I began my journey in photography many years ago - when I was 11, actually. I won first prize in a school essay competition - The Story Of Milk. I had my pick of a number of great prizes which included a fishing rod, a schoolbag, a watch, or a camera. I chose the latter - a plastic one which took 120 film. Hooked, using books of Green Shield Stamps, I upgraded to a Fuji 110 camera and within a short time, I worked my way up the ladder of my Dad's Kodak Retina, Petri 35s rangefinder and Praktica LTL3 cameras.

I didn't study photography formally, instead earning how it all worked through reading magazines, looking and making a lot of mistakes. Fifty years on, my passion for it has intensified - and I still make mistakes.