"I don't believe it!"

[mikejduk]

In the words of Victor Meldrew, one of the UK's favourite sitcom characters, "I don't believe it!" I've made several posts and started two or three threads but haven't intoduced myself here! Oh well, here goes . . .

As you'll no doubt learn from my posts I live in the small town of Accrington in Lancashire, England. Within 15 minutes I can be in rural countryside and I just love it. Now I'm retired I love to get out and about with my three legged pal called Toby and I always have a camera with me. Just me and Toby and we can please ourselves where and when we go out. One of the few but better benefits of a single life.

I've had an interest in photography for quite some time but never really looked at it very seriously until the past 12 months; when I joined my local club. The club has their own web page - www.accringtoncameraclub.org.uk. You'll find me there somewhere.

I started out with a Nikon D3000 and have progressed to the Canon 550D and now I have the Canon 60D. I'm not altogether sure I made the right decision to move to Canon. I recall the Nikon images being much sharper but I guess I'm committed now and we'll see how I get on. There again, I have an old Olympus compact that I picked up for £4 at a local auction that produces some amazing images.

I love to photograph architecture almost as much as the wide open countryside and nature; though after hearing a number of judges comments at the club's monthly competitions, I'm not so sure such images carry much appreciation these days. They tend to go for montages and the kind of 'Painterly' effects you find in such software as Photomatix. Still, I'm glad I choose to photograph for my own enjoyment rather than looking to please others or to win accolades. I think I have an eye for a good image I just need to get my head around such things as 'Depth of field', 'White Balance' and which lenses are best suited to different situations. I'm sure I'll get there eventually. I'm sure what I lack in expertise I make up for in enthusiasm

I feel it is so important to record history in photographs where and when we can. And I would encourage y'all to do likewise. If your local library has a reference section I'm sure they would be grateful for a cd of your images taken in and around where you live. I do it all the time. As soon as I see a local building coming down or a new one going up I'm there with my camera capturing the memory for posterity. I'm sure someone in the future will look back on them and be grateful you bothered to take them. I know I am for the images from times gone by in my local library.

I'm enjoying the thread I started called 'Post an image of your local landmark'. I just feel it brings us all so much closer as the band of enthusiasts we are. Whether amateur or professional, we all share the love of capturing our surroundings for others to enjoy. Seeing images of where many of you live just opens my eyes to how this world has shrunk with the aid of the internet.

It's great to be here and now I've overcome my teething troubles, uploading images etc I hope to get to know you more and to share some really great times with you through my photos. My grateful thanks to the Mods for their patience with me.

No Photoshopping here. It's a genuine shot of me holding out a CD to capture my own image in the rainbow effect you get from CDs; and with my trusty old Olympus!

[Shadowman]

Hi Mike and welcome,

We usually get a brief introduction to new members from their posted bios, so if you jump right into the forums it's no big deal. We often reveal more about ourselves as we go along.

[davidedric]

Hi Mike. Very interesting intro, I enjoyed reading it. I even posted in your "local landmarks" thread.

Dave (now living over the border in Cheshire, but originally from Oldham)

[mikejduk]

Hi Mike. Very interesting intro, I enjoyed reading it. I even posted in your "local landmarks" thread.

Dave (now living over the border in Cheshire, but originally from Oldham)

Hi Shadowman and Dave, thanks for your welcome. We here in Lancashire join forces under the L&CPU Lancashire and Cheshire Photographic Union for an annual competition; prints and slides. The prints section was judged last week and as per usual Wigan 10 swept the board.