I am a 'self' taught amateur photographer learning as I go. I say 'self' taught because really a lot of my flickr friends and non-flickr photographer friends have shown me so much so they all are my teachers. I have never taken a formal photography course but will one day when it becomes a priority.

I have a full time job (actually I have two of them as I am a mom of a teenager as well as a day job) and I do photography for fun to express my creative side. I am not 100% concerned with following the rules of photography at all times (yes you can shoot directly towards the sunny side and you get some good shadows that way and no you don't always have to follow the rule of thirds) but I am willing to listen to all constructive criticism to improve my photography skills. Mainly though I do photography for me and at this point in my life I don't want the focus to be on 'can I sell that/does everyone like that'.

I got into photography as a serious hobby when digital cameras came out (I was too cheap to commit to the film route). Started on a Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ3; progressed to a Pentax *ist DS with just a couple lenses, have taken many shots on my Samsung Galaxy S7 and now the S9; and have recently purchased a Canon EOS Rebel Ti. Not top of the line, but I also believe that a good photographer should be able to take good photos regardless of their equipment. Besides, I'm not in it for the money, just enjoy capturing moments for myself & others to enjoy.