JHM Digital - John Myring’s site for Digital Dabblers

ABOUT ME

My copy of the New Shorter Oxford Dictionary gives one of the meanings of dabble as ‘…to engage in a pursuit in a desultory manner’; and a dabbler as ‘…a person who dabbles; a dilettante.

Two of its definitions for a dilettante are; ‘…a person who takes an interest in a subject merely as a pastime and without serious study’; also, ‘…a person who cultivates the arts as an amateur’.

The above pretty well sums up my approach to digital photography / art and all its appendages.

So what is my photographic background? Apart, that is, from being a definite non-expert in any photographic area of course.

Some fifty odd years ago, aged fifteen, I built my own enlarger using a variety of very unlikely components, but it worked, after a fashion. At that time amateurs bought their chemicals from the chemist; photographic paper was in scarce supply and expensive, unless you bought ex-government, single weight, medium grade; which I had to. The prints I produced were all beautifully soft and grainy; unfortunately I was trying for sharp and contrasty!

Fast forward some eighteen years and my ‘skills’ had improved sufficiently for me to gain my LRPS with a set of monochrome prints. After dabbling, unsuccessfully, with the early colour negative printing I tried Cibachrome colour printing and found it a doddle by comparison. Later, in 1981, I obtained my ARPS with a set of Natural History transparencies of wild flowers.

Around then I joined Smethwick Photographic Society [subsequently becoming President] and also the Nature Group of the RPS. In due course I served on the latter’s committee for many, many, years in various roles, the last eight of those as Editor of its magazine, The Iris. In that latter capacity I learnt the basics of QuarkXpress.

I’ve never been a serious exhibitor, nor competitive photographer; having said which I was fortunate enough in 1989 to win the Gold Medal in the RPS Nature Group Annual Exhibition. This award and the Silver Medal I received in 2001 for services to the Nature Group, are both special to me. Sadly I have since resigned from the RPS in protest at the way it was being run.

Before resigning though I conceived the idea of a guide to help those applying for their Associateship of the RPS in Nature Photography. This I designed and built using Opus Pro multi media software. Tony Wharton FRPS and Colin Smith FRPS collaborated with me and provided expert photographic guidance. I revised the guide, An Interactive Guide to obtaining your Nature Associateship, several times and it is now on version three. The Nature Group have sold over 300 copies to date.

Nowadays, like so many, I enjoy dabbling in digital photography and plumbing the depths of Adobe Photoshop. I must confess though that the number of photographs I take has drastically decreased, whilst time spent on the computer increases proportionally. Currently I’m experimenting with the various ways in which ‘painterly’ effects can be created.

Also, of course, building and maintaining this web site which I do using Serif WebPlus X4 software; an excellent and inexpensive programme.

If not quite a founder member of MIDIG (Midland Digital Group - www.midig.org) I joined within a short time and always find its members a tremendous help, for their friendly advice, always freely given, and the inspiration the group creates.

© to images on this site belongs to John Myring; they may not be copied or reproduced without his written permission.