Funnily enough, this recent photograph makes me think back to college days. It features my good mate and fellow DofJ buddy, Brian Galloway. Brian and I, along with hundreds, probably thousands, of others at college were honoured to have Joe Mackenzie as our photography lecturer. Joe passed on his wisdoms and darkroom skills to all of us. Brian and I spent many evenings in those darkrooms (– not together, it must be said) with the enlarger, papers, developer, stop bath and fixer fumes. Brian now works in London as a photographer, graphic designer and marketing guru.
For many years, I used a trusty Olympus OM2 with which I amassed absolutely thousands of slides over the years from family holidays, preferring, in those pre-digital days, the purity of colour of slides, compared to the duller, inferior quality of prints. The staff at Jessops would rub their hands when they spotted me coming in with my stash of holiday spools! But no longer, not since digital technology arrived.
Not satisfied with my first digital purchase – the Nikon Coolpix 5700 – I treated myself to a Canon 5D with the 24-105mm lens. With this and my pocket-sized Canon Ixus, I continue to enjoy snapping. But I’d also like a 100-400mm zoom …