stephen_dedalus' photostream  

I first started taking photographs as a teenager, getting to grips with an old secondhand Praktica manual SLR, bought with saved-up pocket money, which I then carried with me through 20 years of school trips, University and holidays in various parts of the world. When it broke, I didn't get around to replacing it until I thought digital SLRs were up to the job. So I waited for six years, then took the plunge and bought a Nikon D50.

I discovered Flickr through friends online, and it's been huge fun getting advice, guidance and inspiration from a disparate group of people. I've been encouraged to do different things, not least go back to manual 35mm cameras and try out some things I've learned from experimenting with a dSLR.

These days, I use my Nikon FM2 nearly as much as my D50, with the same set of lenses on both, as far as is possible. I tend to shoot B&W film with the FM2 and use the D50 for colour shots. I'm not particularly keen on manipulating my own shots, but I appreciate what someone skilled in the use of Photoshop can do with it. In my book, photography and imagery are separate and distinct skills.

While there are some strands running through time, I'd hate to think anyone is looking for an inner meaning in any of this. I shoot what attracts my eye. Some of these I take for professional reasons (I earn my beer tokens designing aeroplanes, not taking photographs). I do take portraits, but I tend not to post them here.

Photography is my favourite art form, followed at a respectful distance by sculpture. I love what people can find in the right combination of lighting, subject and context. I love realism, and good street photography, although I'm no great shakes at the latter. I have an old-fashioned preference for black and white, and film over digital for that purpose.

Update: I was one of the first to take the plunge and buy myself a Nikon D7000. It's an indulgence I hope to grow into, and one that means I have to learn more to take advantage of what it offers. It's the opposite end of the complexity spectrum from my beloved FM2, but, thankfully, it also offers better support for 'old-school' manual photography than my D50. Looking forward to stretching my boundaries a bit more.













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