I first started to get seriously into photography when I got my first 'proper' camera as an 18th birthday present (back in the late 1980's). The camera was a Nikon F301, 35mm SLR, with a 50mm auto-focus lens. Just the other week while clearing out some junk, I came across all the camera manufacturers brochures from that time. It made me realise just how far the equipment has come along since then.
Since that time my interest in photography has shown up in nearly every other hobby I have: caving, mountaineering, wildlife, gardening, computing, travel; just to name a few. I replaced the original Nikon with a newer model (F601) after 3 years, on account of it having an accident which badly dented it. It turned out still to work OK, and is now my primary caving camera where it tends to get a bit more abuse than my other cameras!
The F601 did me proud for over 10 years, but I eventually decided to switch to Canon as I liked the range of lenses available and was starting to get into nature photography. The next couple of years saw me using a Canon EOS 30, which I love, but which has had an unfortunate history! Within the first year it got blown off a rock by a very strong gust of wind while taking a self timer picture. It only fell 2 ft onto some stones, but the top of the camera got dented right on the edge of the LCD display, cracking the glass and killing the camera completely. While it was in for repairs I bought a 2nd hand EOS 300 body to tide me over. This became highly useful as a second camera when on holiday as I could keep it loaded with fast film, and with a telephoto lens on, ready for any unexpected wildlife sightings.
The spare camera really came into it’s own on my most recent trip, when I lost the EOS 30 on the plane on my way to New Zealand. I stupidly left it under the seats on the plane when I got off after a grim flight from Singapore with a bad stomach and jetlag, realising only once I exited customs in the airport. I went immediately to the baggage handling office, but they could not find it on the plane (which was about to return to Singapore), and it never materialised after 2.5 weeks. So I did the whole trip round New Zealand with my spare camera, and I am now awaiting a replacement EOS 30 from the insurance company.
This blog starts just as digital photography really begins to take off. All my photography up to this point has been on colour slide film. You can see a comprehensive collection of my photographs on flickr.com/footleg, including many of my photos taken on film.
