I have been interested in photography since I was a child. I became enchanted when I saw an image appear on a sheet of paper floating in a dish filled with developer. That was better than magic. I received my first camera from my uncle. My mother took the next step when she signed me up for membership in a local photo club. Soon, as a nine-year-old, I started developing my first pictures and I was showing off my knowledge of optical aberrations to my playmates. Two years later, our bathroom became my home darkroom when my always very understanding mother spent her last pennies buying a second-hand photographic enlarger. My oldest negative, which I have still kept, dates from 1982 when I was eleven years old. I have always been fascinated by the technical side of photography with its goal of creating a captivating, interesting and beautiful image.