“Barely a day goes by without a photo being taken”

This week, Julie Webb shares some of her favourite photographs.

Julie, who lives in Hartford, has had a camera in her hand for as long as she can remember and has been lucky enough to photograph some fabulous sights but the iconic kingfisher shot with a fish in its mouth remains elusive.

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Julie is happy out doors and up a mountain with her camera in her hand

When and why did you take up photography?

For as long as I can remember I have had my own camera. As a child, film was the only option - you had to choose your subject wisely, remove the film from the camera carefully then take it to the local pharmacy where it would be processed. Time and time again I was full of anticipation only to be disappointed with the quality of my photos when I eventually saw them. I continued experimenting, as photography to me is a diary and a record of life events. The advent of digital cameras was a game changer and meant I could try photographing absolutely anything, seeing if it worked then deleting with no expensive processing costs incurred. Today I carry my tiny Panasonic LUMIX and phone everywhere to capture family moments, wildlife and landscapes that catch my eye. Barely a day goes by without a photograph being taken.

Julie's hoping her next kingfisher photo will have a fish in its mouth

What do you love about taking pictures

To me, photography is a record, something that can be looked back on to jog our memories and relive life’s special moments. Photography throws me a challenge. I like to watch and photograph birds and wildlife and I’m continually trying to get a better picture of subjects I’ve taken numerous times before. Take the Marbury Park kingfishers - I’ve got a clear picture but now I want one with a fish in its beak. Patience is an essential attribute.

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Whitegate St Mary's Church, the subject for Julie's one photo each month camera club challenge

Where is your favourite place to take pictures and why?

I take pictures anywhere - cities, the countryside, at home. I can’t limit myself to one place though I do enjoy taking pictures of the bridges at Castlefield in Manchester playing with perspective, colour and patterns.

What is your favourite subject matter and why?

I enjoy taking pictures of my family, catching significant life moments and those times when the atmosphere is relaxed. A few years ago, I was gifted a day’s photography tuition taking street photos in Manchester. I now enjoy photographing street art and architecture. When I visit a new city, I look up street artists, libraries and theatres as so many are highly photogenic.

Wildlife is my photographic passion and something that I have got into since retirement. The Bittern Hide at Budworth Lake is a favourite of mine, I can watch the birds, take photos and draw on the extensive knowledge of the other regular birders there.

More recently, I took photos of musicians in a wind band that my husband and I play in. I’ve never done anything like this before but when the regular photographer was unwell, I offered to have a go. I spent a morning crawling round music stands but loved being given the opportunity and surprised myself. The pictures are now on the band’s website.

The view from the bridge over the Weaver in Northwich

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Julie was lucky to experience and photograph the Northern Lights last year while on holiday in Mull

What do you enjoy about being part of our Camera Club on Facebook?

The Camera Club to me is a forum where I can look at other photographers’ work and learn. I can put a photograph on the page and receive positive feedback. This is lovely as the other people in the Camera Club are social media friendly. I hope that my photos will inspire others to visit new places, look to the land, water and sky and realise what wildlife is around them and maybe start taking pictures themselves.

If you could photograph anyone/any place/anything, who/what would it be?

Until recently, I put one photo each day on to my Instagram account. The content focuses on travel and days out. My hashtags to the pictures often contained a reference to the travel guides Lonely Planet and Rough Guides in the hope that one day they would send me on a location mission. It didn’t work but I can live in hope! Where would I like to photograph for a travel guide? I would love to explore Norway for the landscape or The Falkland Islands for the wildlife - I’m a real dreamer.

The bridges in Castlefield, Manchester