A long time ago when I was a youthful teenager I was quite into photography and had a 35mm SLR Praktica camera that I learnt to use. Manual exposure with the in-built light meter, varying the depth of field and shutter speed to get effects. I even dabbled at devloping the film.

That was quite some time ago now and since then I have tended to use compact digital cameras. My last camera was an improvement and was a Fuji S5000 which allowed control of exposure, shutter speed, etc. However, it still had a non-changeable lens but took some pretty good pictures. The picture on the top of the family web page was taken with it and is a shot of Eastbourne from Beachy Head. With the arrival of Lucy both Ali, Becky and I have been snapping pictures and I decided to revitalise the old hobby.

After a bit of research and a few forum posts it was obvious that the two manufacturers of choice for DSLR cameras are Nikon and Canon. In the end I went for the Canon EOS 450D as it came highly recommended and slightly lighter than the equivalent Nikon. I placed an order with WarehouseExpress and received the camera and 18-55mm lens the following day. Must say I am very impressed and it has all the functions I was looking for, it will take a good few months to understand all of them. However, even leaving everything as auto produces some good pictures. I have signed up for a Flickr Pro account which allows more flexibility than a normal account.

Today came a second parcel, this time a lens, Canon EF-S 55-250mm. Not had a chance to use it in the field as of yet but just playing indoors suggests it is going to be very useful.

So the hobby of old has been rekindled and to some respect it is cheaper than the old days because you no longer have to pay for film and then have it developed only to discover most of the pictures are rubbish.

At this point I must mention my brother-in-law, Phil, he also has a Flickr account but is a far superior photographer to me and has taken some absolutely stunning pictures. Highly recommend you keep an eye on his collection. He has an amazing eye for capturing truly exquisite pictures.

 As for Lucy, well here she is looking innocent after chasing the water hose and digging up various plants....