How Did It Start - And How Is It Going?

Many years ago I used to go out to try and capture incidents, go to F1 and other motorsport events, generally wasting 3-5 rolls of film, just to trying to get one decent photo.

I would say I was an amateur without much of a clue, but if I got that one image I could do something with, I was relatively happy.

When I managed to capture images of Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell CBE in action, I was in my element!

I was also lucky enough to photograph Roger Black MBE and Kriss Akabusi MBE, whilst they were undergoing athlete Sports Science research - some time ago now. 

Luckily, the internet came along and is now full of 'advice' and training. Digital cameras are plentiful and there are numerous photography courses and workshops offered. As a result, I am very much more informed - and hopefully wiser as a result!

Soon after I started off with my digital camera equipment, I was doing sports photography for a local paper and club.

I then decided to 'run off' and learn to take landscapes, explore compositions and generally learned so much more.

Now, my view is that every day is a 'school day' when you are out and about. Lighting conditions are ever-changing, so camera settings need to be adjusted.

Histograms are available and need to be understood - and you can delete the 'not so good' ones straight away!

I now try lots of different genres, use filters more to obtain different effects and I'm a lot more confident about what I am doing.

More recently, I have had the pleasure of photographing Clem Burke for the Clem Burke Drumming Project, Bootleg Blondie on Tour, and Steve Hackett during his 'Genesis Revisited - Seconds Out + More' tour.

So, I think it is going 'alright' and who knows what comes next!

The image above was taken during one of Steve Hackett's Accoustic Shows at Trading Boundaries, December 2021 and features:

Steve Hackett, John Hackett, Roger King, Rob Townsend, Amanda Lehmann.