I have always had an interest in photography, but after traveling to the South of France in 2001 where the coast and countryside is so inspiring due to the unique lighting conditions, my passion was realised. Due to the digital revolution, I invested in my first digital camera. A Sony Mavica CD1000, 2.1 megapixel which captured pictures direct to mini cd and 10 X optical zoom (state of the art for its day). Although the megapixels were low, I managed to capture some excellent shots - from dragonflies in flight to Formula One cars in flight around the Monaco circuit. My interests lay in sport and nature photography. After going through a number of point and shoot cameras, I invested in my first digital SLR in 2006. The Canon 20D had just been released - a 8.2 megapixel camera with interchangeable lenses (shooting five frames per second). From here my investment grew to the kit which I am currently using. A 100 -- 400 lens with image stabiliser for wildlife, and a 70 -- 200 F2,8 for those fast moving subjects. A 10 -- 22 lens is handy for those wide angle shots or panoramic landscapes. The 580 EX speedlight is just what you need for those low light conditions.
