When I was a child I used to love watching my father and grandfather taking photos, discussing lenses, pouring over the technical aspects of their cameras. It used to drive my mum mad, but I was intrigued. Despite her frustration, mum gave me my first compact camera (film obviously!) when I was about ten and dad set to teaching me how to take photos. He bought me a few SLRs from car boot sales over the years and I learnt a bit, but overall I stuck to the automatic settings.

When I started going out with Mr. TBaM and met my (then) future mother-in-law, she passed on her old Nikon SLR and refreshed my memory of the techniques. Within a few years I'd treated myself to a digital SLR, a Canon EOS 300D, which I still have and use to take the vast majority of my photos.

I love taking photos, I have thousands and thousands of photos taken from June 2009 (The Boy's birth) and I take tens each day; on the iPod, my phone, my dSLR, hubby's compact or even The Boy's Kiddizoom, I use whatever's to hand. Starting my 365 project last year reminded me about the basics of composition, framing, light, etc. and then the fabulous picnik.com (now replaced in my affection by picmonkey.com) helped develop my editing skills.

Why am I telling you all this geeky stuff?

Because to my complete and utter amazement I've been shortlisted in the Britmums Brilliant In Blogging awards. Me! I never get anything like this, I'm a background person. It has meant the absolute world to me that people either a) liked my photos enough, b) felt I represented a good photography blogger or c) felt bloody sorry for me, enough to nominate me.

You see, I just take photos of my son and our life. That anyone likes them amazes me. That people liked them enough to join me in #Project366 astounded me (the response each week is flabberghasting!). But to nominate me in amongst the big players? A serious thank you to every single one of you, it has meant the world to me.

I don't expect to win, have you seen who else is nominated?! However, I just want to share a few photos that I am really proud of for one reason or another, and if you agree with me, please consider voting for me by pressing the button at the bottom of the post.

This is the only time I'll ask, I've been stung by voting competition before and I refuse to get drawn in to it all. I'll tweet this a few times but it's your decision to make.

Thank you!