At the start of 2023, my job working at a mountain bike center came to an end as the center had to close indefinitely while work was done to clear diseased trees and then replant and rebuild. I had an opportunity to return to a previous job working in the operating theatres of a local orthopedic hospital, but the thought of working all day in a room with no windows didn't really appeal after two years of working outdoors.

I used to photograph regularly at local mountain bike races but had drifted away from this about ten years ago. I have also spent years photographing our cats and friends' dogs. I decided to dust off my old Pentax DSLR and take a trip to a bike park in mid-Wales for the first time. At my first attempt, I was thrown off the hill by one of the bike park staff, but eventually managed to convince them that I wasn't going to stand in the middle of the trail, and so began my "new" career as an action sport and pet photographer. I finally had to bite the bullet and buy a decent camera. It doesn't make me take better pics, but it does help when it's wet and windy and nearly dark on the hill.

Here are some of my favorite pics from my first year as a "pro".

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