It was a Nikon SLR, in the days before digital, I don’t remember what model it was. I bought it 2nd hand from a fellow backpacker who needed money to get back home to the UK. I had never used a SLR before & had to buy a book & give myself a crash course on how to use it. I remember experimenting in Cape Town, which was the starting point of my journey. Once I had left CT, I only found out 8 months
later, how my photos had come out, when I had them developed in Kenya. Q : What camera do you have now ? A : I have a Canon 450D & Canon 6D. My first DSLR camera was a Canon 450D. I bought it on Gumtree & it came with loads of accessories, 2 lenses, Lowepro camera Backpack & a sturdy Vangaurd Tracker 4 tripod with a Manfrotto ballhead. I still have it now & it was with this camera that I won the Canon 6D in the Canon SA 2013 Photo Competition. Q : What lenses do you have ? A : A Canon EF-S 55-250mm IS lens & a Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS lens which I use on my 450D. And a EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens which came with the 6D camera. I also have 2 sigma lenses, a 8mm Fisheye EX & a 50-500mm APO DG HSM. Q : What would your ultimate camera be ? A : Either a Canon 5D Mark III or a Canon 1Dx – if I could ever afford it. Q : Where would you say is the place that you call home? A : I am originally from Pinetown & am a Durban boy at heart, but my home now is in Robertson in the Western Cape. A : My Partner Lynda & myself own & run the Backpackers in Robertson. We also have a river rafting company – Rafting Route 62 & we do Wine Tours. Q : How did you get into photography? A : When I lost my first camera by dropping it in the river, it wasn’t insured. It was the days of film & because of the great expense, I kind of lost interest. Years later when digital & photoshop were around, a good friend Doc Dawkins rekindled the interest. I have never looked back since! Being able to capture and share my images brings me great pleasure. Q : What training do you have? A : I have had no training as such. It is all self-taught. I have however put many hours into reading, learning and practicing . Q : What kind of photography are you into
A : I would hate to box myself in by concentrating on a particular field. Having said that, my interest at the moment lies with travel and birds. Travel photography is an extension of my lifestyle & can be a wide field. It can include wildlife & landscape, as well as capturing those magic moments, & for me that what photography is all about. Q : Do you make a living from Photography ? A : No. I am very much a keen amateur photographer. I have sold a few photos on Dreamtime photostock & have been commissioned to take bottle shots for Springfield & Kranskop winery. I don’t earn a living by doing this, but it goes to pay for the extra photographic equipment & upgrades that I want. Q : If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? A : I would stay right where I am. I love South Africa and all it has to offer. We live in such a diverse country. Q : What are your plans for the future ? A : I am a traveller at heart & after 13 years of running the backpackers, my feet are very itchy to go travelling again. In November this year Lynda & myself will be travelling through Africa as far as Kenya & back. We are going to take it slow & have given ourselves a year to do this. If we like a place we will stay longer & if we don’t we will move on. I am sure there will be a lot of photographic opportunities along the way.
