Brian Sherlow

I have been interested in photography for over 50 years. When I think back, what I actually mean is I have been interested in taking pictures since the 1970’s!

My first camera was a Prinz P600 which was Dixon’s own version of a Kodak Instamatic 126. I progressed onto a 35mm rangefinder camera which was a Beirette sold through Boots. It wasn’t until I started work that I could afford an SLR, my first being a Pentax KX. I moved onto Nikon equipment in 1982 and have used their kit ever since. I currently use a Nikon D850. Back in the pre digital era, I mostly shot E6 colour slides. These I would develop at home using a multi-bath processing kit. It involved tying up the kitchen for hours at a time, much to the annoyance of others! Water baths everywhere trying to keep all the chemicals at a constant 38c. How much easier digital processing is today?

Working in many different locations never afforded me the opportunity to join a camera club or partake in any formal training. Travel with work, and outside of it did allow me to capture photographs from many different and varied geographies, but more often or not these were pretty much point and shoot images.

It wasn’t until I retired that the possibility of joining a camera club became a reality. At the time, 2019, there were several clubs in the area. Some quick research made me settle on Sidmouth Photographic Club. I liked the look of their well balanced programme with an excellent cross section of club evenings, events, external speakers and field trips. Also, it was apparent from the images on their webpages there were some very good photographers in the club that I could hopefully learn from. Since joining, I have not been disappointed with any aspect.