Michael Halliday's photostream

Photography has been a part of my life, to varying degrees, since just about as far as I can remember. During my childhood cameras weren't as commonplace as they are today but my parents had one each, both of which took 120 roll film. On family outings and holidays I often found myself wanting to be the one taking the photo's. My first true experience with photography involved shooting a roll of black and white on a weekend away with the scouts and developing that film in the chemistry lab at school.
later in my teens I bought my first SLR, a Ricoh KR5, which was soon upgraded to an XR7. That second camera and a range of lenses acompanied me for many years and to various parts of the UK and exotic corners of the world.
The sad demise of that camera coincided with the newfound resposibilities of fatherhood, as did the the sudden lack of activity in my other interest, cycling. As a photographer who'd leared on manual equipment I struggled with the creative limitations of our cheep compact so I invested in a new system and changed brand aleigence to Minolta. Family snaps figured largely at that time in my photography but I was always looking for a more interesting angle, something to make those "snaps" stand out. Landscape also featured in my picture taking and became more prominent after my graduation to digital with the purchase of a KonicaMinolta Dynax 5D.
I'd began to sell some printed work through local cafe's then my next big step came when I offered to photograph a small wedding for a much valued workmate, an experience I enjoyed more than I could have imagined and which subsequently opened a whole new set of doors. It soon becam obvious that if I was to take my photography further I needed to invest in a better system and, for a number of reasons, I opted for Nikon with the purchase of a D90.
I have continued to pursue other areas of photography with further wedding work shooting my first paid wedding in the spring of 2010. I also combined my passion for picture taking with my love of live music and have had the privelege of shooting some major touring bands as well as many upcoming local acts. The challenge of shooting in low light has also brought me into contact with some local dance companies, an area I intend to pursue as far as I can.

The biggest step in my photography came with the opportunity to take redundancy from my my former employment, affording me the time and finance to set myself up as a feelance, in conjunction with a new part time career as a Bikebility Instructor.

Photography to me is more than just a passion, it's become a way of life. Well, that and cycling.


My current kit
2 Nikon D90's
Nikon MB-D10 grip
Nikkor 35mm f2
Nikkor 50mm f1.8
Nikkor 24-70 f2.8
Nikkor VR 70-200 f2.8
Nikkor VR 18-105 (emergency spare)
Sigma 10-20
Sigma 70mm f2.8 macro
Nikon SB900 speedlight
Nikon SC-28 iTTL lead
2 Sigma EF-530DG Super
Manfrotto tripod
Benbo tripod
Lee filter holder & Hitech GND filters
B&W ND110 filter
Westcott Apollo 70 cm Softbox
Westcott Micro Apollo
Lastolite 100cm three way brollies
Seculine twinlink triggers
Various Lowepro bags

Cokin P filter system reatined as a spare set.

Two pairs of boots, a pair of wellies and a selection of waterproofs.


Not forgetting a Trek mountain bike, Specialized Crosstrail and 3 custom built Dave Yates road bikes.


PLEASE NOTE
All photos are copyrighted and should not be taken without prior permission. I'm more than happy to supply coppies of my work to my contacts, other friends or worthy causes. Just ask.



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