The next few weeks should see a British M8+ race at the Dorney World Cup, Henley Royal Regatta and Lucerne World Cup. Whether shiny or soiled, our progress will be judged by the rowing media on results but we will always analyse our form based on other parameters. We can’t afford to let three results govern the next four weeks. We need to be searching for crew unity, rhythm, fitness and strategy during every training session in that ... Read More »]]> It is now the time of year that all rowers live for. Months of training in winter darkness pave the way for summer racing readiness. Having seen a few seasons, I know that time will just disappear if we’re not careful and if my crew is to be fast enough at the culmination of the season, we can’t let that time drift away.

The next few weeks should see a British M8+ race at the Dorney World Cup, Henley Royal Regatta and Lucerne World Cup. Whether shiny or soiled, our progress will be judged by the rowing media on results but we will always analyse our form based on other parameters. We can’t afford to let three results govern the next four weeks. We need to be searching for crew unity, rhythm, fitness and strategy during every training session in that time.

After Lucerne, we will disappear on training camp to prepare for the World Championships in South Korea this coming September to develop from our World Cup platform.

So far, I am pleased with our rate of progress as a crew. We’ve had a set-back in temporarily losing Alex Gregory to illness. He’s on the mend but won’t be with us on Dorney Lake. However, when the team is strong in depth, it’s not surprising to have athlete as strong as Olympic bronze medallist, James Foad, to jump in when needed.

I’m enjoying the eight. It’s a different beast to the four or pair that I’ve been used to racing. I’ve found they need to be approached, rowed, raced and managed with a little less subtlety and a little more punch. There’s a lot of fire power, attitude and excitement in our 2013 unit.

I’ll be sure to put up a few shorter blogs over the coming weeks with progress updates so please keep and eye out. Otherwise, do stay tuned to Twitter for daily information, Instagram for more photographs and my online gallery to see the season unfolding.

If you have tickets for Dorney, give us a roar. Thanks for the support champs.

I’ve never raced Essen before as the World Cup season takes priority and usually clashes. However, with the first World Cup in Sydney out of the way in March, it freed up the GB Rowing Team schedule.

With the 4- and 8+ as likely options for the season we chose to race both events in Essen. It’s not really doubling up as this regatta has a full set of races on Saturday with heats and finals and then starts fresh again on Sunday with another set of heats and finals.

On arrival, I saw this regatta as a friendly. You like to win them, but it’s a chance to ... Read More »]]> I’ve heard about Essen for years. A national regatta that attracts European internationals. A race that the Germans use for their international selection and I’d have to say, one of Jürgen’s classic old favourites.

I’ve never raced Essen before as the World Cup season takes priority and usually clashes. However, with the first World Cup in Sydney out of the way in March, it freed up the GB Rowing Team schedule.

With the 4- and 8+ as likely options for the season we chose to race both events in Essen. It’s not really doubling up as this regatta has a full set of races on Saturday with heats and finals and then starts fresh again on Sunday with another set of heats and finals.

On arrival, I saw this regatta as a friendly. You like to win them, but it’s a chance to enjoy rowing and just get a flavour for racing again. During the build up, I was tweeting more than usual and feeling very relaxed about racing the four on the first day.

After an easy semi, we were confident and relaxed going into the A final just 3 hours later.

In the final, having lead through the whole course, rowing well and feeling in control, we underestimated the opposition’s sprint finish and maybe switched to autopilot in the last 250m. We were initially announced as winners, but the clock showed that a German 4- had rowed through us on the last stroke. To be honest, I thought the race was over long before and feel very novice to not have seen that threat towards the end. Looking back at the build up, I underestimated the significance of the German crews racing each other for selection. Maybe I also underestimated their desire to beat us. I felt no pressure for that race and I’ve always thought that my performances are strengthened with pressure. We were caught fast asleep. It’s early days, but a good kick in the arse for us looking ahead. I don’t like getting beaten at all; especially when we shouldn’t have. That German M4- won’t let us forget that one I’m sure. I’ll happily leave the race behind, but I’ll take the lesson with me.

On this first day of racing, the other British crews were also unresponsive in the closing stages. Whilst I like to see my team mates do well, it’s a sign of where we all are in training. Tomorrow’s race in the eight will be very tough. Time to concentrate and do the best we can as a team.

