I have found gratification in my images and in my photography. It is my passion and it is what I want to do every day. I have always been using a camera ever since I was in school, and I always try to keep at least one camera near me at all times wherever I am nowadays.
It is definitely a joy to take a great photograph, but it is a gift to be able to "see a photograph". I believe in my ability to see a photograph, to create an interesting composition, to capture the light. I can eliminate that which not important to the image, and allow the viewer to see exactly what I did through the viewfinder. I have been doing that for all those many years of my photographic life.
No better place to do landscape photography than at Mt. Rainier National Park. Thanks to my wonderful wife, Cheryl for this great portrait.
Photography has been a part of my life since I was in High School at Sheldon High in my hometown of Eugene, Oregon. I embarked on my photo education while learning from my teacher named Leonard John. He was our music teacher, and he also taught our photography classes. I endeavored to get involved in the music program, but after a short five minute singing audition, he really “suggested” that I should take a photography class. I completed the entire photography program and then supervised the darkroom. My first camera was a Canon FTbQL with a 50mm f1.8 lens. It was a gift from my parents while still in High School. In college I built my camera system to include two Canon F-1’s and half dozen nice lenses. It would be a joy to have that camera system back, even to just be able to display it in my office.
In my life I have worked in 3 different camera stores and have managed 2 of them. They were in Eugene, Los Angeles, and Seattle. Working in the 3 stores added up to a total of 28 years in the photographic retail business. I have always enjoyed helping my customers set up camera systems and to create their own images. For several years I even taught photography classes at a local art school.
Got to love a really long lens.
I have done portraits, weddings, product shots, and other forms of photography that produce an income. In this point of my life I wish to turn my attention to doing fine art and nature photography. An image when displayed is to be enjoyed not once, but many, many times. When an image brings an emotion to the viewer, when a quiet expression of “wow” slips from their lips, my feeling of success had been achieved.