I've always taken photos of pretty much everything on whatever camera I could get my hands on. In the past, I might have gotten a few good shots from a day out but I couldn’t really have told you what I did to get them, so I guess I have an “eye” but really I think I take enough shots that some will be reasonably good. I had used my phone and digicams in the past, but I bought myself a Panasonic Lumix bridge camera while at university. It was great to have a camera that had different modes, and I was drawn to taking photos of fountains, creating long exposures, and of course taking pictures of the sparrows in the garden. Unfortunately when the Lumix broke down I went back to the digicam. In 2018 my wife and I purchased a DSLR and kit lens, and started realising just how much control it allows a photographer. In 2019 I went on a day course to learn how to properly use it, and from that point forwards I was shooting using Manual mode as much as I could! Skip forward a year and the world was sent into lockdown and with it, Zoom calls. I found the Wolverhampton Photographic Society on Facebook, joined up and through workshops, competitions, critique, feedback, seeing everyone else’s work, and just spending time with photographers who were passionate about their work, enabled me to develop as a photographer. I’ve not lost my eye or love for an eclectic mix of photographic styles and subjects, but now I have a better success rate from a shoot and am more encouraged to continue taking photos.