Describe myself, it said. Hmmm...that is a pretty broad topic.

Photographically, I shoot diverse subjects. I do a consistent and pretty good job with classic landscapes and flowers. I enjoy and am challenged by urban landscapes and even do a little "street" when I am feeling brave. Abstracts and the eclectic are a bit of an obsession. I seldom do portraits, though the idea intrigues me as does the notion of doing a photojournalistic project.

I use a variety of tools (minor collector it seems) and am about equally split between film and digital in term of output. I have found that the tool (camera/lens/medium) tends to both drive and constrain the creative process. There is an immediacy to using my vintage 35mm rangefinder cameras and my work with them reflects that...more spontaneous and bizarre. I see things that I normally would not. The through-the-lens aspect of my SLRs constrains my vision substantially, though I find that they work best for close work where careful framing is essential. And the 4x5 Chamonix...that is an entirely different story, one that I am still not sure about. Despite all the cameras on the shelf, I am still intrigued by owning a decent medium format film kit. I sometimes shoot 6x7 roll film with the Chamonix and love the results...infinitely better than 35mm and almost as nice as 4x5. Now to find a kit that is field-worthy, handles well, and won't break the budget! I am a bit of an iconoclast. The things I have that say Canon are limited to my aging G2 digital and the elegant Canon P. My only Nikon products are my film scanner and a 210mm lens for the Chamonix. The other tools on my shelf bear labels like "FED", "Zorki", "Ricoh", "Yashica", and "Pentax". (Some of my favorite optics originated in the states of the former Soviet Union.)

I have a stash of and often shoot Ferrania...

Regarding the creative process...I "see" the compositions as I walk or drive along. The environment drives the inner eye. If I have the tool in hand, the vision is captured...or at least a semblance of such. Perhaps that is why I seldom do portraits and am challenged by table-top?

Steve