I have a different view of the world than most people do. Maybe it is because I've come close to losing my life, maybe it's because I've come scary close to losing my oldest child, or maybe it's just that I'm a musician and process input differently than most.

I've long wished that people could see the same beauty I do when I open my eyes, and the best way for me to do that is through photography.

I started my journey as a hobbyist at age 5, with a Kodak 110. Pictures I took with that camera gradually improved to the point of State Fair purple ribbons in 4 short years. I was then given a Cannon T-50 to expand my horizons.

In recent years film photography has fallen by the wayside. -sad face- Film is expensive. Finding competent people to develop my film is difficult. I have switched to digital, but still keep my trusty film body.

I've had several digital cameras over the years. I had a Kodak EasyShare for a while, and really liked it, except batteries were almost as expensive as film, for the number of pictures I took. The poor KES died a horrible and painful death and I was left to the mercy of a camera phone.

Not all pictures were horrendous with that method, but they were not exactly something you would want to frame and hang on your wall, either.

I managed to score a Sony MaVica from a former boss for the astounding price of $15. It took amazing pictures (I love the 16x zoom), but the battery doesn't hold a charge for more than an hour, and the floppies are frustrating, especially when they get a bad sector in the middle of a shoot.

Back to the camera phone, this time with a Blackberry. Still not happy, I threw my hands in the air and contacted a fellow shutterbug for advice. I wound up with a Nikon P7000. As of 21 March, 2011, it is in the process of being shipped.

While I patiently wait for my newest camera, I will be uploading previous pictures taken with various cameras. I went pro today (21 March), so my upload restrictions have been removed and you will be flooded with my views of the world.

Please don't look for pictures of me here on Flikr. I know what my face looks like, I'm not overly fond of it, and I'd much rather show you what I see when I open my eyes.