Thank you, everyone, for 500,000 views.

 

I was born in Birmingham, UK. I have a BA in Fine Art and a PG Dip in Software Engineering. I'm a Computer Programmer by profession. Also, I've spent several years teaching computer programming.

 

I bought my French home in 2001, and have spent much of my spare time clearing the land and renovating the buildings. There is still a huge amount of work to do.

 

I made Ha Noi, Vietnam my second home in July 2012. I loved it.

 

In 2013, I became a Hotel and Bar owner, and moved to Siem Reap, Cambodia.

 

In 2015, I moved back into my French home. I'm a compulsive traveller.

 

I've been interested in photography from an early age. My first camera was a Brownie 127. I don't remember much about it, but I'm sure I must have some photos taken with it. If I ever find them, I'll post them here.

 

My second camera was a Halina 35X, which was a gift given to me in the 1960s. I do have photos taken with this camera, and one day I'll post them here.

 

My first SLR was a Pentax SPF, which I bought in the 1970s. I still have this camera, although the light meter stopped working years ago.

 

In the 1980s I upgraded to the Pentax MX. Since then I've gathered quite a collection of Pentax film cameras.

 

In 2011, I finally went digital with a Pentax K-r.

 

I also have a couple of Mamiya RB67s. I bought them second hand when everyone was going digital. I confess that I've never used them.

 

A great number of my photos are now taken with a smartphone. First with an HTC Sensation, which I bought in 2011, and since 2016 I've had a Huawei Mate 9. In 2024 it started to malfunction. Consequently, I replaced it with a Pixel 8. It lasted only 2 weeks. If your planning to use your Pixel phone when it's raining, don't. The phone ttok on water, started to behave randomly, and died.

 

My plan was to buy a Xiaomi 15. As an interim measure, I bought a Redmi 14C while I waited for the release of the Xiaomi 15. I'm still using the 14C. It does everything I need, for a fraction of the price. Hey ho, silver lining!

 

I'm currently digitising my collection of Kodachrome and Fujichrome slides. It will take forever.