A few people here have asked where I learned to use a camera and whether I attended an Art School; I was even asked on one occasion whether I took photography courses on the road. In truth I've never had any formal training with a camera at all, which makes me a purely amateur snapper.

I've been interested in photography for years and learned as I went along with the aid of the odd book and by looking at other people's images and trying to work out how the magic was created.

The cost of developing and printing meant experimentation was undertaken on a limited budget. Even buying my own darkroom equipment so I could process and print black & white images at home had restrictions; the bathroom became my temporary darkroom and was far from ideal, but at least it helped keep the costs down.

Sadly photography always had to take a back seat when it came to finance and family projects too, if it comes to that.

Then a new era dawned as digital photography raised its head. Highly expensive and of very low quality originally, digital cameras soon became more accessible and Usky dipped a toe in the water.

The cost of producing images dropped dramatically, as long as the images remained electronic, which meant experimentation was virtually free once the equipment was paid for. The number of images I took increased dramatically and my skills seemed to increase too until I hit a plateau.

For me the next stage of improvement came from learning how much my equipment could be pushed in difficult conditions and how many 'rules' could be bent or broken. At the time I was running a website for Newport Rugby Club and wanted images to include on the pages.

Rugby being predominantly a winter sport, taking photographs at matches meant being out in all conditions and shooting in anything from bright sunshine, through pouring rain, to floodlit conditions after dark. During the first year I learned what my camera was capable of and how to obtain usable images in even the worst conditions.

I don't hold the following images up as being anything other than examples and know full well they are by no means 'great'. They do demonstrate though that anyone can learn to use a camera and that practice might not make 'perfect', but it certainly does help!