I still remember his photographic club, which met in our house in Caringbah (Sydney) on a Friday night where slides would be shared through Dad’s Leica projector. Food and drink were laid on the table and sharing ideas was the order of the evening. I snuck into the lounge room on more than one occasion in my “jarmies” to plead for a piece of Mums cooking. I even remember the smell of the projector lamp burning to illuminate the slides on the glass-beaded screen that we had. Even waiting for the slides to pop and stretch in the mount to a flat surface in the projector brought me joy – watching them pop into clear and sharp focus as the heat stretched the slide in the mount!

 

He taught me so much and later we would venture into his darkroom where we would develop the negatives and print the prints using his Leica FOCOMAT 1c enlarger – which I still have today...The magic of seeing the prints appear on blank paper brought me such excitement and satisfaction I will never forget. It is amazing how the smell of photo chemicals still ignites the memories of these times working under the red safety light with my father.

 

To my fathers disgust I purchased my first self-funded camera – a Nikon FE with a 50mm 1.8 lens in 1980. I spent so much of my money on films and processing them – though I learnt a great deal. My favourite film was Ilford PAN F 50. So clean and grain free. I used my trusty Nikon for nearly 20 years – only adding a 28mm and an 80-200mm zoom as I became interested in concert photography. I loved to push process Kodak Ectachrome professional to 1600 ISO. I had a favourite place where I could drop them off straight after the concert on the way home and collect them the next day in Sydney.

 

I do not fit the demographic of this web site as I still shoot my Nikon monster SLR. I have been tempted to venture into a rangefinder though I am very happy with what my D800e produces for me. My main area of interest now lies in Landscape photography – but being a hobby photographer I also get asked to photograph events both at my school, friends weddings, family celebrations and Church events. I also love to dabble in portraiture work though my family have grown tired of me using them as models. I need a camera that can be used in a variety of situations with a variety of lenses. I need to be sure and comfortable with what I can be sure to capture. I tried a few smaller sensor cameras although I was disappointed in the results after I had viewed the results. The rendering of the Nikon is something I am used to and I have grown accustomed to processing them – I am still learning. Needless to say – I have also invested over the years in Nikon mount lenses and use them still today.

 

I try to stay fit and healthy in order to “lug” my SLR kit to various locations in my back pack. I need to as my passion has now developed beyond places that are easily reached by car or short walks. I love being active and seeing this amazing world God has created for us to enjoy!

 

I do admit I have gone back to my favourite focal length – 28mm and splurged last year on a manual focus Zeiss 28.2. I love it and the images it renders. I still love the 16-35 Nikon for my Landscape work as I regularly use Lee ND grads to help with exposures.

 

My passion for photography continues to grow and I still love getting out there and sharing a little of what I see with those who are willing to take the time to look at and share my photos. Many times have I been on the coast after getting up at 3:00am while on holidays to get to that special place just in time to witness the starting of a new day where the sun greets me and ignites the sky! Each day is so different. On a few occasions I have spoken out loud saying “look at that” but the only company I have had has been with God alone. I bring my pictures home to my family and share my experiences with them and friends. There are certain things, which are meant to be shared.

 

One thing is for sure – the more I learn about capturing places through photography the more I realise I don’t know. Guess the old quote “Mans knowledge is not measured by what he knows but by what he doesn’t know” is so true. I have so much still to learn.

 

“So many photos – so little time.”

 

 

Thanks for taking the time...