It depends how you count it, of course. How do you define a serious hobbyist, and what differentiates them from a semi-professional? But using a few assumptions, I calculate that around 10 million photographers across the globe have some sort of website. Which leads to an obvious question: why one more?

Well, it’s easy to say that I take photos only for myself. And a lot of the time it’s true. But of the 6,000 or so photos I took last year there are a few – maybe a couple of dozen – which are good enough to share. So this is where I’m sharing them, and the stories behind them.  

Have you ever been in a gallery, looking at an exhibit and wondering what you’re looking at? Chances are there’s some sort of interpretive text written on the exhibition label. Sometimes the interpretive texts are the only way to understand what you’re seeing. Sometimes you might spend more time reading the interpretive text than looking at the exhibit. That’s why the stories behind a painting or photo are important. By understanding the stories, we can better appreciate the image. 

Of course not everyone will agree. Some photographers prefer their works to stand on their own, devoid of any explanation. And some photographers, like me, enjoy telling stories. Welcome to My Camera Stories – my photos, and the stories behind them.

About the photo

That’s me on Portobello Beach. The story here is very simple. Take a look at any old photo album. Spend time looking through it, and one person is always missing – the person who owned the camera. They would photograph the people around them, but they would rarely be the subject of a photograph. If they were, it was more likely to be a snapshot than a portrait.

Looking back at my own photos, I realise I’m an exception to this rule. I have often been surrounded by people who enjoy taking photos, and I feel very lucky to have so many good portraits of myself over the last half-century. This particular portrait was taken by my wife, shortly after we moved from London to Edinburgh in 1991. Looking back, I can’t believe we had the confidence to take such a leap into the unknown. New job, new city, new friends. In the end, it all worked out. After a couple of false starts, we found our feet. Secure jobs, friends around us, a home of own. But at this point, all that was still ahead of us, and I can see the worry behind my neutral expression.

Photos capture a moment. And this moment was one of the decisive moments of my life. I’m very lucky that my wife was there to capture it.