I'm a retired teacher who spends his time between the Isle of Skye and South Lanarkshire near the Scottish Borders. I have been keen on photography since my teenage years and this interest was developed during my time at college when I discovered the almost unused college darkroom.

I have a ridiculous collection of old film cameras from the 1960s onwards. Many of these were cameras I could only lust after when they were current but which now can be picked up comparatively cheaply on Ebay. I used to say that the majority of my work was done on film but that is no longer the case.

I have a number of digital camera which I tend to use when I have to be sure of getting good results. I can see my screw-ups instantly!

My photography style leans towards traditional pictorial. I would love to have an artistic bent but the reality is that I know how to take a nice photograph but not necessarily a work of art. I used to do a lot of dog photography, particularly racing greyhounds but I don't do much of this now. Although my own photography is mainly of things, I actually prefer pictures of people, especially if there is a story attached. I have promised myself that I'm going to try portrait/fashion photography but I'm held back by a lack of confidence. One of these days perhaps.

My latest interest is bird photography. I'm not really a patient person but with bird photography I can lose myself in the challenge of getting a decent image. There are many, many more failures than successes but you only need one good one!

I love spending time on Flickr looking at other people's work and having them comment on mine. It's an amazing and friendly world wide forum. I love the idea that one minute someone from Latvia can comment on a photo and the next minute someone from Vietnam.