
Les Pickstock
A keen Wirral amateur photographer, with a love for macro and nature, I often wonder how I had time to go to work, before retirement, and actively participate in my photography! These days, crawling around the garden looking for beetles, I rarely have time to do the washing up, never mind decorating… or anything else my wife thinks is important. Fortunately we have grandchildren, so there is a constant excuse to use my camera. But even that is under threat from her iPhone, which is increasingly documenting their life (so why do I need a new macro lens???).
Insects and birds often have fantastic colouring, much wasted on me as I have severe colour blindness. Some of my images raise a laugh in the photo club, when I produce outlandishly glaring colours when they should be rather duller… or not there at all! But photographing a bumble bee in black and white just isn’t ‘natural’, is it?
Nature/macro photography these days should be far easier with modern digital equipment. But we photographers have a problem - David Attenborough! His numerous excellent TV series have raised everyone’s expectations so high that viewers tend to be disappointed with most of my results. It does not prevent the actual photography being so enjoyable. And watching a jumping spider interacting with you is a joy to behold.
Another passion is aircraft, especially WWII ones, which of course means going to air shows: fantastic, friendly events, full of photographers and very expensive food stalls. The loss of air shows is probably the thing I missed most during COVID. The actual lockdowns were great for macro in my small garden!
Remembering my days in Liverpool Art College encourages me to take the occasional black and white film - on one of my many collected 35mm film cameras - usually around the streets of Liverpool.
Though I nowadays rarely ‘shoot’ people, I love collecting old family prints from any relative willing to supply. And of course, with modern technology, it is so easy to borrow, digitally copy and return within a few minutes. And the big benefit is ‘sharing’. Copies can be shared to relatives, anywhere in the world, with a few button clicks.
All images are copyright of Les Pickstock




















