So who am I?

Well, my name is Peter Downer. I have been interested in photography since my early teens (an awful long time ago) I am a big fan of Stephen King's fiction books and films made from them. I like computers, hence this website and am constantly trying to update my skills in that area.

Thats me over to the right. The type of photography I enjoy is that of photographing nature. It really does not matter what type of natural subject as half of the enjoyment comes from actually being outside and seeing it. You cannot beat the feeling when you spot a willd creature that you have never seen before in its own wild environment.

I still use 35mm film equipment, which consists of the discontinued Olympus OM system. The Olympus OM system was aimed at producing a very comprehensive system based around small but sophisticated 35mm SLR bodies. They produced equipment that enabled photographers to photograph objects from the microscopic, through the every day to the long distance and even celestial. The problem nowadays is that they no longer manufacture equipment for this range, and their modern digital equipmentuses a completely different mount. I am probably not alone in having a significant amount invested in this range, too much to simply discard and start again. However, I overcome the problem by using a film scanner to transfer the images from 35mm slide or negative film onto my home built equipment.

I have also "dabbled" in digital video. I have a basic but effective "home use" camcorder. It has limitations for natural history but is capable enough for me to practice the techniques and try editing on the PC. I even have pretty good results sometimes.

There is no doubt that photography, both still and moving, is moving towards the digital domain. It is well worth taking the time to master the basics, it has given me the chance to edit and produce my own images. something I could never do before as I had no room for a darkroom at home.

I am constantly trying to update my knowledge on all manner of subjects, from my work (HR) to my hobbies and I am well known for being unable to resist books of all kinds. Even with the advent of computers and "E-books", I still don't think you can beat reading a real, printed book.

I am married, I have three lovley (most of the time) children. Funnily enough, although I am keen on photography, most of the images we have of our children, were taken by my wife Sue. I am glad she does, because occassionally we will stumble across an old album and on looking through it, the memories will come flooding back.

I think that this is where the real strength of photography lies. It is a great prompter. when you look at an image of something, somewhere or someone you know, you don't just see the picture. Your mind brings all the associated sensations back to you. Sounds, feelings, they all come back very quickly. So I hope that people still remember to make prints when they take digital pictures. It is so easy to lose those pictures if they are left on a computer or a digital camera - they are not at all permanent. So go on, print them for your children to remember.