Behind the Lens

Mr Smith has rediscovered his love of photography.

Back in the day

He was a keen camera enthusiast. He owned a Canon SLR and a C220 Mamiya. He loved scenic shots, bird photography and had even tried his hand at family portrait stuff. Our family that is.

He even took our wedding photos. Amazing what you can do with a remote and a “stand in” groom. Relax, I didn’t marry the stand in ♥

That was in the day when cameras used film. Lots of film. And your film went off to be developed and you would wait days, even weeks to get them back. Longer still if your roll of film languished in a drawer for so long you had totally forgotten what was on it. Do you remember sending it off, wondering what might come back? I remember when your photos started coming on a CD as well as your prints.

Was that the very beginnings of our obsession with sticking our life, in images, online I wonder?

Our first foray into digital cameras was when we went to Kenya in 2005. Much research went into what to buy. Mr Smith plumped for a Canon 300D, a Digital SLR. I had a compact Nikon Coolpix 4300.  Maximum resolution 6 mp and 4 mp respectively. Oh how the times have changed.

We both enjoy our photography, but it’s fair to say, the camera mainly came out for holidays and our dogs. Pretty standard for most people I expect

Then I noticed a change

Mr Smith started to act out of character.

Suddenly he was getting photos professionally printed again. Printed? Why would you do that? Photos live on the Cloud, where you visit them daily – or never.

It got even stranger. He began to set them. Pouring over websites to find quality frames and mounts.

Spending hours and hours revisiting old images and reviewing them. Sending them off to various magazines and websites to get them published.

And then the boxes started to quietly arrive. A camera upgrade. A lens upgrade. A monopod. A tripod…

How do I create a Facebook page?

..he asks. And that is when I finally realised he’d got it bad.

Because – Mr Smith doesn’t do Facebook.

Or, at least, he didn’t.

But when a magazine offered to pay him for his image and asked for his Facebook page, it was time to bite the bullet.

Stephen G Smith Wildlife Photography was born.

Mr Smith is gently getting into it – a little like you might lower yourself into a hot bath. No sudden movements. Test the water with the toe, so to speak. Hell, we don’t want him leaping back out!

But he is now looking at his images with fresh eyes – or with a new lens – depending on your perspective.

Previously filed photos are coming back out. From hippos to dogs, roe deer to songbirds. They are all being critically appraised, watermarked and filed for future release. Listen, you can’t rush these things. But if you can’t wait and want to be first to see them when they land, then I suggest you follow his page. It’s his baby, not mine.

What next?

Those who know us well will know we love Africa. We have filled many an SD card with countless images of lions, elephants and acacia trees.

Now we are looking further afield. The opposite direction in fact.

I can’t say too much , but let’s just say, if you go down to the woods today, or tomorrow, or next year, and you happen to be in another continent, just be sure to find out whether to run or confront them.

Bears that is!

And I am a little bit excited about the prospect too. I’ll be taking my camera but mainly as a buddy to my notebook.

Meanwhile, you can go and fuel Mr Smith’s new interest here with a like or a comment. He’ll be delighted. Just don’t let on I told you, it can be our secret..