Hello
all!
I have
just started my Diploma Level 3 in Photography. On the 2nd night of my course
we were all introduced to blogging! this is a scary prospect for me as I'm a
blogging virgin!!! Surely but slowly I'm finding my way round this thing called
'blogging'!!
A little
bit about me - I always had an interest in photography and like most people,
used my little compact camera to take endless images of my family and friends. My
foray into the photography world got under way just over a year ago when a colleague/friend talked
me into joining his Level 2 City & Guild photography course.
At the beginning I happily snapped away and
produced what I thought at the time some great images of flora and fauna –
feeling pretty pleased with myself, only to later discover I had plenty of room
for improvement! I took all the constructive feedback I received as a challenge
and was determined to do even better next time! Without even realising,
photography started to become a major part of my life and with every project I
wanted to do bigger and better things.
For the final unit of my photography course I wanted to do something
different, making sure my images would stand out from the crowd. I looked into
silk printing but my idea soon developed and I decided to print my images on
fabric and then make a dress out of it and display it in class. The External Verifier from City & Guilds spoke
to me about my idea for the dress and had commented that he’d never seen anyone
use this unusual method to present their work. Much to my surprise and delight
I ended up winning the City & Guilds Medal for Excellence Award!!!
I was invited to a glamorous award ceremony at the
fabulous Roundhouse in London, hosted by Alex Jones from the One Show. To my
utter shock and disbelief I was one of the runner ups for the FE
Sector Learner of Year award!! What an amazing surprise and an absolute honour
to be in the top three amongst 100 learners! Such a memorable evening and not one I will forget
in a hurry!
Since then many of my images have been published in
the local paper as well as having pieces of work exhibited at the Gallery
Oldham and Saddleworth Gallery for the Open Exhibition. All this provided me
with the wonderful opportunity and platform to showcase my work to the public, so they could enjoy them
as much as I do. 
Doing the
course has helped me to realise my full potential, even to the extent of being
told I have a natural ‘eye’ for this wonderful medium. I love capturing the
natural beauty that surrounds us on a day to basis. Over time I’ve realised how much photography
means to me and how much pleasure I get out of capturing that one great shot!
Now I never leave the house without the camera.
I am always keen to discover new methods and techniques and look at
imaginative and creative ways to present what I capture. You could say
photography has become pretty central to everything I do. I believe it's now
become a lifelong passion and something I will never stop doing.
The types of photography I generally enjoy are landscape, nature, cityscape, seascape and abstract. Although I have photographed a number of events/weddings/portraits and promotional images.
Recently I have been trying to capture some night images of my home town.
This is an image of a speeding tram taken with my Canon 500D, with a very slow shutter speed to capture the light trail.
This is another image of my local bus station taken whilst out one evening.
Trying to capture the sunset one evening
This is the car park next to the tram station near my home