— LOOK FOR AN UPDEIGHT (sorry) SOON —

Concentration levels were high after losing the fours’ final. I was angry with myself; less with the race execution and more with the preparation. I arrived expecting and easy win which is the last time I make that mistake. If you underestimate your opposition, you won’t ever ready yourself for the required performance.

The build up to the eights’ final was much more professional. I was still having fun, but was internally focussed and felt more competitive for it. I wasn’t interested in the other crews or events, I just wanted to race.

With some very changeable and punishing conditions throughout the day, it was no surprise when we warmed up in cold rain, bouncy water and a strong head wind. Conditions for the race improved only slightly, but we made the very best of them. Sitting in the stern, I had a big engine behind me that made light of any wind through the middle of the race and there were no mistakes today in the last 250m.

It has been a valuable learning experience. Thanks for reading and I hope to see you at Dorney Lake for the second World Cup of the season, 21-23 June.

—Pictures to come—

After gathering about six months of training information, the Men’s Chief Coach, Jürgen Grobler, builds an accurate picture of how the athletes are performing in relation to one another. He then pairs up athletes who will complement each other. In April(ish) each year, the combinations have about two weeks in their small boats to prepare for the Final Trials. A six lane, side-by-side, ... Read More »]]> After the World Championships each year (normally September) we have just enough time off to recharge the batteries and get unfit before the new season starts. Throughout the winter, we train for ourselves. Each athlete trains hard through the cold weeks and months on a quest for technique-improving, strength-developing, team-mate-bashing and coach-impressing domination. Every so often, we have a physical or technical test ranging from the casual weekly ding-dong to the more formal public races in small boats.

After gathering about six months of training information, the Men’s Chief Coach, Jürgen Grobler, builds an accurate picture of how the athletes are performing in relation to one another. He then pairs up athletes who will complement each other. In April(ish) each year, the combinations have about two weeks in their small boats to prepare for the Final Trials. A six lane, side-by-side, national regatta which the best club performers from the winter, race alongside the British internationals. It’s their chance to fight for a place in the national team and it’s the GB Rowing Team athlete’s last chance to stamp their authority on the team sheet.

Having won every final trial over the last two Olympiads, I can confidently say that the fiercest racing and most intense internal pressure in the season always comes, not from the World Championships, but from these selection trials. The atmosphere is thick and twisted in the whole team. The men, women and lightweight squads’ internal battle comes to fruition on the water where your training partners and future team mates are the opposition trying to take your seat. You’ve seen their numbers all year and you know their strengths and weaknesses so you know what they are capable of, but nothing is set in stone. The trials is everyone’s open door.

The final trials of 2013 were last weekend. I was paired with 2012 Coxless Four team mate, Alex Gregory. It’s fair to say that our preparation time together wasn’t simple, but it was productive. We started with Alex stroking and got some good physical work done, but the boat wasn’t firing effectively despite our best efforts. We switched me to stroke and it felt like a different crew. Alex is an incredible athlete and the change did not undermine his veteran skills as a quality strokeman. More, it showed that Alex had the versatility to fit into my rhythm and I could really put my foot down. We enjoyed the last few days of rapid improvement, with both of us learning, working, improving and striving to be the best. With every crew feeling the pressure, tensions are high and results matter. Nothing divides the team like trials.

As you all know by now, Alex and I came second to Andy and Moe. Credit to those two, they deserved to win and have been impressive training partners both on and off the water. Unfortunately Alex and I showed our best race in the semi final. There, the boat was flying and the rhythm was long, strong and confident. The easy win came a day early. Our performance in the final wasn’t a good enough standard and it now serves as a reminder that races don’t win themselves. They take maximum commitment, focus and concentration during the build up and application. You can’t miss a beat or take anything for granted. The winning time of 6:20 is very impressive at this time in the season and our time of 6:23 is still very good. Whilst I would have liked to close the gap a little more, I know there is bags of potential from me and the team moving forwards.

Final Trials marks the end of winter. Details of the summer race season crew selections are being finalised. In one short week of data gathering, your enemies become your brothers in arms again and we start our campaign to make boats go faster, together. In a few weeks we will be ready to take the battle across the seas.

The next event is the Essen Regatta, Germany in just two weeks time. By then, we will have a rough outline of how the team might look for the Dorney World Cup in June.

Having had quite a gentle introduction to the Olympiad, I can’t help but feel that it’s time to take the collar off. Regatta season is here!

