“Capturing Life: My Unstoppable Quest for the Perfect Shot!”

WELCOME to Behind the Lens, a feature that highlights the skilled photographers in our Warrington Guardian Camera Club community.

This week, we’re featuring Neil Stanley, originally hailing from Surrey, who now resides in Warrington after relocating to train as a mathematics and computing educator.

Neil, a resident of Cinnamon Brow, embarked on his photographic journey at the age of seven, capturing his first images at London Zoo.

If you’re interested in being featured in our Behind the Lens segment, please email heidi.summerfield@newsquest.co.uk.

Join us here to become a member of the Warrington Guardian Camera Club.

Warrington Guardian Camera Club member Neil Stanley

What prompted your interest in photography?

I vividly recall being around seven years old when I took a small Brownie camera on a cub outing to London Zoo. Prior to that, I have memories of my mother teaching me to create black and white contact prints in a darkened garden shed, a skill she learned from her father. I received my first SLR camera for my 20th birthday after using standard instamatics. While teaching at Culcheth High in the late 1970s, I led the school’s photography club. I purchased my initial digital camera from the QVC outlet at Birchwood. Today, I assist in running the Warrington u3a Photo Group.

Fly agaric

What do you appreciate about photography?

It enables me to recognize details, and sharing images can allow others to observe those same details. In the era before digital cameras and smartphones, I often found myself as the sole person documenting the events I participated in.

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“Photography represents a kind of mindfulness and aids me in savoring the present moment”

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A bee on a marsh orchid

Where is your preferred location for photography and what is the reason?

I capture images anywhere and everywhere – far too many, some might argue. However, I am quite adept at filtering and choosing which ones I desire to retain or showcase.

Dusk on the Thames

What is your preferred subject matter and why?

If you inquire with friends, they would mention the moon. I once captured 16 sharp night images consecutively in Warrington. Birds, fungi, insects, and blossoms are prominent in my collection. Recently, I acquired an advanced telescope and on the few clear nights we’ve had recently, I’ve been experimenting with it. I managed to photograph ‘that comet’!

A wren

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“My happy place is strolling and capturing images – I adore how a photograph narrates a tale”

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What do you appreciate about being a member of our Camera Club on Facebook?

I enjoy sharing my images and observing what others have been creating. It’s especially gratifying when your image is selected for print or an online showcase.

Puffins away

If you could capture images of anyone/any place/anything, who/what would it be?

I’ve managed to capture images of puffins but never with a beak filled with sand eels.