I started taking pictures with an SLR in my high school years. My Dad got me an SLR body to match his lenses. I shot slides with Agfachrome film. Slides do teach you how to get the exposure right as the exposure latitude is quite narrow and bracketing was too expensive .

A friend had a small darkroom and that got me hooked on developing black and white so I joined the yearbook staff as a photographer so I could use the school darkroom equipment. I loved the magic of seeing an image come to life in the mixing trays and old fashioned dodging and burning to adjust a photo to what i 'knew it could be' was a labor that I enjoyed. My favorite black and white shot was my girlfriend’s full page year book photo...and yes, Margaret and I are childhood sweethearts!

I devolved into a 'snaps' shooter for the photo albums of the kids, vacations, holiday events and the like. Being a 'techie' and enjoying PCs, I was intrigued when digital cameras arrived and had a succession of quickly improving point and shoots. I enjoyed using digital darkroom programs such as Paint Shop Pro and then Photoshop Elements, upgrading every release as amazing features were added.

Then in early 2008, I bought a real camera-a Nikon digital SLR, the new D300. I have been quite hooked on nature photography ever since. I do enjoy shooting events and people, especially when achieving a story told by the shots. You must have a large 'nerd' side to develop the digital darkroom skills needed to fulfill the vision seen through the camera. Adobe's Photoshop CS3 and Lightroom 2 are a continuing learning challenge as new features and capabilities keep coming.

Margaret and I took ornithology together while working on our Biology Degrees. This proved to be a gift for a lifetime as we thoroughly enjoy being 'birders' and being out in the many local bird sanctuaries, state parks, wildlife refuges, and at the coast. Kleb Woods Nature Preserve continues to be our favorite local spot. We have made many friends from participating in weekly bird walks, seminars, field trips and workshops and try to give back with a bit of volunteering, which has been tremendously rewarding.

We continue to enjoy nature outings, and especially birding wherever we find ourselves.

Photo equipment includes:
Nikon body: D300s
Nikon lenses: 50 mm f/1.4, 105mm f/2.8 micro, 18-200mm, 300mm f/2.8; 1.7x tele-converter
Tripod: Gitzo 3531LSV
Head: Really Right Stuff BH-55, Wimberley Sidekick
Flash: Nikon SB-800, Better Beamer
Backpack: Tenbo
Software: Photoshop CS3, Lightroom 2, Photomatix Pro 3, Noise Ninja 2

My LinkedIn business profile:http://www.linkedin.com/pub/11/384/5a3

Photo Credit to BeaAnn Kelly for my Bio picture.