Hello, and welcome to my website and blog. I should perhaps start by introducing myself.
My name is Chris Love, an amateur photographer based in Nottinghamshire (although I’m close to the Derbyshire border). I’m married and have two boys, 13 and 9. I work as an Account Manager for a software and consulting company, The Information Lab, and spend my days talking to people about how to see and understand their data. I’m an avid board gamer, and when I’m not at work or out with my camera you’ll probably find me playing a board game; Scythe, Beyond the Sun, Terraforming Mars and The Adventures of Robin Hood are some of my favourites at the time of writing.
I first got a DSLR camera over ten years ago, a Nikon D90, having used a bridge camera before that. My photography lapsed, being restricted to holidays and work/family events before, in 2021, I refound my passion due to lockdown and started to take a more active interest and getting out on deliberate photography excursions.
I now own a Nikon D7500, a relatively straight upgrade from the D90, still being a DX (crop sensor) and have recently joined Nottingham and Notts Photographic Society to learn more and get valuable critique on my photographs.
My travels have seen me get more active on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (see the above links in the header – I’d appreciate the follow) and I wanted to share more of the personality behind the lens – which brings me here…a blog. Why a blog? Well several friends are active on YouTube but I struggle to follow their posts, YouTube doesn’t fit with my day – I rarely want to spend 10 or 15 minutes catching up with a video with sound on, it pulls me away from my day, instead, I enjoy reading in stolen moments through the day.
I’ve always blogged my passions, be it through work, or play – I’ve written blogs and websites on Tableau, Alteryx, films, local wildlife, birding… Not all of them have stuck – but I’m keen to share my thoughts and maybe find an audience.
A blog meant revisiting my old website, which was horrifically out of date, and so I’ve spent some time recently rebuilding this site. I use a self-hosted WordPress and Elementor, for those who like technical details.
So what will be in the blog?
As I’ve explained I want to share some of the personality behind the lens, help you understand the motivations behind my photos, the process and the ups and downs of my photography. I also want to use the blog to inspire others and help share tips, details of locations and equipment reviews. Somewhere I can share my thoughts.
For example, I’ve recently been on a trip to Magpie Mine (see photo), and so soon I’ll be sharing some details on the location, where to find it and some details of what to expect when you are on site. I’d also love to share some details on how I take astro-landscapes and how I process them. So hopefully there will be something for everyone.
I’m often asked what genre of photography I focus on, but the honest answer is I don’t particularly have one – I simply enjoy the process of taking photographs. Wildlife and nature are two particular interests, and while I’m still trying to improve my landscape photography it deserves a mention. I enjoy macro work, bugs aren’t as quick to move as birds, and love street photography when I can.
Portrait work I do with the family but set-up shots in a studio aren’t exactly a turn off, but excite me less perhaps than other genres.
Essentially you might say I’m a jack of all trades, and I’m definitely master of none.
So, thanks for reading, I hope you’ll join me on my journey and I look forward to sharing more soon.