I’m listening to my favourite Ben Folds Five tracks and looking around the rear cabin at the rest of the team that I got to know in Australia. Most of the economy seats have at least heads poking over the top. In Moe’s seat I ... Read More »]]> I’m sitting in the very back row of a giant A380 coming home from the first World Cup of the Olympiad in Sydney. God knows what the time is. The cabin lights are dimmed. Phelan’s using my right shoulder as a pillow and is fast asleep. Chris and Rachel are to his right wearing their eye masks and neck pillows. They’re both stirring a little. Some of the others are up and stretching in the dark. Helen has fallen asleep on the staircase. I can’t sleep. The map shows that we’re somewhere over the Middle East.

I’m listening to my favourite Ben Folds Five tracks and looking around the rear cabin at the rest of the team that I got to know in Australia. Most of the economy seats have at least heads poking over the top. In Moe’s seat I can make out head, neck and some shoulder. He’s a big old boy. Imogen Walsh on the other hand can lie curled up on her single seat using the arm rest as a pillow. I’ve never been so jealous.

During the Olympiad, occasionally athletes come and go. Injuries and performances provoke small fluctuations but it’s a basically a stable group. After an Olympic Games, it’s all change. Lots of athletes retire to make room for the next generation of champions who want to put their lives on hold and take a risk. In the short time this team of men, women and lightweight squads have been under the GB Rowing Team banner, I feel like we’ve already become more of a unified team than either of my two previous Olympic cycles. I have old mates who have long since and recently retired that I really miss but looking forwards, the new and old athletes who are here now have bonded quickly. There seems to be a genuine cheer and enthusiasm in the team. We have been looking out for each other, respecting our training and racing performances and helping one another where we can.

It’s a marked change from previous seasons that I think could make a difference to our group performance. It’s early days, but the way things have started suggests we’re going to be stronger than the sum of our parts on the road to Rio. To the last athlete, it’s a great group with lots of different personalities that each bring something very valuable. If you’re a GB Rowing fan, I am confident we’ll all make you very proud.

We are fueled by what we consume and the quality and quantity of what we take in has a dramatic effect on our size, shape, energy levels, health and immune system.

Mental and physical activity takes energy. Whether you are concentrating on a game of chess or red-lining every muscle in your body for six minutes, your body will be busily converting the chemical energy from your food into electrical signals and movements (and development) of your organs and muscles.

As an athlete, performance and recovery are key. In my last blog I talked about the importance of recovery and only touched on nutrition but here I’ll tell you about what food keeps my engine going.

Whereas the ... Read More »]]> Around the time you learnt to read, an adult probably taught you about eating food to fuel your body; the old ‘petrol fuels the car’ analogy.

We are fueled by what we consume and the quality and quantity of what we take in has a dramatic effect on our size, shape, energy levels, health and immune system.

Mental and physical activity takes energy. Whether you are concentrating on a game of chess or red-lining every muscle in your body for six minutes, your body will be busily converting the chemical energy from your food into electrical signals and movements (and development) of your organs and muscles.

As an athlete, performance and recovery are key. In my last blog I talked about the importance of recovery and only touched on nutrition but here I’ll tell you about what food keeps my engine going.

Whereas the average adult male would manage their daily routine on 2000-2500 calories, I consume 6000-7000 calories per day to fuel my power/endurance training.

I eat what a doctor would describe as a healthy balanced diet, but in double or triple quantities. Sugars and fats are slightly reduced in favour of a complex carbohydrate bias (brown rice, brown pasta & jacket potatoes). We also need a lot of protein to rebuild damaged muscles. Vitamins & minerals boost the immune system whilst fibre is important to aid digestion. We sweat a lot during training so replace lost fluid, salts, sugars and other electrolytes throughout the day. How much you should consume depends on body size and work load.

As well as nutritional content and quantity, think about timing of meals. After exercise, you have a magic 30 minute window to get nutrients into your system when the metabolic rate is at its highest. Your body will store carbohydrate as useful glycogen at this time rather than fat if you miss the window.

Within 30 minutes of finishing your workout;
aim to consume 1g of carbohydrate per 1kg of body weight after any endurance session.
or 0.5g of protein per 1kg body weight after weights.
NB: Both carbs and protein after races.

Take on 1.5x the weight in fluid as you lost in body weight during the workout. Add a pinch of salt and sugar to your water for a cheap alternative to pricey electrolyte drinks. Having done all of this, have a proper meal at the earliest opportunity once you have warmed down.

