My name is Daniel McInnes and I’ve been involved with photography for 30 years now.  My interest in photography began in 1979 when my wife and I emigrated to New Zealand and lived in a rented bungalow in Palmerston North.

Being in a new country was an ideal opportunity to buy a decent camera - a Canon TX with a standard lens. At first I was like kid with a new toy - snapping away at everything and learning a lot about photography through all the mistakes I was making!  Most of my pictures were shot in Black and White, which was a great deal cheaper than shooting colour.  I found photography fascinating and very addictive - something I could relate to.  Being in a new country I always wanted my camera with me - not wanting to miss any opportunity for a great photo.  It was whilst visiting the east coast town of Napier that I saw two roller skaters practising a form of dancing on roller skates!  Low evening sunlight had cast shadows from the surrounding railings, which complemented the shadows of the skaters.  I decided the next day to submit the photo to a magazine called `ZOOM` and was lucky to get it published!

We stayed in New Zealand for nearly two years and I took many photos’ learning all about photography and this beautiful country.  Returning to the UK in 1981, I decided to take an ICS course in photography.  Over the years I experimented a lot and targeted the editorial market with my work - just to build up a portfolio. In the near future I would like to have my own website and hopefully, have a book published! Photography has come a long way from when I started with the arrival of digital cameras`.  At first I was reluctant about switching to digital cameras, but now I’m very happy that I made the change.  The quality of the pictures` you can get with a digital camera is excellent and the convenience of checking pictures in-camera is an asset. Downloading pictures onto a laptop saves so much time. I can remember how frustrated I felt when I had to wait between 7- 10 days for my kodachrome slides to come back from the processors!

I like nothing better than heading off to the south coast with my camera. From Boscombe to Bournemouth and as far as Weymouth I have managed to capture the essence of these popular seaside resorts.  In my work I try to capture something different to what you normally see in magazines or postcards.

I feel that I am constantly challenging myself to produce work, which satisfies me on all levels.  Being my own severest critic keeps me in check - knowing there are many first-rate photographers` out there helps to keep me motivated!  There is nothing I like better than capturing a beautiful scene and hearing the sound of the Nikon shutter in making it happen.