Whilst attacking the cleaning of my oven this morning with some gusto, my mind drifted away to the places which have inspired me photographically over the years. Iceland is certainly one of them! Having ridden around many parts of that far away isolated country many times over the years, I was always armed with two 35 mm film cameras, one being a panoramic and one standard fixed lens camera. You have to have been there to understand why you needed both in those days!  Horses have always been a passion, I was hugely inspired by the spirited animals and dramatic landscapes.  I’m still proud of those images taken whilst the reins were between my teeth in full Tolt! I even managed to make an hour long film one year! Though it took nearly 12 months to edit and put together. Those experiences and the desire to capture the essence of what I had seen and experienced encouraged my passion for the photographic image. Looking back I have come a long way! I some times wonder which came first the view or the camera?

Remembering my first camera, a Russian Zenit 35 mm from my art Foundation Course, and too long ago to say when, I think that is was then when the seed was sown. I still have contact sheets from those early days and still have the camera! Thanks to Steven Sasson of Eastman Kodak, in 1975 who developed the first digital camera my path was always going to go in that direction. My first digital was an early Kodak with a small SD card slot which I think held a 250 k card. Would need to check, as I still have that camera too! 

Over the years I moved onto to Fuji models and had many successful images. In 2011 I'm moved to Nikon and have never looked back. Now shooting in full frame FX and having honed my eye,  I find that I get huge enjoyment on shoots. Whether it be with people, animals or a pile of crumbling rocks from an old Welsh ruin. I guess you never loose the excitement in the pit of your stomach of when you see the view through the lens and press the button. I must revisit my film photography and drag some of my favourites back out in to daylight! 

Anyway for now it’s back to cleaning the oven … I have Banana bread to bake later! 

Whilst I’m doing that, you can read this great article from the New York Times about the birth of digital and why I get so excited about it! 
http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/08/12/kodaks-first-digital-moment/?_r=0

Picture credit 'Steve Kelly / megapixel.co.il