7.30 pm, August 15th, 2005, the evening which changed my life and damaged my bank balance.
I’d gone to Wheatlands, a wonderful privately owned, but open to the public, nature reserve near York.
I had a camera, hardly used and then only on full automatic. I had no idea how to work the wretched thing, it was all a mysterious mystery.
Then Joy showed me an image, still within her camera.
It looked like a blade of grass – until she gradually expanded it, revealing masses of insect eggs. I was HOOKED.
Eventually I learned to use the macro settings.
The world of the tiny opened up to me. I began to SEE when I looked. Things I hadn’t noticed before began to leap out and scream for attention. Two months later, on October 14th 2005, I took this photo of a bee feeding on a bramble blossom. I hadn’t realised how exquisitely beautiful a bee’s face is, how complex, the textures, shapes and colours. I was HOOKED.
Then there was the fly blowing a bubble. Why? How did he do it? Do ALL flies do this? What about other insects?
And just exactly which fly, wasp, bee, hoverfly have I captured on camera? Things to learn, books to buy. I was HOOKED.
Over the years, many subjects have claimed my attention & interest, none have snared me in quite the same way, so deeply. Most have been passing fads. This is serious.

Some one told me macro photography is the easiest form. That may well be true, but what a wonderful world is revealed.
Joy had no idea what she was starting that evening, neither did I, but: I AM HOOKED.