My name is Nick Silkstone.

Where do I stand on photography, firstly I am far from an expert on things photography related. But where expertise is missing, enthusiasm makes up.

The Mobile Phone Beginning. (November 2006)

I have been taking regular pictures of the world around me since 2006 when at university I upgraded my mobile phone the Sony Ericsson K800i. This was the first time in my life that I had carried a camera with me 24/7. I soon realised how many things that I saw made me grab for my phone and put the little 3.2 mega pixel beauty into action.

I quickly started gathering reams of images and began sharing them through facebook with friends. My main subject in the start was the world around me. Starting with friends; capturing those moments of fun and magic I wanted to savour in the future. I became increasingly more creative with my photographs staring to capture the simple things in the world in a different way.

The Sony Upgrade. (September 2008)

I was quite happy with my little K800i until after staring work in 2008 I upgraded from my 15 inch screen laptop, to a 24 inch monitor. At that moment seeing my images larger than ever I realised that 3.2 mega pixels didn’t cut it.

So along came the “Point and Shoot” Sony DSC-W110. 7.2 mega pixels and a new feature 4x zoom lens. This camera has stayed faithful over intervening few years, virtually in my pocket at all times. It has travelled with me to various places around the UK and overseas. During this period my photographs moved in the direction of landscape photography.

As my photography slowly improved I began to try new techniques I realised that I was beginning to push the edges of what my Sony was capable of. A desire to begin to take longer exposure photographs in lower light, gain more control over the automated settings of my camera and add creativity that came with the chance to use wide aperture lenses.

The Step to DSLR (July 2011).

I initially considered a hybrid or a CSC as a bridge to take the next step. Then I realised how much photography that I have done over the last few years that I needed something that I could invest in ….you may say that a Nikon D3100 is not really an investment with the speed that technology in digital cameras is moving, the body itself will be worth precious little in a few years time. The investment comes in the form of the lenses that will fit to the camera. Good lenses are an investment, they will hold their value. The few Nikon and Sigma's that I buy over the next few years will fit the future Nikon DSLR bodies that I am likely to upgrade to in time (I am planning to stick with the smaller DX format image sensor).

Updates:

August 2011: Buy Nikkor 35mm F1.8 (Learned a lot using this lens)

August 2011: Beging to use Adobe Lightroom (A simple editing suit)

September 2011: Join Grantham Photographic Club

October 2011: Lengthening nights lead to me buying a tripod for after dark photography (Lightweight Manfratto)

January 2012: Begin to use Adobe Elements for simple adjustments (Cloning Stamp etc...)

May 2012: Landscape direction of photography leads to purchase of a Sigma 10-20mm F4-5.6

July 2012: Purchase filter hold and grads.

September 2012: Join Windsor Photographic Society.

February 2013: Begin using Adobe Photoshop CS2.

I hope this helps to fill in my background, and gives you an idea of my knowledge and experience in the world of photography.