Around 2010 I was growing tired of keeping Marine Fish in a tank at home. Don't get me wrong, I still liked them a lot but the weekly task of water changes, tank cleaning and checking water chemistry were getting me down. I needed a change. I needed a new hobby which didn't involve such heavy lifting. At the time I had also wanted to re engage with visiting Air Shows, I had enjoyed them in the past and wanted to start going again. I knew it would be alone as no one I knew was very interested.
So I sold all my aquariums and equipment and bought a new digital camera with a couple of lenses and attended my first show. Needless to say my lack of knowledge and skill soon revealed itself, but never wanting to quit I soldiered on over the years via many different cameras, lenses, computers , software etc etc. all in a quest for photographic perfection which I have never achieved. I have enjoyed every minute, even the times being stranded on an airfield in torrential rain, falling asleep waiting for the show to start, forgetting to take my camera and so on.
Although I found taking photos of aircraft was not that difficult, I had some big issues and was disappointed with the quality of my images. Exposure was difficult with a subject against a bright sky, trying to inject a sense of movement only happened with slow shutter speeds often resulting in blurry aircraft, and finally churning through thousands of images after an event was a bit tedious. It took me a long time, in the early days, to realise that one reason my pictures were disappointing was actually the monitor I was using, not the camera. I went through a few Nikons, Pentax and Olympus before that dawned on me. After twelve years (it's currently 2023 as I write) I think I have finally cracked the basics. I am slow, but steady.
These images are mainly for my own pleasure, as not many folk in my circle are remotely interested in pictures of aircraft. I am no expert, my memory for aircraft names is not good, I have little idea how to categorise or organise the images. However I hope that someone else might get a little pleasure from having a look at a few. If you visit please let me know on the contact form. Strangely enough I have sold hundreds of these photos over the years, if you wish to buy a print or electronic copy please ask.