widow

Over the past couple of years I've learned that partners and photography don't mix too well. Although I didn't at first, I do now appreciate how frustrating it is to be out on a walk but having to stop every 30 seconds (M) while your other half (me) fiddles with the settings on their camera, takes an age to compose the shot, shoots... and then does it all over again another 5 times just to get the perfect shot (well, that kind of sums up the way I take photos anyway, albeit never actually achieving the 'perfect shot'!)...

No wonder M is always telling me she's a camera widow...

The thing is, on the occasions when she does get behind a lens, M takes some stunningly good photos - like this one which was taken with a cameraphone at John Lewis. She can also do something I've never been very good at and that's taking portraits. Unfortunately, I'm not really one for people photos - much as I'd like to be. I hate having my own picture taken so I generally assume other people feel the same. My family were never really into that kind of thing so I guess it rubbed off.

Of course, if M was into photography I'd feel a whole lot better about taking photos when we're out (honestly, that's not why I gave her my old Nikon compact last year!). But given photos like the one here I think I need to be a bit careful in the future about encouraging her too much. Safe to say I'm pretty jealous of this one...

John Lewis, uploaded by tixylix on 7 December 2008