I like taking photos. I'm not a great photographer but I really enjoy the PROCESS of making a photo. Lighting, composition, aperture, shutter... I usually forget to do something. And being red-green color-blind doesn't help.

 

I haven't posted many recent photos to flickr. I joined in 2007 in order to share photos of a Grand Canyon river trip in wooden dories. Now I don't post many photos but I do enjoy the discussions in several flickr groups.

 

First camera: A Kodak Vest Pocket Model B folding camera with bellows. Fixed focus, only one shutter speed (about 1/25 second), and the aperture was set by turning a metal disk (with four different-sized holes) in front of the lens.

 

First 35-mm camera: Argus C-3 Matchmatic. I still have this once-popular "brick" camera.

 

First SLR: Olympus OM-1 MD. I really liked the small size and fine optics. I sold it to get a more "automatic" camera - a Canon Elan IIe (EOS 50e).

 

First digital camera: Nikon Coolpix 775. Has a 2 megapixel sensor and too much shutter lag.

 

First digital SLR: Canon Digital Rebel XT (EOS 350D). I dropped it and broke the LCD display. It was replaced by a Canon EOS 40D, a Canon EOS 70D and a Canon 7D Mk II.

 

Current gear:

 

Canon EOS 7D Mk II

Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

Canon EF-S 18-135 f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM

Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM

Canon EF 85 f/1.8

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM

Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS II

Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM

Canon 430EX Speedlite

Canon 580EXII Speedlite

 

Panasonic LUMIX ZS100, my current point-and-shoot.

 

Olympus Stylus 770 SW. It's waterproof and shockproof and very outdated. I don't like the shutter-lag and lack of a viewfinder.

 

Monopods & Tripods:

Really Right Stuff MC-34 Monopod with MH-01 Pro head

Gitzo GT1540T Traveler with Really Right Stuff BH-25 ballhead. Very small and light for hiking and traveling.

Gitzo GT2540 with Really Right Stuff BH-40 ballhead. Taller and more stable than the GT1540T but still relatively compact and lightweight.

Really Right Stuff L-plate on the EOS 7Dii makes it really easy to mount and unmount the 7Dii from the monopod and tripods.

 

Wireless Shutter Release:

Phottix Plato. An inexpensive shutter remote that has a good range (100m). I've used it in a large auditorium where I was at the back of the stage and the camera was at the rear of the seating area.

 

Bags:

Tamrac Adventure 7 photo backpack. My primary bag. In the lower compartment I typically carry the 7Dii with it's EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 attached, the EF-S 10-22, and the EF 70-200 f/4L. In the upper compartment there is room for another lens or a flash or a windbreaker jacket, maps, and a snack.

 

LowePro Rover AW II photo backpack. Larger than the Tamrac Adventure 7, the bottom compartment more easily holds the same gear plus a flash. The upper compartment is large enough to contain the Gitzo GT1540T tripod.

 

Lowepro Fastpack BP 250 AW II,. This is replacing the Rover AW as my "bigger bag" because it holds about the same gear but is easier to use.

 

Newswear Documentary Chestvest. This is comfortable and allows easy access to four compartments. But it looks like something a suicide bomber might wear.

 

ThinkTank Skin Component belt system.

 

Computers: I store and edit my photos on a 27-inch iMac 3.4 GHz Core i5. I also have a 13-inch Macbook Pro 3.5 GHz Intel Core i7 and a 6S iPhone. I've used iPhoto 9.6 and Aperture 3.6 to edit photos. I'm currently using Mac Photos with a Luminar extension

 

I taught chemistry at a 2-year college for 30 years and now am retired.