Photographers: Pen and Tone • Web Site: http:// www.atypical.me.uk • Location: The Potteries, UK
Contact: atypical at blueshawk dot info • Member Since: 01/12/06 • Equipment: His'n'Hers Nikon D70s with range of lenses and accessories - find out more here - http://www.blueshawk.info/texasflood/technical.htm

PM: How did you get involved in photography?
Tone - snapping on and off since about 1962, but only with real commitment following the arrival of digital cameras about five years ago. Used to do the darkroom thing in the seventies – then built up a large collection of exposed but undeveloped films during the eighties.
Pen – Dad was a keen amateur and I was his model and assistant. He bought me a Kodak Retinette when I was about 14 and tutored me in the basics. I just snapped pics on social occasions and on holiday until we went digital.
PM: How would you describe your photographic style?
Pen – My style is simple. I like to take close-ups of flowers, and I love the sky in all its variations. Otherwise I stick to taking pictures of scenes when I go out and about – I wait til the light is right if I can. I am a shutterbug when I do get my camera out – I take lots of photos and then delete a lot.
Tone – my style is broadly “naturalistic” – I try to compose bits of reality into something that looks pleasing to me. I quite enjoy technical challenge – particularly low light conditions. I hate faffing about in Photoshop.
PM: Why do you photoblog?
Tone - To get an audience and feedback for my pictures, which in turn gives my photography more purpose. There is a real sense of community amongst photo-bloggers – not least it has made us two friends in Iceland and brought me into contact with people I would otherwise have no way of knowing. Pen and I collaborate in producing our blog and in our photography, and that shared activity it is a major source of pleasure.
Pen - I like to show other people how I see the world – and being part of the blogging community means I get to see how others do it. Another thing that’s great about it is I look at my own photos much more that I ever did before I started publishing them. I look a lot when I am selecting pictures for the blog and I look at the blog galleries and archives quite a bit too. I get to remember the great things I have been lucky to do.
PM: What are your strengths and weakness as a photographer?
Tone - Heaven knows... I’m technically competent in capturing images, skilled in getting informal portraits particularly of performers, I’ve a feel for colour and the graphic content of a scene. On the downside - I’m addicted to wide angle shots – often inappropriately, and I regularly take pictures that are shockingly unimaginative. I wish I were better at capturing atmosphere…
Pen – lack of technical skill and low motivation to learn. I tend to stick to basic settings on the camera despite the conditions and then feel frustrated when the pictures are poor. Strengths are spotting a subject and composition and I can be very patient particularly with macro shots.
PM: Why do you take photographs?
Tone - at its best I can get completely lost in taking pictures - it is when I am absorbed in this way that I take my best pictures.
Pen - In the past I have mainly taken photos to create a record of the things I have done and things/ people around me. Having said that, I rarely look at pictures I have taken after I have first developed them (digitally), and I find it hard to think of photos I have that I would be desperate if I lost them in a fire. I like to test out whether I can learn to see the world in different ways.  
Five Recommended Photoblogs:
Tone recommends :
• joephotos - based in Iceland
• bavand - based in Iran
• chromasia -  based in UK
• chozma - based in Italy
• mute - based in Toronto
Pen also recommends:
• A Walk Through Durham Township - based in the Pennsylvania, US
• A Visual Notebook - based in Austria
• Bluehour blog

PM: What is your background, and what are you doing when you are not photoblogging?
Tone- I help run a third sector/charitable organization four days a week, I play guitar, and enjoy making music of all sorts with other people. I run a website about guitars - www.blueshawk.info . I have two sons who are a source of great pride and pleasure. ( Tone's portrait by Joi of joephotos - http://joephotos.blogspot.com/)
Pen- I help plan and develop health and social care services four days a week. I also teach occasionally. I sing, play accordion, dance, watch films, read and listen to music. I am a feminist. I spend lots of time surfing the net and do most of my shopping that way.