In retrospect, the Panasonic Lumix FZ18 was an amazing bridge camera.

This picture was taken with the Lumix shortly before I upgraded to a Nikon D40. As the situation demanded, the aperture was set for a depth of field spanning from the hyper-focal distance to infinity, and the camera was pointed in a direction that would place the Red Arrows in the frame as they flew by.

My only criticism of the Lumix FZ18 was that it produced a lot of digital noise in pictures. This photo captured at ISO 100 is noisier than pictures taken at ISO 3200 from modern DSLR cameras.

My pet peeve when travelling on the Paris Metro was stopping at one station and following confusing signs down endless corridors only to end up at a different station a couple of blocks from our intended destination.

My favourite photography genre is candid. I like pictures that are unique combinations of events, feelings, and places. While a beautiful landscape can be re-visited and a portrait re-created, a moment remains truly unique.

I thought I wouldn’t enjoy wandering in a strange city, but I quite liked our Parisian strolls. We might even go back.

Because I know the person so well, I can fill the before and the after of this instant with countless stories. Others can only wonder.

Saint Michael’s Church is opposite Festival Place shopping centre in Basingstoke, Hampshire. Besides its age the church is interesting in that it bears the scars of aerial bombing by the Germans in their attempt to destroy a nearby ammunitions factory during World War II. Next to the church stands a former school. On the outside walls there are still deep marks left by pupils who used the bricks to sharpen their slate pencils.

Be content with what you have,
rejoice in the way things are.
When you realise there is nothing lacking,
the whole world belongs to you.
— Lao Tzu