I tend to have two cheese & ham (brown) bagels, one banana and 1-2litres of fluid waiting for me after races and workouts and I hover around the 100kg mark.

A few people ask me about alcohol. There is no ban on alcohol consumption in the GB Rowing Team but I tend not to drink. If I do it’ll only be a single beer or so. Getting drunk isn’t great for training but you can be your own guide here. If you feel you are able to commit your full potential to training the next day then you’ve probably found the right balance.

Supplements are another FAQ. I would prefer to get all of my calories from great quality, home cooked food. If I could then I would, but my stomach isn’t that big and life isn’t that convenient so I can top up my substantial diet with supplements (note, they supplement not replace food). The GB Rowing Team, myself included, use products from Science in Sport because we can be sure that none of their products contain even traces of banned substances. This is a huge concern for me and a subject that needs to be taken extremely seriously. Don’t just grab any old Weight Gain 4000 off the shelf champs. You’ll run real risks with very high stakes. My advice to anyone not in full time training would be to avoid all supplements. You don’t know what is in them and anyway, you don’t need them.

Once again, don’t waste money on risky and pointless supplements. If you are training up to 12 times per week I’d strongly suggest that you get organised and prepare real food yourself. You’ll save money and get more benefit from it.

Try to eat your last big meal of the day by 7pm.

Any food is better than no food.

Last tip, remember to eat quality food on your days off. If your body is busy rebuilding, it needs fuel.

Best wishes champs.

We train either two, three or four times a day (infrequently one and even more infrequently five), seven days a week and we get one Sunday off every fourth or fifth Sunday. That’s no secret.

Easy, perhaps, to say. However, each session is between one and two hours of actual training time, so add a couple of half hour blocks either side of each session to psych yourself up and stretch. Whack in snacks and meal times to refuel, cram in a bit of rest and you are left with next to no time at the end of each ... Read More »]]> One of the most commonly asked questions I get is “how much do you train?” Normally the answer is a quickly rattled off series of highlights that flow from the tongue in just a few seconds, but in reality, training isn’t that easy.

We train either two, three or four times a day (infrequently one and even more infrequently five), seven days a week and we get one Sunday off every fourth or fifth Sunday. That’s no secret.

Easy, perhaps, to say. However, each session is between one and two hours of actual training time, so add a couple of half hour blocks either side of each session to psych yourself up and stretch. Whack in snacks and meal times to refuel, cram in a bit of rest and you are left with next to no time at the end of each day to go through your personal admin and enjoy any real life pleasures. There is just about enough time to get an early night and do it all over again the following day.

Break it down again; training sessions are hard. It’s not a casual chat to your friend on side-by-side exercise bikes, wearing the latest from Stella McCartney and sipping an ice water in your local posh gym. From the first stroke it is a monitored, competitive, painful, focused and sweaty affair until the last stroke; whereupon you get a prick in your ear and blood lactate levels monitored for even more analysis of how hard you were pushing. We train to rip out muscles apart and stress our hearts and lungs so that they can rebuild bigger and stronger in the breaks. The photo above is taken repping a normal set of power cleans. It’s not overly heavy or staged. I was surprised on the load that springs through the body as the bar is repeatedly flung up to shoulder height.

The next question is always “how do you do that?!”

This blog isn’t about training, it’s about recovery. Recovery is how I do it day after day and getting this right and in a sustainable routine, will allow you to push harder in training and be faster in racing.

Recovery. nail these things:
Rest (get off your legs! Stop wasting time and shorten your daily commute),
Organisation (get your busy lives in order).
Diet (what, when, how much?),
Sleep (amount, frequency, naps),

The only way to do what we do everyday is to dedicate your life to it and to have a support group around you which enables you to do it. My wife & family, the Royal Navy, the National Lottery, friends, supporters, Leander Club and the GB Rowing Team are the backbone to my support team and I need them all as much as I need to be personally dedicated to a winning recovery routine.

Rest: the number of school boy and university crews I’ve seen at Henley Royal Regatta playing football and Frisbee in the sun before their race. I’ve been there too. Don’t do it guys. Get in the shade, put your feet up. Stretch. At best, lie down and get your skeleton in the position it was designed to be in and not hunched over a laptop.

