Apparently human. Walks upright, self-contained, intelligent (sometimes) life form. Definitely not a vegetarian. Sports a goatee and some sort of jewelry in one ear. Taller than the average member of the species. Rarely seen without a photographic device of some kind, often carried in a war-torn Domke bag with far more kit than is really necessary...

I'd been away from photography for a few years (long story), but recently rediscoved the passion I've always had for making pictures. It's not just a passion, but a bit of an obsession that seems to have returned in spades; all that's left is to see what comes of it.

I've NEARLY abandoned film, shooting almost exclusively with Olympus M43 (Pen F and EM5-mkii) cameras now, and a too-large battery of glass. I do, though, often feel that itch to take the big guns out. Can it be long before the wet darkroom is once again my second home? Ah, the wonderful perfume of fresh fixer... I've often considered leaving a bottle of fixer on my desk to help with the digital editing process. I guess after so many years of darkroom soup, some habits are hard to break.

But, the Olympus system is beautiful for me. I love the way it handles, and the IQ is much better than the M43 detractors would have one believe. It's better to have cameras that are comfortable to carry, and therefore always with you, than those that may offer slightly better performance, but are left at home. I've gotten too old to drag about the 5x4 and tripod.

Flickr is fun, but, of course, to really be popular here, I'd have to be a woman willing to take countless self images in scanty clothing. Not that there's anything WRONG with that, mind you, but I'm not, and I don't, and I likely won't be. Of course, this has the scant advantage of sparing me the endless stream of sycophantic drivel on what a great body I have, and, "can I play, too?" There's great work to be seen in the various streams, but the infantile commentary that accompanies some of the more provocative pieces leads me to wonder if a bunch of idle minded teenagers with DSL in the loo are just a little too adept at using a laptop with one hand...

It's about photography, lads. I love comments on the photos, not on their subjects. After all, I really didn't have much to do with the creation of the subject, now did I? I just make the photographs.

Of course, this is a bit tongue in cheeque, but I suspect some of you know well what I'm on about...

Cheers,

Gregory