The following Christmas, Janis surprised me with my own SLR. Peter donated his old camera, and Janis traded it for a second-hand Yashika SLR. I had my own camera.

Then came the magazines, the books. I learnt the techniques; exposure control, shutter speed & depth of field, composition; the rule of thirds & the importance of the viewpoint. Great, the only problem was the recession of the early ‘90s meant no disposable income. So expensive hobbies had to be put on hold. Photography was a costly hobby back in the day, especially when you had to struggle to pay the mortgage.

As the funds became available, the photography picked up. I transferred to slides for my photography and prints for the photo albums. (If you remember this, then you’re with me on showing your age)

The next step was a planned holiday of a lifetime to see Janis’s cousin in Zimbabwe in 1996. This was the catalyst for an upgrade, and my first Canon, a fantastic EOS 3. From that holiday, we have some beautiful memories captured on film.

The following year, we took the opportunity to visit my sister in China; I was loving this camera. Again some stunning shots, limited mainly by the price of film, and the subsequent processing.