My interest in photography was nurtured by my father who was a keen amateur. After his retirement, he and my mother traveled widely, Dad taking the opportunity to capture their favourite places on film. He created numerous slide shows – before these were even heard of – and enjoyed sharing them with whoever would watch.
Living in Devon, England for 22 years, I couldn’t help but be drawn back to the camera I had put away before our children were born. Husband Tony and I then entered the world of competitive photography, joining two photographic clubs in the Torbay area. I was Chairman of the Paignton Photographic Club from 1995 to 1998 and during that time managed to achieve the title of CPAGB (Certificate of the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain).
Early in my photographic hobby career, my camera was a Ricoh SLR which produced some amazing work, with (I guess) a little input from myself. Tony and I tended to go on holiday to take photographs rather than take photos on a holiday – Tunisia, Tenerife, The Algarve, Majorca. And yes, there is a difference!
Since returning to Canada in 2000, photographic opportunities have been more limited as we winter in a house we own in Florida and so tend not to take holidays anymore. The exception to that is a trip we took in 2009 to the Canadian Maritime provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton, with an overnight stop in Ottawa on the return journey.
My digital career started in the early 1990s with a Kodak (that cost then what you would pay now for a digital SLR!) but which had the added bonus of extra lenses and filters. Now, my cameras consist of two”point and shoot” Panasonics, a Lumix DMC-FZ18 and a Lumix DMC-FH20.
Since subscribing to the quarterly magazine “Photoshop Elements Techniques”, I have been introduced to its own site where I have been able to hone my skills in the use of Photoshop Elements and to share knowledge and to learn - techniques, tips and more - with the like-minded, friendly group of photographers who also subscribe to the magazine. It is here that I discovered the “52 week” challenge that this blog has been set up to share.
I hope you enjoy the work I plan on displaying here over 2012 as much as I will in taking them. The theme subjects are shown on "The Themes" page and will be displayed over each one as they're posted - in no particular order.
2012 has 52 weeks... ...and for each one, I'll post an image based on a set theme
