I LIVE in Sunderland with my wife and two sons and have had an interest in photography from a young age: my dad had his own makeshift darkroom which might have contributed.

I had a little 126 film camera when I was about ten or 12 years old, but when I met my wife in the mid 1980s, she had her own Pentax ME Super SLR, which I 'borrowed' a lot. I really got into photography in the film days, but lost interest when my children came along. Camera phones rekindled the interest before moving onto digital single-lens reflex camera.

I love outdoor photography, but repeatedly find myself drawn to water for some reason. A lot of my work will feature the sea or rivers, very handy living where we do.

My favourite photograph is probably the wave about to strike Seaham Lighthouse. Being able to freeze this moment in time is amazing and I was lucky that the low sunlight caught the wave and lighthouse perfectly.

I use a Canon 200D DSLR with assorted lenses, which I have had since March 2018. Before that I used a Pentax KS1.

I shoot everything in RAW format (rather than the default JPG from the camera). I prefer my take on an image and then tweak them in Adobe Lightroom for contrast, saturation etc, but I try not to go overboard, something I've learned with time.

To any photographers starting out, I think the most important thing is composition. Great shots can be taken with camera phones or 'starter' cameras, just like terrible shots can be taken on the most expensive equipment.

Learn about composition from YouTube, magazines, but mainly other people's photographs. Technical ability can come with time. Don't be afraid to use auto modes on cameras, but question what the camera is doing. Maybe you can improve on it by overriding some times? Just take lots of shots.

Learn the rules of composition, but be prepared to break them from time to time. It's your vision, no one else's.