My name is Roy Cruse and I was born in Croydon, South London in 1953. I am married to Sandra and have one daughter, Laura. I love all sport, both as a spectator and participant. I still keep reasonably fit by playing football (yes, at my age!!!) and walking my dogs.

I have been involved in photography for more than 40 years and my interest lies in all forms of the Art having a particular passion for wildlife and nature photography. Predominantly self-taught, I am always keen to explore new areas and listen to anyone who has a point of view to express on the subject of photography.

I moved from the "smoke" to a semi-rural location in Bedfordshire in 1978 where my awareness of the beautiful countryside around us developed. My main interest then was in sports photography and I dabbled in some macro nature and landscapes. Then came a quiet spell of a few years when other priorities dominated my life. A move to Warwickshire in 1992 rekindled my interest in photography and at that time I became involved in training Gundogs. I have six working Labradors at present and it is working with my dogs that has moved my love of nature, wildlife and our countryside on to a higher level.

Although I use Adobe Photoshop for basic image manipulation, I am somewhat of a purist and strongly believe that the image should be taken with the camera. I will, however, concede that the digital age is here to stay and film technology will wither on the vine. My darkroom is now a powerful desktop computer and a quality A3+ inkjet printer.

Photography is a very subjective medium and what might be a stunning image to one person may not be so to another. Taking the technical issues to one side, it is how the photographer sees the final image that counts.