've just joined this group so thought I'd take a moment to introduce myself. I'm Marie, live in Stafford and am a mad photographer (emphasis on the mad...it's having kids that does it, you know ).

I've been behind a camera of one sort or another since I was 9, which is far more years than I care to remember. My uncle gave me my first camera which was (if memory serves) as Duaflex TLR. Learning to frame when the image is upside down was a learning curve and a half! I then went through a Kodak Brownie (think I'm giving my age away here...), a Practika SLR, a couple of Chinon SLR's, a fair few Canon EOS's, A Lubital(!), a Mamiya 645 and another Canon EOS (not to mention more compacts than I can recall, I always have one with me). Finally, a couple of years ago I took the plunge and dipped my toe in the digital world (after years of saying I'd never convert! LOL!) and bought a Konica Minolta A200 bridge camera. I loved it so much I'm now the proud owner of a Canon EOS 400D and am lusting after the EOS 5D

Many years ago I used to be a professional studio photographer but decided I preferred inanimate objects so now I concentrate on landscape, macro, still life and abstract. I'm no longer a pro either, though am considering heading back that way once I've mastered digital (if I ever do!).

I'm looking forward to getting to know you all, get involved and hopefully learn a little along the way And if there are any other Staffordians around that fancy a photo outing any time, give me a shout

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Take gentle care....
Marie

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I dream of a better tomorrow, where
chickens can cross roads and not
have their motives questioned....
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