Recently I moved from London to Henley, easily shortening my commute by between 60-90 minutes per day. It’s still early days but I’ve been amazed by how much more time I have, how quickly my physiology has improved since the post Olympic breather and how robust my anatomy has been in training.

Get your busy lives organised. You want to row? Training takes enough time so don’t mess around. Take time to do the important things well; stretch, master technique and pull hard for a long time, but don’t waste time unnecessarily. When you are home get your emails, work, homework, shopping, washing and cooking done and finished. Only this way will you have time to fit in a life. A happy rower is a fast rower and there is, after all, more to life than rowing.

Diet: this is a blog topic in itself but the basic rules are; eat enough. Stay away from junk food. Eat and drink as close to finishing your training as possible but definitely within the magic 30-minute window whilst your metabolic rate is high. This will then replace your energy and build your muscles efficiently. Leave it until later and you’ll be storing fat.

There is no better way to recover than sleep. To give you an idea, if I can get 9pm – 6am with a short nap during the day then I can cope with anything Jürgen throws at me.

If I upset these rules, lose sleep, eat rubbish food or not enough good stuff. If I get bogged down with jobs or have a late night. If I have to drive somewhere for an out-of-hours appearance, it upsets this very fine training/recovery balance and it’s hard to come back. If you don’t come back, the boat doesn’t go as fast.

Take it from me, you want to go fast? Allow yourself the chance to train hard. Stay on top of your recovery.

Good luck champs.

Additional note: health & hygiene. Don’t take stupid risks to help avoid injury. Wash your hands to stay well. Basics champs. If you are out of training, the boat goes slower.

I hate writing anything on the subject of doping, testing, scandal, drugs… you mention these kinds of words as an athlete and they somehow get associated with you. Every athlete I know has the same opinion here. It is a scary subject that you just want to keep a massive distance from; the further the better I say. I don’t know anything about it and I don’t want to know.

I am writing this blog because every sports fan has an opinion about Lance Armstrong and I want to write something that hasn’t been so much in the public eye: the affect he ... Read More »]]> I am a clean athlete, 100% Me and you can all have confidence that this will never change. I constantly prove it and I will continue to do so. It’s important to get that out with total transparency.

I hate writing anything on the subject of doping, testing, scandal, drugs… you mention these kinds of words as an athlete and they somehow get associated with you. Every athlete I know has the same opinion here. It is a scary subject that you just want to keep a massive distance from; the further the better I say. I don’t know anything about it and I don’t want to know.

I am writing this blog because every sports fan has an opinion about Lance Armstrong and I want to write something that hasn’t been so much in the public eye: the affect he has had on the credibility of CLEAN ATHLETES.

Earlier today I wrote a tweet:

“Lance Armstrong has single handedly made a mockery of all of us clean athletes taking so many tests to prove ourselves #100%Me time after time”

…and I stand by it. It has a few RTs so you champs get the idea, but a few people objected with comments that were not related to the point I was making.

I was NOT giving my opinion on his achievements, whether or not it was his fault or saying that it belittles my achievements as a clean athlete. footnote…

footnote: My opinions are, that his achievements don’t stand. He should be publicly punished to remove any incentive for future athletes to cheat. The system was involved, but it was (and always will be) 100% the responsibility of the athlete. He can’t blame the system. The fact that some others were also cheating at that time doesn’t absolve Armstrong. He cheated. He cheated anyone who ever looked up to him or wore a yellow Livestrong band.

My point was simply this; along with every other clean athlete, I declare my cleanliness and prove it by taking tests. Hundreds of tests now. Lance Armstrong, for his whole, blemish free, incredible career did exactly the same for a very long time and only now do we all know the truth. I am angry that this global scandal, exacerbated by the media, has taken away the value of clean athletes’ banks of negative (good) tests in the public eye.

He got away with it for longer than I have been rowing! How can clean athletes now expect the public to be confident in our negative tests?

Let me give you some confidence in the good guys. I want you all to be sure that there are countless clean and honest athletes out there who compete for the love of competition and their sports. I am proud to be one.

As far as I know (this isn’t a get out, I know a lot about GB Rowing), the GB Rowing Team have never had an incident with doping and I can be as sure as I can be about anything that we won’t. The system is honest, strong and has a working ethic.

