About Tom Kelly
I have had an interest in photography for as long as I can remember. Even as a five-year-old child, I distinctly recall my mum not trusting me with a small Minolta compact camera at my cousin’s wedding in Connecticut in the late 80s. She said my sister could use it but I couldn’t. In what would later become true to form, I wasn’t going to let that stop me. So, as soon as my sister put it down, I took some pictures. Even today, my dad claims they were some of the better ones from that day (although he may be slightly biased…).
I lost interest in photography as a young adult - probably due to being a cash-strapped student. However, recently I have really fallen in love with photography. I have a particular interest in military history and aviation so living in Cambridge for a time meant I was only a 15 minute drive from Duxford Imperial War Museum. There was always a good excuse for a visit.
My first venture into more serious photography was with the Panasonic GF1 which I got as a Christmas present with the Panasonic 20mm. 1.7. I loved the images I got from it. At that point, I didn’t have Lightroom so I had to make do with the out-of-camera jpegs which always felt a little cold and lifeless. But I persevered. Then, when Olympus announced their OM-D EM5, I felt strongly that this was the camera for me. So, in anticipation of a trip to the Maldives, I got the cash together to buy the OM-D with the 12-50mm kit. About 18 months later, I added a Nikon Df to my collection and over the last few years have acquired a small collection of lenses for both systems.
The lens I actually love the most now is the Panasonic Leica DG Macro-Elmarit 45mm. F2.8. I sold the Olympus 45mm. F1.8 with the intention of buying the black version to match my OM-D (I always felt the silver one stood out too much). However, about a week after I sold it I was wandering past Campkins Cameras in Cambridge when I noticed the Pana-Leica in their window - second hand for £219.99. I thought that looked slightly odd, but double-checked it was indeed the lens I thought it was. I tried it out in the shop and it worked perfectly. Ever the bargain hunter, jumped at the purchase with the intention of re-selling it on eBay. Instead, I found the pictures I got from that lens to be pleasing in a way I can’t quite describe. It makes a lovely portrait lens and its macro capability opens up a world of photography that I had no knowledge of or experience in so it was an education playing around with it.
Currently shooting with a Nikon D850, Nikon Df and Nikon D750 coupled with a range of lenses including:
Nikon 50mm 1.8D
Nikon 58mm 1.4G
Nikon 85mm 1.8G
Sigma 150-600mm
