Stephen Brunton
I am a (very) amateur photographer. I have always had a camera, and I have always taken holiday snaps. Up until 2004 this was largely by a succession of compact cameras from a variety of manufacturers. Sometime in the 1990s I got a Canon 35mm SLR camera. Around 2004 I decided to go digital. I went to John Lewis in Kingston-upon-Thames in the belief I was going to buy another Canon. The sales assistant suggested I also consider the newly released Nikon D70. I picked it up and immediately knew it was the right camera for me. Everything felt right in my hands.
I then entered a period of taking pictures of my two sons playing football. Other than that, it was holiday snaps. I traded in my cameras occasionally, in the misguided belief that a new camera would make me a better photographer. I now use a Nikon Z6iii which suits my level.
When I got the D70 I started using Nikon software as my preferred editing software. I believe it was called Nikon Capture. That software used something called Nik U-Point technology. This was removed when Nikon moved to Capture NX-D. I continued using this for a while, but then I discovered DXO Software had purchased the U-Point technologies and incorporated it into their PhotoLab product. That’s what I started using – I think my first version was PhotoLab V3. I continue using DXO software to this day.
In 2019 I was told I was going to be made redundant, and since I had no intention of working after that, I thought I would explore photography as a hobby. In the autumn of 2021 I joined Farnborough Photography Club, which is welcoming and friendly, and where I still go to be amazed at some of the other members’ images. Oh, and 24 hours before I was due to finish work my redundancy was withdrawn. I still haven’t retired but I am now down to three days a week.
So – what particularly interests me in photography? Therein lies the problem. I don’t yet know. I enjoy taking my holiday snaps, but I’m certain there is something else out there that will trigger me at some point. I’m just waiting to find out what it is!
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