David Trout

David Trout was born in Newcastle and lived in West Yorkshire and Worcestershire as a small boy before moving back to the North East at the age of nine. He spent most of his growing up years and early adulthood in Consett and now lives with his wife Irene at Newton Hall, Durham.

Now retired he was a reporter on a weekly newspaper at Consett before moving on to the Northern Echo then The Journal and Evening Chronicle. He was Durham Photographic Society president in 2010 and 2011.

MY PHOTOGRAPHY

I don’t have a photographic speciality such as portraiture, landscapes or natural history. I’m a shoot from the hip type, snatching pictures instinctively to capture anything that takes my interest as I wander around. I do however enjoy certain types of photography more than others; at the moment I’m into modern architecture, steam trains, historical buildings, street photography and I like to see abstracts in everyday scenes.

THE  BIGGEST INFLUENCE

I spent years working alongside professional press photographers, and some of these cameramen earned my highest respect. I learned from them that if a not-to-be-missed photo opportunity arises you snap it in the instant it occurs, don’t waste time worrying about the technicalities of photography. A poorly exposed picture is better than no picture at all if it’s a situation that can’t be repeated. That’s not such an issue these days with automatic digital cameras but it used to be when you had to fix the exposure and focus yourself.

MY FIRST CAMERA

It was a Brownie Box Camera, bought by my dad. My first SLR was a Russian Zenith E, built like a tank but it had a very good F2 lens.

MY FAVOURITE CURRENT KIT

I moved from Zenit to the Pentax Spotmatic mainly because that was the camera being used by many of the press photographers in the late 1960s – early 1970s and I’ve stuck with Pentax ever since.

My current cameras are a K5 and a K10. I use the Pentax DA*15-50mm and the Pentax  DA*50-135mm lenses for about 85 per cent of my photography with a Sigma 10-20mm ultra wide angle and an old Pentax F series 70-200mm zoom, and occasionally and old A series 50mm 1.7 Pentax manual focus lens, the remainder of the time

FAVOURITE PHOTOGRAPHERS

There are so many great names it’s not possible to single out one or two, although Ansel Adams seems to come into my mind more often than most others.

In Durham Photographic Society I’ve been amazed at the photographic talent present and equally impressed at the quality of work being produced by our newer members.

ME AND THE DPS

I joined in1982 and in the first year won the Daisy Edis Trophy for colour sides. I’ve had my name on various trophies at the Society since then but the one I want most to win is the Harvey Adams Cup for prints.  I managed to get second to John Shotton in that in 2008. I’ve been President before, in the early 1990s, and I’ve done other jobs such as slide competition secretary and programme secretary.

THE THINGS I ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING A MEMBER OF THE DPS

The company and inspiration I get from the other members and visitors - and the pub afterwards! I’m an enthusiastic member of several Portfolio Groups on this website, as well as the Pentax Forum, greatly enjoying the pictures of others and the comments that can give you invaluable feedback.

THE PEARL (Advice to budding photographers)

If a judge is not impressed by your treasured image don’t get downhearted. Remember that’s only one person’s opinion. But the judge may make some valid points which could help you improve next time. Also if you do win don’t get carried away – it’s still only one person’s opinion.