Europa / Großbritannien /Westcliff on sea, Essex.
I met a lady when I was exhibiting my pictures at the Leigh Art Trail. she liked my pictures and told me about her passion for making headdresses. So a fortnight later we got together.
I met this girl and her sister two years ago aged 11. I met her through a chance meeting with her Mother who has through photography become a great friend. Her daughter Marnie has become my favourite sitter, the camera just loves her. We have a great time even though I have to endure hearing about her love of Harry Styles ? I would say she has focused my mind photographically and has broadened my ideas on whats possible and what I am trying to achieve. I was shooting mostly landscapes and seascapes. I count myself lucky to have met her and her Mum. She has been signed to a London agency this year and I wish her luck and still only 13.
My name is Colin Watkins. At 18 I studied photography for 3 years in the late 1970s at The Southend School Of Art & Design under the late Peter Fredrick ( who wrote the book Creative Sun Printing ) I then went on to work in advertising for a while followed by a stint making a living taking portraits. Then I never took a picture after age 28 till I hit 55 when I came back to photography as a hobby. I shoot black and white film and 10x8 positive paper with very little digital, not to be different but because that is what I know, also because i am colour blind and thats no good in the darkroom printing anything other than B & W. I have recently purchased a Pentax 645z but I tend to use as a manual film camera for shooting colour pictures. I am told the colours are exceptional.