Michael Graeme's photostream

Pen name of the (amateur) British fiction writer, also webmaster of the Rivendale Review website, (amateur) photographer, gadgeteer and blogger.

Mostly I use a 10Mp Fuji Finepix S1500 and a 10Mp Canon Powershot A640. I find the Powershot is the easier of the two to use and offers a greater degree of manual control, but I've found it's not so reliable if you leave it on auto because it tends to burn highlights. It's also less technically advanced than the Fuji which has things like image stabilisation and inbuilt panoramic stich. The Fuji also has a much longer reach with its x12 zoom and is capable of rich colouring - really beautiful greens and reds..

As you can tell from the above, I prefer compacts. I fell out of love with SLRs in the pre-digital era. They're capable of stunningly crisp imagery of course, and my heart still aches for my stolen Olympus OM10, but deep down I hated all that weight and having to lug a different lens for every occasion. They're still the best choice if you're aiming to be a pro, but for my own needs, a high end digital compact, with decent manual controls is the ultimate tool: easy to pack, and versatile.

I love to browse Flickr. The number of daily uploads are staggering. There are some great shots on here, which inspire me to go out and try to take better pictures myself. It's given a new lease of life to a lifelong hobby. Thanks to all who have commented on my pictures. I really appreciate it.

Besides photography, I dabble with the Sketchbook Pro fingerpainting App on my iPad, so you'll also find some of my artwork here.