Please say hello to first-time contributor Andy Humphreys, a 59-year-old disabled amateur photographer who resides in Lancashire, UK. 40 years ago, Andy began a series of unsuccessful surgeries to remove infected apocrine glands and tissue. This was later diagnosed as Hidradenitis Suppurativa, a little understood debilitating skin condition thought to be due to an auto-immune reaction. Several years into this condition the auto-immune response led to Rheumatoid Arthritis and Pyoderma Ganrenosum. The constant pain of these conditions led to greatly reduced mobility and, 20 years ago, severe Anxiety and Depression disorders set in. Years of antidepressant medications and intermittent therapy have had little effect. Throughout this period photography has been his one consolation.
About this photo: “My interest in photography was sparked by my father, an architect and also a keen amateur photographer, in my early teens. By my late teens, my bedroom was also a fully functional darkroom where I would develop film and produce prints, sometimes all night! After a ‘dry’ spell (for university, a family and career), I found myself unemployed, widowed and in the ‘digital age’ – swapping SD cards for film, and a computer for a darkroom. My preference is for nature and landscape views, which I find intriguing and soothing, and have just begun compositing images to add my own feel to the art.
Last week, whilst on my wander, and mindful of the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War 1, the poppies in the wildflower garden at Astley Park became even more relevant and worthy of a capture.
The image is made more powerful by using a selective colour approach to emphasise the flower over a fairly distracting background.”
Find more from Andy on his blog.
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