Where it all Began
It all started back in 2014 when I bought my first DSLR... The Nikon D3200 with the 18-55mm kit lens. After reading through the manual about three times I was stumped… I didn't know where to start.
I flicked it into Auto and started taking photos but I couldn't stop thinking to myself "I can take better photos with my phone" so the poor old Nikon was banished to the cupboard where it stayed for almost a whole year.
After a couple of weeks, I decided I needed to learn how to use a DSLR and became obsessed with the science behind creating an image.
So for the next eleven months or so while poor Mr Nikon was collecting dust I was busy reading through 'Photography for dummies' and watching countless videos on YouTube learning about shutter speed, aperture and ISO.
The time came for the D3200 batteries to be charged and the camera to be turned on again. This time the dial was rotated to 'M' for manual.
My evenings were then spent practising. Changing the settings trying to freeze or blur motion, or capture different depths of field.
As my mother always told me "Practice makes perfect"
The Journey Begins
After the thrill of posting my first image online and getting feedback from people all over the world, I was sucked into the world of landscape photography.
At that point in my life, I was in an unhappy relationship and landscape photography was an excuse for me to get out of the house and clear my mind.
I managed to make a couple of friends through posting and sharing my work on social media. We would arrange little trips to nearby destinations to take images, have a laugh and share our knowledge of photography.
Thanks to these guys I managed to build up my self-confidence which led to me going to night school to learn more about the art of photography.
My First Image
After practising and practising, taking random photos of household objects like tinned food and running water, I felt I had the confidence to go out and come back with a half-decent image.
At this point in my life, I was having a break from my full-time job as a mechanic and I was driving for a local bus service. I remember seeing a little dirt track along one of the routes that I thought would make a nice image. So one morning I took my camera along with me in my bag and as I got close to the dirt track the sun was just coming up over the hills and the light was so soft. I pulled the bus over, which fortunately was not very full and I asked the passengers if I could quickly take a photo.
To my surprise, they said yes. So off I jumped and grabbed the shot.
That evening using the knowledge I had gained from YouTube I imported the image into Lightroom and began processing it. I finally uploaded it to a social media site for photographers called 500px on the 24th of December 2014 and I named it 'Lonely Lane'
