I love photography because it gets me out exploring and paying more attention to my surroundings. I like my photos manipulated and sometimes I like to make it hard to tell if you're looking at a photo or a painting. I have little interest in keeping my photos more "natural". Some people say my photos are too manipulated, but that's the way I like them. To each their own, as the saying goes.

I've been into photography since 1974, and sailing and boating for 40 years. Another passion is dogs--see mine and what I have to say about dogs at www.dogbreedprejudice.info

My first camera love back in 1974 was an Olympus OM-1 with 35mm and 100mm lens (no "normal" 50mm lens). I used the 100mm most of the time, and didn't like zooms then because I considered my feet to be better. Now though I use a Tamron 28-75 on my Sony A7iii at wide angle most of the time--interesting how things change!

Biggest change to my photography since going digital is HDR and tone mapping using Photomatix. And my favorite photo viewer/browser/editor is Faststone at www.faststone.org. This is the only shareware program I've given money to, and I've given twice because I appreciate it so much. It's also part of the reason I went back to a PC after using a Mac for a year--I missed it that much.