SE Asia trip, the other books being Cambodia and Laos. I publishing my fourth Archive Book (photos from competitions) in 2023.
*See below for letters information -
LRPS – Licenciate of the Royal Photographic Society
ARPS – Associateship of the Royal Photographic Society
CPAGB – Credit award of the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain
DPAGB – Distinction award of the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain
BPE – British Photographic Exhibitions. 1 = 25; 2 = 50; 3 = 100; 4 = 200; 5 = 300 acceptances.
FIAP – Federation International Amateur Photographers
AFIAP – Artiste of FIAP
EFIAP – Excellence of FIAP
EFIAP/b - Excellence of FIAP, bronze level.
Dad bought me a Halina Instamatic camera when I was 13. Then, when I was 18, I inherited his 18 year old Agfa bellows camera when he upgraded to a Zenith. The Agfa had no light meter but my uncle (also a photographer) gave me his Gossen light-meter. I used that combination for 9 years before getting a Canon SLR, which I bought just after the birth of our daughter – just like Dad had done when he bought that Agfa when I was born. I now use an Olympus Micro-four-third digital camera - it's unimaginably lighter than my old Canon Digital SLR and lenses!
Over the years, I enjoyed action or sport photography as I found it a challenge. For a number of years I specialised in photographing competitive swimming (my own sport) – which was definitely a challenge. I also enjoy landscape, natural history and travel photography.
Back in 1996, I joined a camera club and also started on a 3-year City and Guilds photography course at the local college. The C&G modules marks got me an exemption from the Royal Photographic Society (RPS) for a Licentiate award. Shortly after that I achieved my Photographic Alliance of Great Britain (PAGB) Credit award (2003). One year later I put in for my Associate award with the RPS and got it on the first time of trying. I felt on a roll and in the following year I tried for my Distinction award with the PAGB and got that too. I have tried for a Fellowship with the RPS in 2009, a Masters with the PAGB in 2010 and a Masters international award with FIAP in 2023 but were not successful in any of them but I did give them a go! I am happy with what I achieved.
For several years I was an ambassador for Paper Spectrum. They produce great inkjet papers, mount boards and icc profiling for perfect colour printing. Do take a look at their website (Opens link in a new window). I stood down from that position in 2024 as I stopped going to a camera club and so no longer lecture or judge to clubs. Although I stopped going to a camera club I have not stopped taking photos. I add my photos to this website, change the gallery of images on my walls at home and make books.
Every so often I entered national and international competitions. If images are 'accepted' they go on exhibition in the home town of the organising club. In National/British Photographic Exhibitions (BPE) I have got a BPE4* award which means I have had over 200 national acceptances. In International Exhibitions (FIAP) I have got a EFIAP/b (bronze) - awarded in June 2015. I was close to achieving my EFIAP/silver award when the FIAP rules changed in January 2016 which meant I would then need more than double what I had already had - as a consequence I decided to concentrated my efforts on BPEs and it was in August 2016 I achieved my BPE4*. Further FIAP rule changes along with the fact that since the summer of 2024 I am no longer a member of a camera club meant my exhibition days were over.
If anyone is considering doing the FIAP awards my best piece of advice is to keep very precise records of all your acceptances - country, individual salon names, FIAP number for that salon and year. It will make putting together your application a lot easier. Who needs ‘brain training’ when you have photography! For more info see my "Links - award info" page.
I have made several books of my photos and find this a good way to record my images, rather than most of them staying on a DVD or a computer hard drive. I believe photos are meant to be seen not hidden away. My latest travel book is "Vietnam 2008" - visited in 2008 but not published until 2021, it was the third book in the series of our SE Asia trip, the other books being Cambodia and Laos. I publishing my fourth Archive Book (photos from competitions) in 2023.
*See below for letters information -
LRPS – Licenciate of the Royal Photographic Society
ARPS – Associateship of the Royal Photographic Society
CPAGB – Credit award of the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain
DPAGB – Distinction award of the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain
BPE – British Photographic Exhibitions. 1 = 25; 2 = 50; 3 = 100; 4 = 200; 5 = 300 acceptances.
FIAP – Federation International Amateur Photographers
AFIAP – Artiste of FIAP
EFIAP – Excellence of FIAP
EFIAP/b - Excellence of FIAP, bronze level.