Today we focus on Amanda Glinsman, 51. She is originally from Hove but moved to Portsmouth as a mature student in 1993 to do an HND in business and finance. She then went to London to work in customer finance and for charities. From 2011 to 2019 she became her mother Pam’s full-time carer until her mum died suddenly. Amanda moved back South after finding her ‘lovely flat’ in Shoreham and completing the sale, all during lockdown. She says ‘once a Sussex girl, always a Sussex girl’.
Tell us a bit about yourself
Me and my house cat Jacob, who I rescued from Battersea, moved to Shoreham last June. It really is a wonderful place to live. I absolutely love being back here and it’s given me the time and space to heal and grieve for my mum who I was very close to, especially after my dad Chick died when I was 21. I started taking photos again and my passion for photography came into the front of my life again. I hadn’t really picked up a camera properly since early 2019.
When and why did you get into photography?
I first picked up a camera when I was nine or ten. It was my mum’s Kodak which I still have. She helped me take my first photograph of Guy the Gorilla at London Zoo and I loved it ever since.
What do you love about taking pictures?
Taking photos lets my imagination run wild and allows me to take what I want to and show my world through my lens. For example since moving down here I have become more passionate about wildlife especially birds. So not only am I seeing birds that I have never seen before but I am learning about them and it’s also helped me look up. If you notice, a lot of us these days walk along with our heads down, or looking on our phones and don’t come up for air. I now make sure I look up.
Where is your favourite place for taking pictures?
Right now my favourite place is the River Adur in Shoreham, it has so many different birds and wildlife and there is always something new to photograph.
For example the other day I took some photos of the firemen and women doing lifesaving training in the river. I contacted them and sent them some of the photos.
I also love taking photos of the sea and kite surfers etc. I have realised my photography has changed a lot since I moved back to Sussex. In London I used to go on bus tours and take more photos of buildings but here it’s wildlife, seaside, riverside and I usually like to have a bird or person or plane in the photos.
What equipment do you use?
I use a Nikon DSLR with a 150mm to 600mm zoom (I saved up and treated myself for my 50th). I also use a Lumix bridge camera if I am somewhere where it’s not appropriate or the right surroundings for the DSLR
What is the favourite picture you have taken?
My favourite recent one is the kingfisher I captured for the first time on the River Adur on a boat.
It can sometimes take hundreds of shots to get one good one. It reminds me of the beauty of nature and how amazing it is when something so fast and beautiful stops for that split second. It’s like time freezes and that reminds me it’s OK to stop and take a breath.
Why did you join The Argus Camera Club and what do you like about it?
I wanted to show my photos, which I have never really done before, and I also like seeing other people’s photos for inspiration and knowledge.
What tips or advice do you have for others starting out?
Pick up a camera and go out and shoot whatever gets your attention and take as many or as little as you want, because the beauty of photography these days are the instant pictures you can see. Remember photography is a personal thing, especially at the beginning and if you are doing it as a hobby or passion. No one can tell you what to take and how to take when you are there in the moment. Most important is to enjoy and be as creative as you want.
Anything else you’d like to tell us?
I am very happy to be back home and to reconnect with old school friends and family. Even though we have been in lockdown since I have moved and had restrictions, the joy and freedom to be able to walk to the river or the sea has been lifesaving for me mentally and physically.
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