Hi all you shutter shooters!

[mikejduk]

Hi everyone, I get so busy sometimes I miss posts like the one from January 4th suggesting I introduce myself! So, I hope better late than never!

My name is Mike, I live in Hyndburn, Lancashire and I have only been exploring photography seriously for the past three years. I started out with a basic Nikon digital and swapped over to Canon. Though I've never won any club competitions, the L&CPU - Lancashire and Cheshire Photographic Union did keep one of my images back for their portfolio which travels the country. I am probably my harshest critic so when I suggest I think I've made some improvement since I started out, I don't say that lightly. I'm a member of a camera club but have learned not to take myself too seriously.  Join a camera club and what you might think is a great photo can so easily be put down by a judge. With each successive competition you soon discover who are the good photographers in the club as it is so often the same names that are in the top three winners for the monthly competition.

I use a Canon 60D EOS with my three favourite lenses: Canon 18-135mm; 10-18mm; and 24-105mm. In my short time I have learned that the quality of a photo is as much, if not more, down to the quality of the lens as to the camera.

I love country walks and exploring little villages dotted around our County. Landscape, flora and fauna, birds and butterflies, sunsets! And yet, I also love old churches, inside and out. I see in their architecture, designs that would never pass the drawing board these days. I love old Gothic style buildings, the like of which I'm sure we'll never see built again.

Outside of my photography I enjoy Crown green bowling in the summer months and Indoor bowling to keep me going in the winter. I play snooker regularly, or try to!  I'm actively involved with a local church and help out with a senior citizens' Luncheon Club. I'm about to explore my thespian talents, if I have any, with a local drama group.

I've been retired for over 8 years now and sometimes think I should return to work for the rest! I am so busy but that's how I like it. I love nothing better than to set off in my Smart car to a part of the country I've never visited before with my camera. Sometimes I will take Jenny, my Parson Jack Russell, with me.  She's very patent and stands around for ages whilst I'm getting my shots!

I look forward to getting to know y'all in the coming months.

[FUJI]

Hi, Mike,

A very warm welcome to our TIPF community.....we are all very enthusiastic photographers of varying degrees, we all love banter.

I look forward to seeing your work.

FUJI

[Kobione]

Hi Mike and welcome.

[kev7d]

Allo to you Mike.  I keep pondering about joining the local club.  

[JHFoto]

Hello Mike and welcome..............................................

[fuzzyedges]

Hi Mike 

from the right side of the hill

[Korky]

Hello, Mike - welcome to TIPF.

Yes, just dive in, make yourself at home and enjoy - no camera club gubbins here, just a bunch of daft buggers who enjoy photography. 

BTW - I absolutely love the self portrait. Great stuff!

Korky

 

[Black Pearl]

Welcome aboard.

 

An Olympus Mju 410 - now theres a blast from the past 

[Denis]

I wouldnt last five minutes in a camera club !

Hello and welcome

[Ryewolf]

Hello Mike, I'm also from Hyndburn, welcome aboard.

[Clicker]

Glad you made it Mike ...  they're a mad bunch on here ... you have been warned .. That's a nice comprehensive introduction  from you... I  suspect that  you'll find way around the site  but if you have any problems ...just yell ... there's no end of people  ready to point you in the right direction should you get lost ...  and the occasional one who will try to  entice you into the asylum where Matron rules supreme . 

Welcome to  TIPF .

PS After thirty posts  ( just comments will suffice ) you  will earn the right to edit  your posts  by clicking on the little cog wheel bottom left on your post .... lol  so till then ..any mistakes and typos  will be here for all to see ..

 

[KateW]

Hi Mike, welcome to the forum!

[Phil]

Hi Mike, welcome aboard 

Glad you finally took the plunge and started posting after lurking for so long 

[mikejduk]

Thanks for the welcome. Just missed the post for the theme 'Alone'. As soon as I saw it I thought of one in my collection only to find I had missed out. Not to worry, there'll be others. This is the one I had in mind.

[ChrisLumix]

On 14 January 2017 at 04:05, mikejduk said:

In my short time I have learned that the quality of a photo is as much, if not more, down to the quality of the lens as to the camera.

Welcome to the forums  Mike. 

I'm not sure you can be "alone" with a smartphone and social networks?  Good picture though.

In my time I have learned that the quality of an image is more down to the eye & brain behind the viewfinder than anything else... just wish mine were better!

[David995031]

Hello Mike, If your 'non-Alone' pic is anything to go by I am looking forward to enjoying more of your work.