A little about me...oh, and my photography!

I have long been interested in photography, from the day I was given my first Kodak Brownie 44A.

That was back in the late '50s, when my meagre pocket money didn't allow for more than the very occasional reel of film for holiday snaps! I hadn't a clue what I was doing but managed to work my way up to a Praktica Nova B SLR in the mid '70s, though most of my shots then were black and white.

As a youngster I had a three-year stint working at a photographic studio, though to my everlasting regret had little to do with the photographic side, spending more time on finishing and with customers.

So, my interest in photography and cameras just bubbled away gently over the years. My sons can testify to the number of times I pointed my lens at them - with varying degrees of success!

I discovered quite late in life that I have a talent for drawing, after taking up one HB pencil and a sheet of cheap drawing paper and watching a Coal Tit develop as I drew. It wasn't wonderful but was enough to encourage me! I improved and even managed to sell a few (no doubt collector's items by now!). Most of my drawings were of birds, which again had been an interest never fully developed (I remember my excitement as a child at sticking my PG Tips bird cards into my British Birds album. The Jay was my absolute favourite yet I was an adult before I saw my first one!).

I enjoyed drawing and it kept my interest in birds very much alive, but as the years passed my hands became less flexible and I found holding a pencil uncomfortable.

With brilliant timing digital photography entered my life. I was quickly hooked, discovered the limitations of compact point-and-shoot cameras and swiftly progressed to a DSLR. I worked my way from a Nikon D70 to my current set-up of a Canon 5D Mk2 with Canon 100-400mm IS lens, Canon 40D with Canon 60mm macro and (occasionally) Canon 17-55mm.

Now I feel incomplete without a camera by my side. There is so much out there, to see, to explore, to capture, from the microscopic jungle that is my garden, to the panoramas of the open countryside and everything in between.

For me, the pleasure comes from discovery, from BEING there, able to photograph what I see and capture that moment. Sometimes I look back at photographs I have taken and think, "Gosh. I took that! I was there when it happened!" and I realise how very fortunate I am.

As with my drawing, I do not regard myself as creative. I make a record, of a moment that is unique. I am lucky enough to be present to witness that moment, whether it is a flower unfurling, a beetle crawling or a bird in flight.

I have a small talent compared with many others but it gives me pleasure and, I hope, pleasure to anyone who may come across my images, wherever they may be.

Sue Robinson

June 2009