First, thanks for being interested enough to visit my profile :-)

Second, & I really hate to do this, but: if you add me as a contact or my work to your gallery -- but I can't see any of your stuff -- regrettably, you'll be blocked. I don't think sharing is too much to ask. And I also have to really question why people would hide all their stuff... that's kinda creepy.

Got my first digital camera in Oct. '05 & have had *so* much fun. I'm self-taught in photography & consider myself a perpetual beginner in terms of technical skills, so any tips or gentle instructions are appreciated. But please be kind -- or at least civil.

There are no purple mountain majesties, sweeping oceans, bustling million-plus urban areas, stunning long-range vistas or exotic landscapes where I live. When one is fortunate enough to live in such places, it's easier to take attractive shots. But a lot of travel & expensive equipment aren't in my budget, so my shots are mostly of my immediate surroundings. But I count myself lucky to have always had a strong sense of curiosity & interest in even the smallest things; there's beauty to be found in the most unlikely places & subjects if one takes the time to look.

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Update Feb. 3, 2019 -- The Big Deletion by Verizon solely for their profit is a very sad thing to me. An enthusiastic & truly global community won't ever be the same. But the world moves on regardless of how anyone feels about it, & we've all been extremely lucky to have the benefits of the Flickr community & the free storage as long as we did. On a positive note, the storage limitation will force me to be much more judicious about what I choose to put here.

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Update Dec. 14, 2023 -- Well, I have yet to cave in to paying fees. So one of these days when I have time ;-) I should go through my photostream & delete things in order to upload anything new & stay within storage limitations. I do still visit & enjoy the work of those I follow, although I should comment more often.