In high school I saved up my busboy wages for a 35 film Minolta with a 45mm prime and I’ve been hooked ever since. I set up a darkroom complete with all the chemicals and an enlarger and I was developing my own film and making prints in the cellar before I was old enough to drive! Over the years photography has held varying levels of obsession for me, but recently I have been re-inspired by my daughter Mattie’s fascination with the art.

This year I've taken on the challenge of learning night photography. I've always considered myself more analytical than creative and the challenges and technical aspects of low light photography suit me well. My favorite nighttime subject is the night sky, moon, stars, planets and our galaxy.

In addition to the night sky, I love all kinds of landscape photography – nature, water, cityscape & wildlife. I’m also interested in urban and rural decay and will continue to pursue this fascinating subject in the years to come. I again am attracted to the analytical side of those subjects. Planning and scouting out shoots. Looking for balance, separating subjects from background, finding lines, transitions and natural framing. And of course post processing and the never ending possibilities I find Lightroom and Photoshop. I am a shameless gear junkie and the never ending allure of tools of the trade will always have a hold on me.

I am cautiously interested in HDR photography. Like plastic surgery, at its best it can enhance an already beautiful subject in ways that are pleasing to the eye. To stay with the metaphor, tone compression is commonly over used to the point of its detriment. The "HDR look" has become the primary interest in too many photos. I feel like the pendulum is beginning to swing back in the other direction to the point that obvious HDR photos are looked down on by the purist photographic community. In part I'm sure this is because it's so easy to make a boring picture, with no compositional value pop right off the page with vibrance, by investing just a few mouse clicks. I am not a purist but I'm comfortable in their neighborhood. I do enjoy the challenge of finding subtle ways to incorporate this brilliant technology into certain pictures.

I hope you enjoy my pictures here. If you do, you can find more at my website sunnysixteenphotography.com.