Camel Seller, by Fred Everett.By Nicole Williams
FRED Everett has been passionate about photography long enough to see the art go through a few changes.
He has been taking photographs for more than 50 years.
Fred’s interest in photography started when he was a boy, when two uncles showed him their skills.
“One was a professional photographer and the other would try to match him, so they took me under their wing,” Fred said.
Fifty years ago, he was taking photographs with a single-lens reflex (SLR) camera, but has moved with the times and now uses a digital SLR.
For Fred, finding subjects to photograph is as simple as jumping in the car and stopping when something catches his eye. Occasionally, though, he will head to a specific spot.
“I can’t say I have a favourite spot,” he said.
“It’s just a matter of observing a world in which we live and you try to capture what you see.”
The Drouin resident said he doesn’t have a favourite style of photography, but always thought his forte was landscape.
That was until he did a showcase of some of his best photographs for the Pakenham Camera Club – and they were all portraits.
“I had picked people shots but I always thought of myself as a landscape photographer,” he said.
But he can’t pick a favourite photograph.
“I’ve got several favourites,” Fred said.
He regularly enters his work into national and international competitions like Newcastle, Perth, Austria and Wales.
“I’ve consistently gotten acceptances and highly commended,” he said.
“And 25 per cent is the best return to get an acceptance.”
These days, Fred’s enthusiasm for photography also extends beyond the lens. He has been involved in the Pakenham Camera Club for about seven years and is the president of the Victorian Association of Photographic Societies.
