My blog contains some more information about my photography and can be found at

tyneside-reader.blogspot.com/

Photography is probably my favourite way of spending my time these days: not just the taking of photographs and looking at them afterwards but having other people see them and hopefully enjoy them. I can spend hours taking photographs of anything and everything, things many people ignore as I ignore them. Being from and living in North East England I find myself with a nicely different set of things to photograph than many flickr users; sometimes I don't appreciate what I have here (no iconic red buses, Tube sings, few renown buildings) but mostly I enjoy the difference, the quiet spots, countryside, seaside, old industry, town-scapes, art, rivers and all else that is here. I will try any kind of picture that takes my fancy but my favourites are macro, landscape and things with text in them. I've been taking pictures for some twenty years, since I was around 6 or 7, and in all that time I have never properly learned the technical method behind photography: I learn bits then forget them, then have to reread why something works as it does which is what I'll have to be doing again once I've found a suitable book.

I hate spending time editing photos, I'd much rather go out and take some more and while this probably means I don't make the most of all my shots I do sometimes experiment with PhotoPlus to see what can be achieved beyond simply cropping and contrast adjustments. As to taking the pictures at present I am using a Panasonic FZ-18 which is a pleasant, practical camera and gives good results under most conditions; I would like something better, an SLR perhaps, but for now such items are beyond my means and I get excellent results so I don't really need something better. Like most people this does not prevent me from wanting an SLR with a whole cupboard full of lenses. I bought a new 35mm SLR at the wrong time, just as high-quality digital was becoming affordable and thus after a year of use my 35mm became retired and has not been used since 2005 ish. I'll start to use my old Nikon again someday, but I've not managed it yet.

When not taking photos I like to read, write, discuss, listen to the radio and cook. I occasionally write a diary and am starting a blog as I enjoy tapping away at my keyboard of an evening. I I work for British Airways in Newcastle, I enjoy their travel discounts, the people I work with, my early shifts and the fact that on a good day my office is only eight minutes drive from my home but I would like a better job. Politically I am a Conservative with Co-operative and socialist leanings, a supporter of free-enterprise who misses British Rail and carries a T&GW union card at all times: as with most people I am a contradiction, but am happy when using my camera.