This septuagenarian has come to photography and writing malarky late in life. Let's start with photography. If you exclude a smart phone, then it's only the ten or so years I have had a digital camera in my clumsy mits. I dabbled with film as a younger bloke but it was an infrequent dabble. However there has been one constant in the intervening years - I have been a wildlife enthusiast since I was ten. What's more I can recall the exact moment when this particular pursuit commenced but that, as they say, is another story. 
It comes as no surprise then that nature is a prominent theme in my photography. 
My old website became an array of bird images, neatly ordered alphabetically, of over 250 different species. A personal field guide; images which offer memories and reflections. They did their job but they are little more than birds on a stick or a ledge or flying somewhere. I began to prefer some shots over others. My natural preference took me to images where, dare I say, a little ‘art’ might have crept in.
Now, unlike my wonderful Uncle Bill,* a marvellous water-colourist, I can’t paint. My drawing is, shall we say, limited. So photography beckons as one way to express those ephemeral, aesthetic values. I do love a good Rembrandt. 
My wife suggested I go to an exhibition, held in Poynton’s Civic Centre, put on by a local camera club. This was spring 2019. The visit turned out to be a minor epiphany of the secular sort. Here were top images, not just of nature but landscape, portraits, still life and other ‘genres’. Each photo told a story, each image had ‘wow’ factor. Elements so missing in many of my own photos. I came away wanting to know more about this local camera club. Within a month, I had joined the North Cheshire Photographic Society. I was made very welcome indeed. I had landed on my feet. 
I soon realised that being self taught I had acquired many bad habits - bad photographic habits of course! The members have turned out to be a generous bunch, willing to help me in my journey to improve my images. So as you read this blurb, be aware that I’m at the start of a belated journey. I wish I had started earlier. I have a few personal goals but I’ll keep them to myself in case I fluff my quest.  
As my photography developed in my senior years, so did my enthusiasm for writing. Indeed I am now a published author - where did that come form? What started out as a plea to record my life's journey in nature, from one of my four daughters, culminated in a 70,000 manuscript. I showed it to my good friend Cynan Jones, a top novelist from mid-Wales who liked it but suggested a few changes, especially to the structure.  worked hard for over  year on these changes untl eventually we had something to offer to the publishing world. Can you imagine the thrill when Whittles emailed me to say they would like to publish. So An Eye for Birds was born in 2022. It was well received and two years later my second book was published, also byWhittles under the title Art & Nature in the Outer Hebrides. That too has received critical acclaim, he says immodestly. I'm now working on my third title which currently has a working title of Hebridean Musings
I have to say it’s great fun. Watch this space. I will try and keep this website up-to-date with recent images, book news and thoughts.
There will be ups.  There will be downs. 
Thanks for taking the time to read these few words. Do take a look at my image Galleries and the Writing tab which outlines my scribbling endeavours 
There are three galleries, Nature, Macro and Landscape. I aim to update these galleries with new images as they come along. I hope you enjoy.     


*William A Kendrick (1920 - 2003) - Watercolours. He was born and lived on The Wirral and emigrated in later life to New Zealand, where he continued to paint his Wirral landscape scenes from memory.
Family of Swallows
Family of Swallows
Sunset at Great Berneray, Isle of Lewis
Sunset at Great Berneray, Isle of Lewis
White-tailed Bumble Bee
White-tailed Bumble Bee
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