CSFoto.biz Professional Photography by Chris Smith

Telephone Sherborne: 01935 814911 or Cell/Mobile Phone Number: 07930 022289 or Email me: chris@csfoto.biz

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Well, this is me. What you see is a self-portrait.

I am 50 years old and have been "into" photography ever since my father gave me his camera at the age of 4 to take a photo of him and my mother.

I grew up with 2 and a 1/4 square, a Rolleiflex owned by my father who was at the time a semi-Professional photographer. We didn't even know what 6x6 meant like today, we were and I still am Imperial in sizes. You want a 10x8, you get it in inches!

I grew up around cameras and photography. I still don't to this day know why people run a mile when a camera is pointed at them, it happened to me regularly as I was my father's favourite subject!

I started life after leaving school working in all kinds of jobs to get the money together for Flight Training as a civilian Pilot, that was my father's other passion, the Royal Air Force. I'm not military material, I have my own mind and my own opinions but do like their discipline which works well today for me.

I'd had enough of being a "Bus Driver in the Sky" after a few years and returned to Photography but this time as a career choice and not a hobby. I started in life with film, long before the days of digital. I started with a Bronica ETRSi learning and honing what was needed to "cut it" in the biz! Next came the leap of faith into the big world as a small-time Pro with a Mamiya RB67, good old 120 role film! These cameras are just great for portraits and weddings but useless when on location when you don't have that "labrador" to carry your bags and film also to hand you a fresh 120 film back when you need it.

I jumped to 35mm without a parachute! I was a Nikon man through and through for many years right up to the F5. I got asked by a long term client (RN FAA) if I would shoot some work in digital...my god what's digital I thought! I bought a Nikon D100 with pro-pack which had just came out, then moved on to the D2X which was my last Nikon.

I made the transition to Canon 4 years ago and find the EOS 1Ds MkIII handles well and is more comfortable in my hands than the Nikon. It has a better layout and has less or a tidier set of menus than the Nikon.

Overall, I have over 20 years of professional experience and it makes me wince when I say, it's 46 years since I first held a camera.

I think i am still in the business because it's my passion, my life in fact. I am old fashioned I guess and it's something I suppose that is a good thing. I have provided photographs for some big clients and plenty of small ones. Every one got the same attention to detail.

I listen to what the client wants, not what I think the clients needs. There is too much flim-flam today by smart-a*sed kids wet behind the ears, out of college and know it all. Most don't last long!

Above all else I love photography as much today with digital as I did when I first started using my father's 120 roll film camera.

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