Part one of a series of posts - for those who are interested in the equipment I use -

When I started taking photoraphy seriously, I made the mistake of thinking the equipment was important and bought various lenses and accessories just because I thought I had to. I carried everything around with me on the basis that if I left something behind I'd be bound to need it. However, as the bag got heavier I started to be a little more disciplined and I now try to be much more selective in what I take - sometimes deliberately going out with just one lens for the fun of seeing what I can achieve with it. Initially, this was frustrating but gradually you realise that being selective has benefits, aside from the obvious, in that sometimes you just have to improvise when you come across an opportunity for which you perhaps don't have the ideal lens. This situation forces you to think outside the box, about how you can achieve results with the equipment you have with you and allows your creativity to be freed. It makes you think less about the equipment and more about the image, which is something I found I was much more comfortable with.

In my personal work I am very much a spontaneous and opportunist photographer - I don’t tend to plan things too much or work out where I should be at a particular time. I take it as it comes and work accordingly. I much prefer to travel light as I feel much more comfortable and actually enjoy taking pictures instead of carting around a heavy bag, tripod and too much gear, just in case, becoming tired and fed up in the process. I believe that this change has helped me to improve and in fact I have now sold several items of equipment which I found I no longer used or where I have discovered a better option.

I have bought and sold a few lenses over the past few years but have now settled on those from which I get the best results and with which I feel most happy. What I use now are, in my view, the best I can use for the images I like to take. I like to experiment and try out different ways of doing things, which is fun and can be very creative. I describe the items I use and why I use them, as well as what I no longer have and why I got rid of it as I believe that is most useful to someone trying to decide what to buy. I know when I am researching an item I think I need that I like to know why it didn't work for someone as well as why it did for others - that way I can best make my decision and choose if I really do need it. As equipment often changes and gets added to, I will try to keep this updated. Feel free to ask questions or post comments if you choose.

Part 2 - Cameras