I have been on the UK Sport Anti-Doping register since 2005 and therefore, part of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The system is regimented, strict and has evolved over those last 8 years. Now, UK Sport and WADA can test me any time of day or night, anywhere in the world. They know where I will be all the time and for one hour of everyday I MUST be in a specific place. I have never missed a test. I have never and will never refuse a test.

The tests now come in two main forms that could not be more professionally carried out. Urine, where your pee is screened for banned substances and something called a Blood Passport. This is the really clever new one. The characteristics of your blood are analysed for your natural, physiological fluctuations over a random period of time. This means that you have a personal database of how your body operates. This is a test that doesn’t screen for the banned substances, it detects the EFFECTS of banned substances. The effects are what would give you the illegal boost. There are such things as masking agents (also banned) which would stop a banned substance from appearing on a urine test, but the effect of the drug would still remain in the blood test. To fail a blood test, you do not even need to test positively for a banned substance: if a panel of medical experts decide that the results lie so far outside your normal range that they could only have come from a result of doping, then you get a positive (bad) test, banned from the sport, stripped of medals and disgraced.

I have been tested countless times at no notice with the urine and blood testing measures (sometimes both). I have been tested in competition, at home, on training camps, in foreign countries and at Caversham.

These tests go way beyond what Armstrong was doing and I sincerely hope that they give you, as the sports fans, the confidence in me and all the other clean athletes who are part of my team, my sport and sport in general around the world.

The Armstrong case is massive, everyone has said their bit, but good, honest and clean sport is even bigger than him and I don’t want anyone being put off from sport because of the twisted minority or the media.

I have everything I need to keep me going: the greatest team in the world. My wife and family. The Royal Navy. The support of the British sporting public and the memory of the Dorney Roar.

Best wishes sports fans… let’s move on now eh.

I’ve been back in training for a few weeks already. I came back when I was ready with a bit of helpful guidance from Jürgen. I won’t lie, I struggled with motivation for the first few weeks. Going from feeling like a rocket in August to, let’s face it, a bit soft around the edges, takes it’s toll. It didn’t take long to get back into the swing of dark & ... Read More »]]> 2012 is behind us and London mania has slowed to a steady walking pace. Although I knew from a long time ago that I wanted to carry on rowing for the GB Rowing Team, it was important to take a break to have a deep down mental and physical rest. I crammed a lot in but managed to take some essential down time for the briefest of moments.

I’ve been back in training for a few weeks already. I came back when I was ready with a bit of helpful guidance from Jürgen. I won’t lie, I struggled with motivation for the first few weeks. Going from feeling like a rocket in August to, let’s face it, a bit soft around the edges, takes it’s toll. It didn’t take long to get back into the swing of dark & early mornings, the cold weather and the competitive environment of team training.

I am currently standing at the bottom of a very ominous mountain. There are some dark shadows on the way up there; a few forests, some cliff faces, plenty of adverse weather and there is a very high summit. It’s a little tougher than anything I have faced in the past. I have planned my route: it’ll take me 1306 days to reach the top.

Here at the bottom, I have some experts in their fields. Some climbers and mountaineers who make up my team… I’m not going alone. I have all the tools and technology I need. The supporters. The motivation. The incentive from a pack of young, hungry wolves chasing me along the way. I wonder if I can tame them and get them pull my sled along those long icy runs? It’s all going to be a lot of fun.

I am Ranulph Fiennes.

It’s a long road to Rio and I’ve just started the journey.

Follow me here, on @PeteReed and look out for my photographs in the gallery

Best wishes, Pete

Before I get going, I don’t have any sponsors so this is 100% independent. I have used all of the following cameras and lenses so I’m not guessing. Also, I haven’t used every camera in the world champs – but I know that these days, they’re all at least adequate so it’s hard to go wrong. Here are my suggestions for you; these are a lot more than adequate:

Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) (Big camera that you put to your eye). Use these for real photography that you see in magazines, exhibitions, books and ... Read More »]]> In recent months, enough people have been asking me the same questions about cameras for me to offer a blog to you all. I’ll leave the subject of photography for now, but instead here is my camera buying guide and I’ll keep it as simple as possible.

Before I get going, I don’t have any sponsors so this is 100% independent. I have used all of the following cameras and lenses so I’m not guessing. Also, I haven’t used every camera in the world champs – but I know that these days, they’re all at least adequate so it’s hard to go wrong. Here are my suggestions for you; these are a lot more than adequate:

Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) (Big camera that you put to your eye). Use these for real photography that you see in magazines, exhibitions, books and adverts all over the world, rather than just on your iPhone screen. All DSLR cameras that are made today are better than anything you could buy even 6 years ago. Bad photos cannot be blamed on the camera. Hang on, this is my buyers guide, not my photography guide.

