So, was really just a guy taking standard everyday photos.

Then, my friends started to comment on how they were starting to look more professional. Really, it was only because i'd taken the time to properly read my camera instruction book!

However, this got me interested in things like composition and ISO settings etc and I'm now constantly trying to get better shots.

Never owned an SLR. All photos on here were taken using normal digital compacts. My most recent purchase was a Ricoh CX1, which I currently use for most of my photos. Seems to be a good camera, with a lot of SLR-type functions.

My big photography pet-hate is people that don't have a clue how to use even the most basic functions on their cameras. Like people who take photos at dark gigs, nightclubs, fireworks etc but still use the flash. So, a nice brightly lit photo of the foreground then! And they wonder why they don't get good photo's.

Favourite photography invention, the Joby Gorillapod mini tripod which I carry with me whenever I have my camera.

Other stuff. I'm in to outdoor pursuits like hillwalking, skiing, cycling, so a lot of my photo's tend to be taken out in the hills. I also like things to do with the outdoors such as flora and fuana, landscapes, rivers, waterfalls etc

I also like travelling, particularly around Europe, so there's a lot of photo's from my many foreign trips. Handily, I can combine this with skiing in the form of a annual skiing holiday!

Music plays a big part in my life. I listen to it all the time, to get me feeling up for a night out, bring me down after a night out, cheer me up, send me to sleep, wake me up, make me sentimental! I also play several musical instruments, namely the piano, guitar and bass guitar.

The following link will take you to my Youtube page, where there's a video of me playing Bohemian Rhapsody on piano, as well as several skiing videos:

www.youtube.com/user/shoneyman?feature=mhsn#p/u

Away from my hobbies, I'm an operator in Longannet Power Station, Central Scotland. Probably goes slightly against my love for nature and the outdoors, but unfortunately we need electricity and I'm a realist, not a hypocrite!

Responsible for generating approx half a million houses worth of electricity, so I really don't want to be making mistakes! But, if you get a power cut, don't send me an e-mail!