My first interest in photography started when I picked up an 8mm Cine Camera from a junk shop in my early teens.
I made a few short films using my friends as actors which was a lot of fun.
My first boss at British Airways got me started on still photography, he was a very keen photographer. He was a member of the British Airways Camera Club (BACC) and said “do come along and see what we get up too” I got a very warm welcome on my first visit and I joined in 1980. The membership was then over 100.

It was a nervous time when entering your first competition wondering if the visiting Judge would like your entry.
I learnt a lot over the next few months and years so took the plunge and acquired a Nikon FM2 with a 50mm f1.4 lens.
I also acquired a lovely 135mm f2.5 Nikon lens, which I still have today.
It’s a manual focus lens (autofocus was a long way off) Amazingly these old lenses still fit on modern DSLR cameras.
I then purchased another Nikon FM2s body, which allowed me to have one loaded with colour film and one with black and white film.

A close friend worked at Kodak in Harrow Weald and from time to time, if they suspected a batch of Kodachrome 64 slide film had been exposed to light during manufacture, they sold it off in the staff shop for £1 a roll which included processing. A bargain. Never had a duff roll!
It wasn’t long till I ventured into monochrome which I developed and printed in the kitchen. After a bit of a flood, I converted the loft into a darkroom and was very careful there were no leaks up there!
It wasn’t long before I realized that portraiture was my favourite subject.
The club had their own room which we used as a studio.
I started a portrait group which was held on Friday evenings.
I joined the RPS and acquired a L.R.P.S. distinction with my mono portrait panel.

I was a member at BACC for over thirty years holding various positions on the committee. Moved on to DSLRs currently using a Nikon D750 with a few lenses.
I attended quite a few Photoshop courses which has been a real help.

Who could have imagined that when I started photography, that in the future you could see the shot you have just taken on the back of your camera and then on a computer to edit and sometimes make a duff shot into a great shot.
When BACC finally closed in 2014 I joined WPS and that has been a really great club as well.

My photographic interests are Infra Red, Abstract and Monochrome, but I can’t resist flowers for their structures and amazing colours.
I use an Olympus Micro Four Thirds camera and lenses and have one of my Olympus cameras converted to IR.
For several years I served on the WPS committee as External Competitions Secretary, which gives the club an opportunity to compete against other clubs as well as enlarging our exposure to photographic styles beyond WPS.

I first came along to a meeting at Windsor Photographic Society (WPS) in May 2022 having never been involved in a Photographic Society or Camera Club before.

I’ve enjoyed taking pictures for many years and wanted an incentive to take “better” pictures – mostly from a personal perspective, but also with an opportunity to get feedback and maybe even help from other photographers. If I had to attach a label to myself then I’d say that I’m a hobbyist photographer, with an interest in taking pictures that are “satisfying” to myself and to other people. The kinds of pictures that are worth spending a bit of time looking at rather than just flicking on to the next one.

From the first meeting that I attended I felt welcome. The people that come along are a friendly and diverse group from all kinds of backgrounds. There are people with interests in pretty much every genre of photography with a wide range of skill levels. One of the common denominators is a passion for capturing images that have something special about them – where the word special has a delightfully subjective ring to it.

I’ve found the programme of events (Monday evening meetings and photo walks) to be interesting and enjoyable, from both photographic and social perspectives.

A recent development is the growth of a variety of special interest groups. Anyone can join any of the groups. I’m involved with the Monochrome and Portraiture groups and am really looking forwards to being able to share ideas and experiences with others and seeing the impact it has on the pictures that we all take and the way that we process and produce them.

I use a Sony bridge camera. Although in some respects it’s a compromise it’s also fairly capable (at the moment it’s more capable than I am) and saves me carrying around a collection of lenses.

I like pretty much all genres of photography, with a special fondness of monochrome, portraiture, street and city photography.

For processing I mainly use Affinity Photo. For me it’s a capable piece of software and is relatively inexpensive with plenty of online tutorials and videos.

Now that I’ve retired, the Monday morning feeling is a bit of a thing of the past, but nevertheless WPS does provide a bit of a bright spot for Monday evenings.

Photography has always been a part of my life because we have had many amateur photographers in my family. I remember that when we were kids our dad disappeared into the bathroom - converted into a temporary dark room! Of course, we did everything to distract him!

I took photography classes in Poland in the City of Wrocław. Last year I moved from Surrey to Berkshire, and I was delighted to discover WPS.

For me, being a part of a camera club has a lot of advantages. The most important thing is the possibility of meeting passionate people with whom you can share interests and build a long-term friendship.

My photographic interests are contemporary and nature photography. I prefer colour photography, but I also make an effort to shoot in black and white. I use a Nikon D7000, a compact Fujifilm XF10, a Nokia phone with the Zeiss lenses, an iPhone 13, and Lightroom for the post processing.

Currently, I am a General Member of the committee which is an advisory role.

I am a relative newcomer to photography although I have always enjoyed looking at photographs as an art form. It was when my children became young adults and I reduced my working hours, that I could enjoy a bit more free time and rediscover what it is like to have a few hobbies of my own!

I joined WPS in January 2020 with just my mobile phone….and then found we had closed by the end of March with the first lockdown. I had only just got started! It was during that odd, surreal time that I ordered an entry level Canon and an additional macro lens. Thankfully, the sun kept on shining, the streets outside were quiet and the birds chattered in the trees. I spent many happy hours in the garden clicking away. It was a real awakening for me. I can still remember my delight when I uploaded my first macro shots and saw the details in the plants as they came to life on my laptop.

My photographic passion is for what I loosely call ‘nature’, whether that be plant life from fungus and small flowers to trees and woodland, as well as insects and animals and wider landscapes. I live near the River Thames and love the ever-changing view of the water and vegetation through the seasons.

I use Lightroom to process my photos and am steadily increasing my skills with it. I am beginning to use some Photoshop - but still very much a novice here! I love experimenting with the processing side. I will often play around with a photo, experimenting with what it will look like in different shades of colour, monochrome, cropping or with some of the many filters available in both. 

I do recommend that members join some of the many groups available at WPS and perhaps join a photo walk. I have learned a lot being part of the mono and portrait groups and it is a good opportunity to try new techniques and see what other members have created.