I've been doing photography since I took a course back in college (over 50 years ago) where they made us shoot b&w with a bellows camera and 8x10" film plates (no, the flash did not involve gunpowder!). I shot 35mm slide film for years but my interest and activity has really taken off since I switched to digital.

I still have an older Canon 5DMk II but I've largely switched to a Canon 6D and a 24-105mm lens when we travel. I traded in my 24-70mm 70-200mm, and 24mm tilt/shift lenses. The 70-200m was a great lens but heavy to carry around all day. The tllt-shift was ideal for architectural shooting but I just didn't find that I was doing much of that. I also now have a 100-400mm mostly for birds (often with a 2X extender) and other special situations. I also use a wide angle lens mostly for shooting in tight situations indoors rather than for landscapes. My 85mm lens is especially nice for portrait work. I recently donated most of my lighting equipment to the Prince George's Community College photography department.

To improve my skills, I've taken various classes in person and online (e.g. Bryan Peterson School of Photography(BBSOP)). I also did a series of one-on-one mentoring sessions with Bob Blanken, a professional photographer in the Bethesda, Maryland area who offered invaluable critiques of my work. I have also gone on local photo safaris with Dave Luria's Washingtom Photo Safaris (WPS) and the Capital Photography Center. They often offer unique shooting opportunities along with instruction. We also have National Geographic's HQ just down the road in Washington DC where I've been able to attend seminars by some of their travel photographers to hear the stories of what it takes to get those great shots.

Friends and family have encouraged me for years to make my pics more available, so I started using Flickr around 2008 as a way to do that. It's been a pleasant surprise that so many others enjoy them as well! I do have a handful of landscape shots available on Getty Images. I looked into 500px, but found their release requirements off-putting. I've started posting to Instagram but generally only iPhone shots.