I don’t know when I first became interested in photography, but in year 9 I took it as an elective subject at school. The photography teacher at the time was Mr Peters, a gruff, chain smoking middle aged man who on the surface seemed like he had chosen the wrong career and had lost the passion for photography and teaching. However, for any students who showed any modicum of interest in photography he would be very generous with his time, patience and with sharing considerable knowledge. He also had a very dry sense of humour which I appreciated very much.

These were the days of black and white film, dark rooms, chemicals and printing your photos. I looked forward to photography classes and I learned a great deal about the craft from Mr Peters. We even got to dabble with processing colour film. My brothers also had an interest in photography and thankfully had the wherewithal to purchase processing equipment which was set up in a make shift darkroom in in our parents cellar.

At the end of year 10 I gave serious thought to studying photography and making it a career. However the pull of science prevailed and I continued with upper school and went to university to study biological sciences. In hindsight, it was a good move. Apart from the fact that university provides a very formative environment for a young mind, I don’t think I would have enjoyed photography as much if it was a job where I had to satisfy the to the needs and expectations of other people instead of my own.

Though photography remained an interest through my various career changes over many years, my application of the craft waxed and waned depending on my priorities and time. However, the advent of digital photography presented opportunities which weren’t available with film. In the last seven or eight years, I have been able to apply myself more consistently and diligently to improving my skills and developing some sort of artistic vison.

Today, part of the fun is going out to take shots. If no worthwhile images comes of it, I have at least enjoyed exploring my natural and urban environments.