The Photographer
An introduction to the photographer
Martin T Searle.
My interest in photography started when I was at school where I went on to take a photography course, learning dark room techniques and how to capture better images.
My first camera, an old Agfa 35mm, was given to me by my mother when I was about ten years old.
From there I moved on to a Pentax before buying my first Nikon.
I have stayed with Nikon and used many different models, making the switch to digital with a D100. I then bought a D200 and recently have upgraded to the awesome D700.
Most of my lenses are Nikon and I currently have 14-24mm F2.8, 24-70mm F2.8, 105mm Micro VR F2.8, 80-400mm F4.5-F5.6 VR and a Sigma 70-200mm F2.8.
I have stuck with Nikon because I believe they are superbly built, intuitive to use and give excellent results.
My Camera has been dropped from a Land Rover in the sands of the African deserts, covered in the thick river mud of Borneo while taking shots of a wild Orangutan and carelessly submerged in the ocean off Madagascar taking a shot whilst sailing in a Dhow.
My camera has to put up with a lot, and my Nikon does this admirably.
I take most of my photographs when traveling however living in the Highlands of Scotland gives me the perfect opportunity to shoot a wide range of landscapes and wildlife.
My images are now all shot in digital and I try to get the image I want 'in camera' rather than spending time on the computer altering and manipulating images. Therefore most of the images you see on this site are pretty much as they were taken.
I came to the Highlands in 2001 to work as an outdoor instructor but, as happens in this part of the world, one finds oneself being taken in different directions which include working at just about anything that comes up from photography to training First aid to outdoor instruction and when not busy with those I can be found fitting bathrooms and kitchens for friends.
I married my wonderful wife in 2008 and have to thank her for putting up with my obsessive photography behaviour when out in the hills or cycling through the countryside. Without her patience most of my images wouldn't exist.