Thieves, Drumsticks And My Very First Nikon

Paul Wilkinson recalls how he became a Nikon user in the beginning – and what he would buy first if he was starting all over again…

We’re taking our daughter to see The Lion King, and we’re passing time before the show starts. The tickets are tucked inside my camera bag, along with my trusty Pentax, loaded with film. This is 2002, after all. The camera bag is on the floor under our table. I reach for it and it’s no longer there. Our house keys, my wife’s purse, the tickets and the camera inside it have been stolen. A great day out quickly turns into a stressful evening.

A few weeks later I head into the London Camera Exchange with money from the insurers. I haven’t yet been paid for any of portraits I’ve taken – it’s just a hobby. I knew buying another film camera would be a short-term solution.