My Photographic journey

My father introduced me to photography in my early years and an aunt gave me a camera taking 120 films. Those were years in which the images fascinated me and I took pictures of all sorts of things from leaves on trees our cat. Then on the Eastern Shore of Canada in my teenage years, I took to developing and printing photographs for the local drug store. I dread to think what people thought of the quality of my work. I developed the films in the bathroom, used a homemade enlarger with a camera lens and washed the prints in the stream running through the property. I used a cage of chicken wire for the washing and large vinegar bottles filled with hot water for the glazing. That was my early introduction to the photographic process and soon I was given a second-hand range finder camera with an f2.8 lens. I thought that had made it, and advertised through the drug store to do photographs for people. Well, I moved on from those early days, but much of my experience was with second-hand equipment and out of date film and paper because I never made photography my career. In the late 90s in Western Australia, I needed to return to teaching and Photography was one of those subjects available to me to teach. I had the blessing of good photography teachers to work within the early days and that shaped the way I developed my skills or teaching and skills. In those days we worked in the darkroom and with digital photography enabling students to enhance their way of seeing through darkroom experience before transitioning to digital production. Since retirement, I have continued my photographic experience in digital imaging. I use a Pentax K20D and K3D with a verity of lenses; some of these are very old lenses from the 70s when Pentax cameras had superb lenses. My favourite is a 50 mm macro A SMC lens that is of a quality that my modern Pentax lenses cannot match. I am constantly experimenting with different techniques and consider that is important for one’s growth and sanity since I am now 79 years of age. However, there is another facet to my photography since it has always been a spiritual journey as well as one of technology. As a minister of the Gospel ofJesus Christ, I see the beauty of our Lord’s creation in all things about us. Images are a profoundly emotional inexperience and sometimes my creations areless than glorifying of our creator and such images are quickly destroyed as they say something about the dark side of our human existence. If you follow my photographic creations please realise that I am on a journey and in our human sinfulness nothing is perfect and everything needs to be redeemed in Christ.

A picture of Arthur Pass in New Zealand where I have had the privilege of serving 2 locums and exploring the South Island.