When I first got into photography I had the diluted vision of being some sort of fashion photographer or high end adventure photographer. The kinds you always see in major magazines from around the world. My skills however were a bit shy of being worthy of such dbut.

My first camera was a film camera that was completely manual and had a 50mm lens. My skills combined with this camera and lens combination left me a fair sight shorter than where my aspirations had led my dreams. Long hours reading every magazine and article I could find on photography and cameras however helped me hone those skills.

I think in the first few months I used more film than I did that whole first year. Every penny I got was spent on film, buying and developing. I look back at some of those first pictures and I honestly don’t think I’d line a bird cage with them! However I learned and progressed each time the shutter curtain snapped open.

The pictures I do take now are usually much better even though I wouldn’t show more than a few out of each roll. I have had an assortment of lenses ranging from a 75-200mm to the ever popular 100mm portrait lens. I even have a small digital camera now as well.

In the end it doesn’t matter what camera or lens you happen to have or use. The main thing to remember is the art. When taking pictures it’s much more important to create a piece of art than it is to be able to zoom in on a bird a football field away. This is about creating not only a memory but also something that expresses who you are.

Having said that I want to also mention that there are as many styles of photography as there are photographers. Finding your own style won’t come overnight but it will come after you snap pictures of everything in sight. Before long you’re going to gravitate to certain things, specific themes.

When taking a picture of a waterfall don’t just snap’ the picture. Take the time to find that perfect angle’. Once you’ve found the perfect angle take’ the picture. The whole idea here is to find a way of looking at the subject that no one else but you can see. And by taking’ the picture you will be able to show others that subject

Being able to show off a picture of something that might have been plain but in your photograph looks completely different is a feeling that you can’t describe, it must be felt. Slowly taking the time to find the hidden beauty of a flower that most will never see, is richly rewarding.

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