The Early Years (1972–1985)
My interest in photography began at the age of seventeen while I was studying at North Cestrian Grammar School in Altrincham, Cheshire. During my time in the lower sixth form, our common room was tucked away in the upper floors of the old school building. It was there that a few of us discovered a small, long-abandoned room that had once been used as a darkroom.
After receiving permission to restore it, we cleaned it from top to bottom and brought it back into working order. That dusty little room became the birthplace of my lifelong passion. We spent most lunchtimes — and often stayed after school — learning to process our own black-and-white films and develop prints on photographic paper.
My first camera was a Zenit-B, a fully manual Soviet SLR without a light meter. It forced me to learn exposure the traditional way, by judgment and experience. Sadly, none of my early negatives survived, though the memories of those first prints remain vivid.
In 1974, I joined Altrincham Photographic Society, where I spent three to four years learning from more experienced photographers, entering competitions, and gaining confidence in my developing style.
After leaving school, I moved on to C6 slide film, processing all my own transparencies. There was something magical about spending a day taking photographs and then viewing the slides the same evening — a thrill that never quite fades. I also began producing colour prints using the Cibachrome process, known for its rich, glossy results.
Once I started working, I finally had some spare money. I upgraded to a Carena SLR with a Pentax 42mm screw mount and gradually built up a sizeable collection of lenses. That camera served me well until shortly after I married in 1985, when it failed — and with finances tight, I couldn’t replace it. That marked the end of my first era in photography.
Digital SLR (2007–2016)
My return to photography came in 2007, on my 52nd birthday, while on holiday in Spain. I purchased my first digital SLR — the Olympus E-400 — a camera I had admired for some time.
Almost immediately after returning home, I joined Warrington Photographic Society, where I found a welcoming community and a renewed sense of creative energy.
As part of joining Warrington Photographic Society, I was soon co-opted as the club’s webmaster, drawing on my background in computer programming. I quickly transitioned the club’s website from Microsoft FrontPage to Joomla, giving the society a more modern and flexible online presence.
In July 2009, I upgraded to an Olympus E-520, which became my main camera until 2014, when I moved to a second-hand Olympus E-30 from the United States. Unfortunately, it required repairs as soon as it arrived, and even afterwards the images never felt quite right. They were often slightly soft, and looking back, I took noticeably fewer photographs during those years.
In July 2015, I dusted off the old E-520 and decided to give it a new life. I had it converted to infrared with a 580nm filter. The surreal, dreamlike quality of infrared photography opened up a completely new creative direction for me, especially when photographing water, foliage, and historic buildings.
Mirrorless Compact (2016–2026)
In July 2016, Olympus ran a “try before you buy” programme, and I borrowed an OM-D E-M1 Mark I with a 12–42mm lens and a 75–300mm telephoto. The results were outstanding — far superior to the E-30 —, and it became clear that my existing camera was holding me back.
By September 2016, I purchased the OM-D E-M1 Mark I, and later that same year, upgraded again to the E-M1 Mark II. Over time, I added several lenses and spent many happy hours photographing the local area.
In September 2020, I suffered a stroke, which made handheld photography difficult. A tripod has become an essential part of my workflow, but it hasn’t diminished my enthusiasm or creativity.
Towards the end of March 2024, I upgraded once more — this time to the Olympus OM-1, an incredibly fast and feature-rich camera. With the upgrade complete, my E-M1 Mark II became redundant, so I had it converted to full-spectrum infrared. With screw-in filters, I can now shoot from 590nm to 830nm, giving me enormous creative flexibility.
Today, I spend much of my time photographing flowers, insects, and the quiet details of the garden — a peaceful continuation of a photographic journey that began in a dusty school attic more than fifty years ago.