If you are a tad strapped for cash I would choose a Nikon D80 & 18-200mm VR Nikkor lens from ebay. Shop around and you are looking at about £300 for a camera and lens that were about £1000 in 2006. It is an incredible combo. Careful, it doesn’t do video; if that is crucial to you, search for the more recent, but pricier D90.

On a medium budget? Find a second hand Nikon D7000 with the same 18-200mm VR Nikkor lens for about £850. This is all you could ever want. You can still buy them new, but they have been around for a while and a lot of people will be upgrading to the new D600. That means, good deals for great kit!

If you have pots of cash and nowhere to put it and are new to photography but want to develop (figuratively – this is a digital camera too):
Nikon D600 + 28-300mm for about £2200. Shop around, this is brand new gear.
This is the modern and pumped up version of the previous option. Just take my word for it.

Anything above a D600 and you already know what you are doing so don’t need my advice.

Canon-Nikon-Canon-Nikon? They’re both as awesome as each other and have rival cameras models. I prefer Canon’s menu system, but Nikon’s controls. In the heat of the moment, intuitive controls are crucial. So Nikon wins for DSLR.

Lenses:

It is best that you only buy what you need, you use what you buy and you know how to use what you have. Don’t waste energy carrying extras that you don’t need. Kit is heavy and often pricey! Better lenses are better than better cameras. I have selected some great combinations for you above, but don’t go cheap on me and opt for the budget Tamron, you’ll thank me.

Above, I have recommended superzoom lenses as they (and the camera bodies) are so good, you may as well enjoy the convenience of twisting your wrist to enjoy the full focal range (the zoomed in and out views and everything in between). Just get one of those.

If you really want to shoot in low light without a flash you should consider a “fast prime lens”.
Fast = let’s lots of light in.
Prime = doesn’t zoom, you have to walk forwards and backwards champs.
Pros: cheaper, sharper photos and can shoot in low light more effectively.
If you get one of the first two options, add in the £82 50mm f1.8D. It is a no brainer. Using this type of lens actually forces you to be a better photographer too. You find yourself moving around to get the shot you want… That actually makes you realise that you want something from a photo. Something more than twisting a wrist from a lazy, static position can ever achieve. The £271 version of the above lens is the 50mm f1.4G and it can see in the dark a bit better. If you went for the D600, this is the one to go for.

Flash? You have them on your cameras BUT they only point at your subject. This leads to a reflection on faces that isn’t very flattering. It is much nicer to bounce the flash off the wall or ceiling. Trust me, the Nikon SB-400 is small, cheap, powerful, unobtrusive, SO SIMPLE and will revolutionise your flash photography. Shooting friends, indoors in the evening and don’t want to think? Get one.

Tripods. Bin this subject for now champs. You don’t need one. I have one but would rather place my camera on my kit bag on the very few occasions I need to keep the camera still.

Bags: get the Think Tank Retrospective 10. It’s a shoulder bag, that looks cool and not like a typical geeky camera pack. That means it’s also less likely to attract unwanted attention. It is well designed & made and will have room for a good few extras for the day like a bottle of water and a snack. Also, take a look at Booq UK… specifically the Python Pack. They sent me one recently and it is first class in every respect. If you have a DSLR, 4 lenses, laptop, tablet & extras then look no further.

Want a smaller camera? The big DSLRs aren’t the only way to take a photo. Even your mobile phone camera is good enough to capture something creative and usable now. An incredible middle option with 95% of the DSLR and not much bigger than a phone:
Panasonic’s GX1 with the 14-42 Linux G power zoom. If you want the low light option, get the pancake thin 20mm 1.7.
I tell you what, slip a GX1 with the 20mm in your pocket and you can have the control and functionality to make some fantastic and experimental shots. Try getting a DSLR in your pocket! I have looked at the small Nikons, the Nikon 1 range V1/2 and J1/2. They’re nice but the sensor on the GX1 is so much bigger. Bigger is better. It’s like painting on a large canvas vs a piece of A4 paper. Go for the GX1.

That’s it. Simple. Let me know how you get on via Twitter @PeteReed.