Born too many years ago in London and migrating ever further north through my childhood, I eventually moved to North East Scotland through my work in the late '70s and have lived here ever since. My interest in photography was initially spawned by watching my father in his makeshift home darkroom 'magically' make black and white images of the family. I was given a Kodak Instamatic camera which served me for several years, but I preferred colour slide film; I never did develop any darkroom skills. My first SLR was a Zenith EM, but my head was turned when a friend at 6th Form College brought in his Olympus OM1, and my 'love affair' with Olympus cameras was born. I started with an OM10, but as soon as I could afford it, I upgraded to an OM2 SP. This camera and an assortment of OM lenses were proven a trusty combination for many years; I still own it all, and although I have not used it in anger for several years, it is fully functional. Quite impressive for a 40-year-old camera. My wife bought me my first digital camera as an Anniversary present - Olympus, of course, an E510. Over the intervening years, I have moved onto an E5; my current cameras are 2 OMD EM1 IIs.

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