I'm considerably older than I used to be...

I'm an old retired guy (a Vietnam Veteran and an Agent Orange related cancer survivor). After the military, I spent almost 33 years in public service; given the state of things these days, it's good to be retired. I'm close to 80 now and have a lot less tolerance for many things that I used to just let slide. My tolerance for idiots is extremely low these days. I used to have some immunity built up, but obviously there's a new strain out there. Look up the definition of curmudgeon and you're liable to see my scowling picture next to it. Once you reach a certain age, you become permanently unimpressed by a lot of things that are hyped as the current trend; as well as people who are all wrapped up in their own self-importance. I see people around my age skydiving and going on mountain climbing expeditions; I feel good getting my leg through my underwear without losing my balance. I really don't mind getting older, but my body is taking it badly; I'm at the age where I get sore from doing nothing…

I grew up in the household of an Army Sergeant Major and lived all over the world, moving every three or four years; Okinawa, Germany, Colombia (my favorite), India (I wouldn't go back it you paid me) and various stateside assignments. In 1967 I began my own military journey which led me to even more adventures. When I was a young man, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to play with some VERY neat Italian sports cars. A deteriorating physical frame dictates that I can't drive them anymore, but I still enjoy looking at them. The after effects of Agent Orange exposure and other health related issues are also beginning to limit my ability to travel and to access some venues that I'd really like to shoot; hobbling around with a cane at times makes it difficult to follow uneven surfaced paths, but I'm still trying.

I've been using Nikon cameras and lenses almost exclusively since 1968 when I bought a Nikon FTn and several Nikkor lenses while stationed in the Panama Canal Zone. After numerous additional Nikon film cameras (Nikomat FTn, Nikkormat EL, Nikon FA, Nikon F5 and recently a pristine Nikon F100), I finally broke down and went digital in 2008 (I still had the original FTn) when I acquired a Nikon D80, a Nikkor 18-135mm and a Sigma 10-20mm. The Sigma, and a Vivitar Series 1 28-105 AIS lens, were the only times I've ever deviated from Nikkor lenses. That combination morphed into a D7100 and I finally went full-frame with a D810 (and a few FX lenses) in 2018; and recently a D850. I always carry a CoolPix point-and-shoot with me (generally set to black and white) because (for some odd reason) they often out shoot the big DSLR and have a 5:4 format. I added Sony mirrorless cameras into the mix around 2016 because of their much lighter weight. At the end of a long day, several pounds of Nikon gear hanging on your shoulder starts to wear you down a bit and I have body parts that are beginning to fail me. The current phone cameras are phenomenal, but I still don't feel 'comfortable' using mine and don't use it as often as I should; I'm old and too used to looking through a viewfinder to start changing horses in the middle of the stream... 😉

Current Camera Case Contents:

Nikon D850

Nikon F100

Nikkor 16mm f/2.8D fisheye

Nikkor 16-35mm f/4G ED VR

Nikkor 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR

Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR

Nikon CoolPix S9700

Nikon SB-700

Sony a7C

Sony a7RII

Sony E 10-18mm f/4 OSS

Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS

Sony FE 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS

Sony FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

Sony HVL-F20M

Benro/MeFoto Globetrotter tripod

Benro/MeFoto Daytrip tripod

Samsung A54 5G