Hello, that’s me up there, Mike Kelly, sitting on the cliff top, just sitting and waiting, but that is part of the joy of wildlife photography.
I’ve been interested in photography for as long as I can remember and my first camera was a Kodak Instamatic, which served me well for many years, then I bought my first DSLR when I was 16, that’s when things began to change.
Since then, I’ve worked in a professional Photo Lab and was involved in all aspects of the darkroom from Black and White to Colour, both prints and transparencies. I very quickly learnt how to develop films and prints and also how to manipulate the processors to achieve different results.
It was at this time I started taking photographs professionally when I was asked to start doing Weddings on Saturdays, or any other days when the resident photographer was not available.
Whilst doing all this and gaining vital experience, I also started to travel more with my cameras, and this was where I started my involvement with wildlife.
Okay, I know Gorillas are not indigenous to the Isle of Man, just taking a bit of artistic license to show my experience.
Since then I converted to Digital Cameras which has made life of lot easier, but I still use all the knowledge gained whilst in the analogue darkroom.
I have had several calendars published along with a book cover and my photographs appear occasionally on the BBC website. YOui will also find my work the the Facebook pages of the Manx Whale and Dolphin Watch as I am a fully trained Marine Mammal Surveyor.
So what is my next challenge?…… Who knows, we’ll just have to wait and see.