Critique Team

Phil picked up a Pentax in 1978 and was immediately consumed with a burning enthusiasm for all thing photographic. Joining a camera club the following year provided the incentive to be prolific and competitive with his work and to keep in touch with changing trends and styles over the years. The last 30 years has seen his involvement in mono and colour darkroom work and more recently digital imaging. Photoshop, and improvements in digital printing, has seen his dark room door firmly locked forever. Phil never tires of seeing other peoples work, and is never happier than when talking about or helping others with their photography.

Willie has had an interest in photography from the time he was 17 years old. He owned a Pentax 35mm camera, and developed and printed B&W film in a small dark room for a year or so. He took a break from serious photography for many years after he was married and he raised 4 kids, and started up again about 10 years ago with a Canon Elan film camera, and then took to digital immediately it became mainstream. Willie has what's called an eclectic style - he takes pictures of anything, and likes digital manipulation. He feels that critiquing is not only a way for the person receiving the critique to improve, but also for the person critiquing.

Pamela's enthusiasm for photography began whilst working for the Forestry Commission in the New Forest. She made it a personal project to photograph every wild flower in the forest and produce ID information for visitors. This project gradually widened to include insects and wildlife. Now retired, she challenges herself to all aspects of outdoor photography, with a keen interest in abstracts and unusual aspects/angles. Having been the grateful recipient of constructive critique from site members herself, Pamela nowadays enjoys giving helpful advice to others travelling the same pathway to improvement.

Stephen has been taking photographs for 20 years, and went digital 3 yrs. ago. His passion is landscapes, but with a special liking for shapes, patterns and strong compositions using the whole range of the zoom. Also dabbles a bit with horses (photographically :-) ) He'll critique anything based on how he honestly sees it, and welcomes follow-up questions or requests for clarification on the pic or by PM.

Janet has always had a camera of some kind, starting with a Kodak Brownie 127 far too many years ago. When the digital age appeared she treated herself to a little Fuji compact followed by a Fuji S7000, but even though she loved the macro facility she needed more. Next along was a Nikon D70, Nikon D2X & now a D300 & far more lenses than she actually needs. Floral images were her real starting point and she often raid the garden for subjects. She even plants special flowers in the garden that have good shape & form so that she can photograph them. Living 'out in the sticks' she gets loads of little birds in the garden, so her next project was to devise a set up where she didn't have to sit out in the freezing cold for ages, that worked very well & still does. Portraits were her next passion & she invested in a couple of nice studio lights, a big soft box ,triflector..and..and..the list goes on. Janet loves playing with light & watching the mood of an image alter as she changes the position & source of the light. Being creative & different is amazing, using layers & textures is fascinating & she spends far too much time at the computer trying different things. She joined a local Camera Club a couple of years ago & has been very successful. Last year she managed Photographer of the Year!

Alistair was always fascinated by good images, however it was only in July of 2012 that the photography bug really sunk its teeth! After completing a 20 hour Introduction to Photography course, and acquiring his first DSLR, the passion for photography as a serious hobby was ignited for good! To further his knowledge of the subject and share his work, Alistair joined ePHOTOzine in September of 2012, particularly on the strength of the Critique Gallery feature. Aspiring to learn from others and share his lessons, Alistair actively participated in the Critique Gallery, regularly submitting his work for review and offering his critique for others' as well. His interest in the Critique Gallery and regular contributions caught the attention of ePHOTOzine and Alistair was offered to join the Critique Team in February 2013. He accepted with the explicit aim to help others in the same manner as that with which he had benefited of in the past. Alistair believes knowledge is best when it's shared, and that is what he hopes his critique will lead to.

Eric has always been interested in images for as long as he can remember and has been taking photographs for most of his life, however he started to take his photography seriously and wanting to improve his images about 2-3 years ago. Since then he has used the inspiration of early photographers to try and guide his images. He loves Black and White as he feel they make the viewer look at the image and not just acknowledge the colours on display. Eric's most influential photographers have been, Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, Fay Godwin and Bill Brandt who in their own way have fashioned and guided photography through their careers.

Moira received her first camera in 1959, and has not been without one since. She joined ePHOTOzine in 2006 and appreciates the focus and discipline that it has given her photography. Now retired and loving it, she uses her passion constructively, volunteering as Community Photographer and running a U3A Photography group. Her main areas are reportage and 'the smaller picture', but she will photograph anything. (That Calendar Boys project will happen one day... ) She has a particular interest in the psychology of how the eye and brain 'read' images. She believes in giving helpful, encouraging, polite critique, always on the basis of first trying to understand what a photographer is actually seeking to achieve.

Nick's interest in photography stretches back to school days. Over the years he's owned various film cameras including an Olympus OM10 and Nikon F70. When Christmas shopping in 2006 he made an impulse buy at Jessops and entered the digital era with the Nikon D80. His current Camera is a D800, the D80 is now converted to IR. Joining EPZ in 2007 his work has improved due in part to the critiques from other members. He has very eclectic tastes, and has tried his hand at most photographic genres, including wildlife, candid photography, land/Seascapes even digital manipulations.

Nick has always taken photographs, since his first 120 Bakelite camera as a child, through Instamatics, then compacts. A Praktica SLR bought from a friend at uni started an interest in more serious photography, and he has been shooting most formats ever since. He considers himself lucky to have a good friend in the photography retail business from whom he's been able to borrow and use an enormous range of equipment. Landscapes are Nick's preferred subject, but he has shot virtually all genres on both film and digital over the years, including commissioned work, giving him experience across a broad range of subjects. He still enjoys darkroom work, developing and printing his own film when he can, but also enjoys the newer challenges of digital processing. Perhaps it's his background in engineering, but he firmly believes that enjoyment of photography doesn't have to be expensive, and the more you can do and make for yourself, the better and more satisfying.