This day changed everything
It was 2pm Thursday the 10th of June 2004 when a knock came to the front door.
As I opened it I was greeted by a courier holding a small package with my name on it.
"Sign here" he said and I grabbed the stubby biro from his hand and made a mark on the paper that would barely pass for an autograph.
Inside that box was my little Nikon Coolpix 5200 camera.
It was my first proper digital camera. Arguably my first proper camera. I'd had various 110 cameras when I was younger but none of those offered you any controls other than switching the flash on or off.
If I asked you to tell me the exact moment that something in your life changed could you do it?
For me it was this moment.
That little magical silver box was the key that would open up so many opportunities.
Without it I don't know where my career would have ended up.
I came to photography from using Photoshop.
I'd first used it at college in the 90s studying design.
What I was really interested in doing back then was making 3d models and using the camera to create textures for them. Sort of like a scanner that I could take places.
That was my motivation to buy this camera.
I would not have become interested in photography if traditional film had been the only option available. The cost alone would probably have excluded me.
When we did photography at college I didn't particularly enjoy it. Although I always did enjoy working in the darkroom. Watching a photo appear as you develop it never stops being magic no matter how many times I see it.
This camera cost me £279 and it could only store 7 full size photos internally.
The first memory card that I got was a giant 256mb and cost me £36.22.
Five quid of that was postage and I had to wait almost a week for it to arrive.
It was 7 quid to ship the camera to me from Paris quickly and yet it was a fiver to post something smaller than a stamp through snail mail. How do you work that one out? Anyway I digress.
The card could store about 120 photos which was pretty restrictive. You couldn't really use the video mode properly without more storage.
It was a year later before I could afford a larger 512mb card and another year before I got a 1gb card. So almost 2 years before I could properly use the camera to the full potential.
That's the thing with all of these Digicams. You really need a couple of GB to be able to use them properly.
I spent my early days learning how the camera worked. Trying out the different modes and experimenting with the 2 things this camera did really well. Macro and Panoramas.
Less than a month after I got this camera we lost my Uncle John.
My first proper trip with this camera was a cross country rail journey down to Southampton where his funeral would take place.
I photographed things I saw on the way like Bristol Temple Meads station and things in John's house and garden.
I have made a point ever since of photographing everyone in my family with this same lens and sensor. At least once.
It all stems from my regret that I never got to photograph or film John.
This camera unlocked things for me in two ways.
Firstly was when I got hired to do artwork for a company.
I used the camera to take reference photos and again in the production of the artworks.
Ultimately that job fell through but it showed me that it was possible to go it alone.
Secondly, as this camera is really small and would fit in my jacket pocket I was able to take it along to things. I go to a lot of live music, shows, sports, art things, etc.
More often than not I photograph them.
If I'd been able to afford the larger memory cards I'd have filmed them too.
In 2006 I went to see Morrissey with support from Scottish band Sons & Daughters at the Albert Halls in Stirling. Through a bit of sleight of hand I managed to secret the camera past the security guards and managed to get some pretty clear photos of both bands that night.
During that gig I met people who asked me if they could use my photos.
And all of a sudden I was being asked by others if they could use my photos too.
One of them was an artist from Luxemburg called the Cyberpiper.
He was a friend of a friend and I was introduced via social media.
This was the heyday of Myspace after all!
He's like a Techno Celtic Pied Piper and was coming over to play a couple of gigs. One at the Piping Live festival in Glasgow and one in Aberdeen.
I was commissioned to go to both of these and we were going to go to some other locations and shoot some promo stuff.
One of them was Dunnottar Castle and we were there for a little while trying to work out where to be and how to shoot stuff.
After a while I shouted to him "Pit, Pit, we need to stop"
He looked puzzled and asked me why.
Then I told him to turn around and look.
There was a crowd of people at the windows of the castle photographing and filming us.
All of the music things I've had the opportunity to do over the years all stem from that moment in time and the people I met on that trip are my group of friends to this day.
And it 's funny that back then I was asking for help to turn this into a career I actually got more support from the arts council and government of Luxemburg than I did from the UK ones.
It was a further 4 years before I got any help towards starting my business.
I am sending this post out exactly 20 years after I got this camera and paying tribute to how something small can make a large impact on our lives.
I still use this camera occasionally but only in situations where it will perform well.
It's really good at making panorama images and the video mode works surprisingly well for making Instagram Reels. I really like the lo-fi aesthetic and I use it more as a video camera now.
I filmed a few things last year with it. Record Store Day at Big Blue with Sister John and the Bluebells, a charity music festival in Stirling and a couple of Hunter & McMustard gigs and Jousting at the Palace.
I am glad that these old digital compacts or Digicams are finally having their moment.
It's take a couple of decades but they're finally trendy.
If you have one of these hidden in the back of a drawer or taking up storage space I think you should charge it up and take it out places.
Go and photograph the people, the places and the things that matter to you.
Who knows where that might lead you but I guarantee that you'll have fun getting there.