I've been taking pics since I was in Junior High when I took a photog class using my fathers compact 16mm camera. (it was hard to get film for it then, I would hate to try now). In HS I would skip the assembly and hide in the dark room until I heard people in the hallway. For graduation I got half a SLR. 20+ years later, my gear has changed but I still like getting a good shot and learning and attempting something interesting..