Clactonian

I scored maximum marks in a club competition last year using an A3 print taken with my old D70. I still use it from time to time but the leatherette (?) covering has now become very sticky rendering it very uncomfortable to hold.

That's a great set. I particularly like the first. The positioning of the dragonfly relative to the similar coloured flowers in perfect.

I bought myself a decent Sony Handicam when my kids were young but in truth rarely ever used it. I did use an old VHS video camera when I had a construction company specialising in repairs and renewals that I used to 'hose down' properties on a room by room basis, and that was extremely useful and well used. More recently I bought my wife a little digital video camera but I doubt she even knows of its whereabouts today.

Congratulations Mike. Looking forward to seeing some great pics in the near future. I have to admit to a severe touch of GAS but so far have managed control the urge, particularly as I already use five cameras on a regular basis, albeit each for a different purpose. On the other hand there is still room on the shelf for one more!

There's so much to look at in this simple seen. Very nice.

All the better for a lesser used viewpoint.

No accidents to report with my Manfrotto over many years thank goodness but I did ditch the trigger head which was useless.

Yes, I have several Michael Freeman books in my substantial photographic library, but unlike you Dallas I have found them quite useful. One of my favourite photographic books however is 'Pictures on a Page' by Harold Evans the former editor of the Sunday Times when it also issued the excellent magazine along with the paper. The book takes us behind published images describing how they may be improved so that our 'seeing' is enhanced, discussing ethics, the implication of cropping and much more. Although featuring upwards of 500 many iconic pictures the book is a fascinating marriage of words and pictures. Highly recommended.

I have those scars too.

You guys are in a different league to me! I'm still using my old Manfrotto 055PRO aluminium tripod with cheap Kenko large ball head and a smaller Manfrotto Befree aluminium travel tripod. Oh and then there are the small table top travel tripods of which I have several. My backpack came from Jessops 30+ years ago and is still going strong, and my tiny 'street' bag cost me £7 from the 7-Day Shop. I did treat myself to a Thinktank sling bag last year which is great. Hmmn, but then there are the cameras. I'd best keep quiet!

I'm not a huge fan of infra red photography although under certain circumstances it can produce really interesting images. Suffice to say that my interest has never been sufficient to justify the expenditure on a conversion of an old camera, but following an interesting piece I found on the web I am now in possession of a 720nm infra red filter. Whilst clearly not able to produce comparable results to an i/r camera early tests look promising. Watch this space!

I recently received top marks in a stiff club competition for a mono print (A3 size) taken a few years back with my D70, all 6Mp of it! Who needs 60Mp for that purpose. Marketing man wins OK!

He only shoots RAW so they are converted in Lightroom.

I'd still be giving my D70 a run out if the grip hadn't gone all sticky, but the D2Xs still gets used. I have four 24Mp cameras of varying specs, which is ample resolution for me so have no intention of upgrading. My best buy a couple of years back was a mint Leica M6TTL which is now fetching double what I paid for it. A pal of mine can only be described as a Fuji addict but I'm always disappointed with the colour of his images. It maybe because he uses Lightroom which I understand is not the best software for Fuji. Each to his own.

Just bought a Lab-Box daylight developing tank to speed up the film processing. Much too expensive for what it is but very convenient. I hate the old changing bags and all that nonsense.