"A poet is someone who looks at what everyone else looks at, and sees what no one else sees."

I love that quote, though I never have found its author. I think the same thing applies to all other art forms, but nowhere more, or more literally, than with photography. Sometimes the goal of a photograph is to show the viewer something they have not seen before. Other times, it is to show that viewer something they have seen before in a way they have not seen it. That is most often my goal. My photography business is named Everyday Miracles Photography, reflecting my belief that there are beautiful and interesting things to look at all around us, if we take the time to notice. That is not to say that we ought not go seek out places that are especially photogenic, just to say that most places are photogenic if we take the time to look closely.

It is said that all writing is autobiographical. I'd assert that all photography is as well. We share what we find out in the world, but we also share ourselves. If you have gotten far enough to read this, I’m guessing you have seen some of my work. That work is, in part, a window that allows you to see something about me. Thanks for looking. I hope you see some things that you like. And if there are things you think I could improve, I'm interested in hearing what you have to say.

A note about contacts and groups. The reason that it has taken me so long to figure these out is the fact that different people have different ideas about what they mean. So, here is where I am now: when I am invited to a group that is private or that I cannot see the work there, I ignore the invite. If I'm required to join the group before I can see the work, or post mine, I ignore it. If the invite comes with an admin add image button, and the work in the group is good, I'll accept. If my work is well-received I may then join the group.

When someone makes me a contact, I wait to see if they show interest in my work over time. If they do, and I am able to reciprocate because they produce work I can honestly say I like, I will probably add them as a contact as well. I am not able to keep up with too many contacts, so I add them sparingly and if I do not hear from someone for a while, I'll probably drop them.

A little about me: I live in Knoxville, Tennessee with my wife of 38 years. I have three grown children and three grandchildren, though all live out of state. I am a clinical psychologist. I have been in private practice for 33 years. I generally work a bit over 50 hours a week, but I really love my work, so it is not a problem. It does, however, limit how much time I can spend doing other things, such as making photographs.

My professional interest in looking into things, looking at details, looking at where things fit in the whole and what they look like out of context also shows in my photography. I am drawn to close-up and macro photography, and like “visual extraction” or “intimate landscape” which “extracts” a portion of the total field of view using telephoto or macro lens, looking at details in a landscape or scene.

In 1996 I sold my rock-climbing gear and bought my first real camera, a Nikon N90s. I scanned slides and worked with digital darkroom editing for some time before I moved to digital capture with the D70s. After that I bought a D80, which I used for several years. I then converted the D70s to infared, which is quite cool. Not long after that I finally broke down and bought the D700. I had wanted that camera for some time, but hesitated to spend that kind of money. Glad I did. It is a remarkable camera. I'm especially pleased with the low noise at high ISO, since I really like to shoot low light. A few years ago I upgraded to the Nikon D810.

I use Nikor lenses:

20mm, 2.8

12-24mm 4.0 DX

24-120mm 3.5-5.6

18-200 mm 3.5-5.6 DX VR

80-200mm 2.8

80-400mm 4.5-5.6 VR

50mm 1.4

105mm 2.8 micro

200mm 4.0 micro

300mm 4.0

80-400 4.5-5.6

Also, I recently added a Singh-Ray Vari ND filter

I have 3 Speedlights: an SB 26, an SB 800 and an SB900. That said, I do not do a lot of flash photography. Gotta have ‘em when you gotta have ‘em.

I use Gitzo Tripods; I have a Studex G315 with a Really Right Stuff BH-55 ballhead and a G1258 carbon fiber Mountaineer with a Really Right Stuff BH-40 ballhead.

I’ve been a Mac guy since 1989. I currently use a 27” iMac. I use Lightroom and Photoshop, and I’m a big fan of Nik Plug-ins. I use Helicon Focus for focus stacking, Photomatrix and HDR EFex Pro for HDR, and Topaz for noise reduction, sharpening, and enlargements.

If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough.

-Robert Capa