THE GUEST speaker for the meeting on Thursday, February 1 was Peter Allen, with a talk entitled “Ducks to Landscapes, My Journey So Far (and my experiences that come with it)”.

Peter is the youngest speaker we have had at the club and considering this was the first talk he had ever given he kept his audience enthralled throughout the whole time he was on his feet.

His opening image was one of a duck, and in his own words 'not an outstanding picture' but the one that got him hooked into photography.

The second step of his journey, took us into the interiors of some very impressive homes, and these photographs were used by a property agency for selling the properties.

Pets were his next subject, the first image being of his own pet dog Kesha.

He then told us of his foray into wedding photography, this only lasted for about four weddings as he didn't feel comfortable 'ordering' people around.

His next adventure involved a motorbike, a tent, a camera and loads of courage for wild camping in the Brecon Beacons (in the winter). It was here that he discovered exactly where he wanted to be – a landscape photographer with nothing but the sounds of nature and outstanding beauty surrounding him.

He told us how he loves the outdoors and wants to encourage others to enjoy and treasure what is given to us free of charge. Although the majority of his landscapes were taken in Wales (a place that he absolutely loves), he also told us of an adventure to Cornwall on New Year’s Eve and a four day wild camping trip to Switzerland.

Throughout the evening he accompanied each image with a commentary of where it was taken, what it meant to him and how he had prepared for the shot he wanted.

Peter is a delightful young man, full of enthusiasm and so willing and able to answer all the questions asked by his very appreciative audience. He concluded his talk giving us a tip of how to capture and post process a beautiful sunrise shot.

And so his journey continues.