Hello from Ingatestone, Essex

Glenn

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I have been interested in photography on and off since my parents bought me a cheap plastic Diana camera back in the mid-sixties, long before that same camera became a popular part of the Lomography line-up. As a teenager I had a darkroom in my bedroom and progressed through a number of analogue cameras: Kodak Brownie, Halina 120, Lubitel 2, Pentax S1a, and a Nikkomat EL which I still have.

Since I retired, I have again become interested in photography and bought myself a fancy new Nikon mirrorless Z7 and a Rolleiflex T on eBay. I am trying to put together a portfolio of images to apply for an LRPS distinction with the Royal Photographic Society and have found myself producing a number of B+W images from my digital camera. This last year I finally learned some basic editing skills and have been using Affinity Photo.

I do struggle a bit with optimising contrast with monochrome and have to date mainly used universal exposure, brightness, contrast, shadow and highlight adjustments alongside curve and colour "filters" in the black and white conversion but these are often frustratingly inadequate, all of which brought me to Martin's contrast grading technique. I have yet to purchase his course on the same but fully intend to do so. I have been preoccupied with the renovation of my apartment recently which is the only thing stopping me and that is finally coming to an end.

I am not sure yet how well contrast grading will translate to Affinity and am wondering if anybody else has trodden this path before me?
 
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Just around the corner near Ongar, Glenn. There are two or three forum members from our fine if somewhat flat county. What are your photographic genres?
 
Mostly Landscapes at the moment, but landscape in the loosest possible sense. As you know, our part of Essex is quite rural but I am quite happy to photograph in a railway station car park or to include industrial buildings within a scene. I have also been putting together some photobooks of my travels in various parts of the world over the years and currently have three of those on the go for Marrakech, Japan and Thailand.
 
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