I started ‘serious’ photography in early 2015 when I bought a Panasonic/Lumix camera and two lenses. I joined a club, signed up for night school, joined a workshop group and started to soak in lots and lots of stuff about and around photography.
Things went well and I really enjoyed myself. It was not long before my pictures were doing well in my small local club and, acting on advice, I started to enter national competitions, mainly British photographic exhibitions (BPE) events.
It was around this time in 2017 that a major event took place. I showed my non photographer wife some pictures that a friend had published of his photo safari to South Africa. Within a short time of her seeing those images we had booked our holiday safari to Botswana, Namibia and South Africa and my wife became a new-born photographer!
We’ve since done another couple of trips out there in 2018, 2019 and 2022 and have had some wonderful experiences as well as learning a lot about photography and coming away with one or two award winning shots. We plan to visit again in 2023
Just over two years ago I joined the RPS and achieved my LRPS and have since gone on to get my ARPS, AIPF and a DPAGB. A friend of mine advised me to have a go at international salons and I’ve managed to get my GPU 3 crown, GPU Aphrodite, and GPU VIP 2. Alongside these I became a PPSA, AFIAP and my special distinction of E.HPS/Platinum from the Hellenic Photographic Society. I’ve had a print accepted into the PAGB’s Master of Print and represented England in a few FIAP international competitions. I don’t intend stopping any time soon.
I am now a member of the exclusive Evolve Group based in the north of England.
Sharing the hobby with my wife means we can take holidays and breaks away together without needing to entertain a non-photographer who doesn’t understand why you want to get up at 4:30 in the morning and stand around for hours looking at nothing, waiting for ‘that’ moment. We have shared trips to Mull, the Lakes as well as regular trips to local spots to keep an eye on local happenings.
I still regard myself as a lucky photographer, lucky to have the support of my wife, lucky to have been able to visit and shoot in Africa, lucky to have gained some wonderful friends to share my passions with and lucky to have done and experienced lots of things with and connected to photography.
ARPS, AIPF, PPSA, AFIAP, GPU 3cr, GPU Aphrodite, GPU VIP 2, DPAGB, E.HPS/Platinum, GM.APS, A.CPE, A.NPS