For a detailed account of my photographic background, together with some of my favourite images, you can read my "One of Us" profile on the international Dyxum photographic community site, where I am part of the admin team as one of their "Alpha Eyes":

www.dyxum.com/dforum/one-of-us-64-jozioau_topic130659.html

I've been keen on photography since childhood, encouraged by my dad. Started with Kodak Box Brownie, then learned about the creative side of photography using aperture and shutter controls on my dad's twin lens reflex. Got my first 35mm rangefinder camera for my 18th birthday, then saved for and bought my first 'serious' camera, a single lens reflex Minolta SRT101 plus a couple of Rokkor lenses in 1969.

About a year later I bought a Durst 35mm enlarger and all the kit I needed to create a makeshift darkroom in our laundry and develop/print in black and white. That skillset has been able to be transferred to computer based post processing that I can now enjoy round the clock without all the blacking out, the chemicals and the clean-up.

Stayed with Minolta over the decades, with a minor upgrade to the SRT303 Super and then moving to an X700 system camera plus various Rokkor lenses in 1982.

In 1995 I made the jump to autofocus with the Minolta 500si Super, and a couple of years later upgraded to a more sophisticated Minolta 505si Super, and a set of Minolta autofocus lenses.

Held off the switch to digital until I bought a Minolta 5D in 2006, then when Minolta was taken over by Sony, I stuck with the brand and the alpha lens mount mainly as a result of my investment in good lenses.

My Sony Alpha cameras started with the a100, then stepped up to the a700, plus the full frame a900, full frame DSLT a99, a99ii plus the APSC frame a77ii together with a comprehensive collection of professional quality Carl Zeiss and Sony G prime and zoom lenses, plus a legacy Minolta 500mm f8 autofocus Reflex, a couple of Sigma lenses (a full frame 15mm linear fisheye, and a 10-20mm ultra wide angle for APSC cropped sensor), and most recently a fully manual Samyang 24mm f3.5 Tilt/Shift lens that I'm thoroughly enjoying for its creative possibilities as well as for architectural work.

In December 2021 I took advantage of Sony's pre-Christmas cash-back offer to purchase an e-mount SEL 200-600mm G OSS super-zoom lens, and then selected a Sony a7iv camera body to use it with, as well as an LA-EA5 adapter so as to be able to use all my quality a-mount lenses with that body taking advantage of all the latest algorithms and smarts. I've retained the a99ii body, but have since sold the a99 and a77ii. Again, taking advantage of Sony cash-back, I bought a Sony SEL2470 GM lens, replaced a year later with a a SEL2470 GM2, a Sony SEL70200 GM Mark 2, plus a SEL14TC tele-converter. Most recently I purchased an as new, still under warranty and barely used Sony a1 camera, and a new SEL PZ 16-35mm F4.0 as a replacement for the much bigger and heavier a-mount SAL Carl Zeiss 16-35mm F2.8 Vario-Sonnar.

My interests are universal as can be seen in my albums and photo stream, but with an obvious bias to travel, nature, architecture, wildlife.