View my PhotoStream in FlickRiver (all in large format with a nice, black background)

I started really becoming interested in photography back in 1999 when a professional photographer friend suggested I get a used Nikon Nikkormat camera (circa 1967) at the local camera shop. I did, and loved using it. What a classic film camera! After a nasty tripod accident in soft, uneven sand with my Nikkormat camera body loaded up with a big telephoto lens and tipping to kingdom come when I turned my back, I took a brief hiatus. My purchase of a Nikon D80 D-SLR back in November 2006 was just what I needed to get my photographic juices flowing again. I love this camera! I love digital photography!

Having said that, right now I seem to have no patience for things like PhotoShop. I pretty much take the picture, load it on my computer into Picasa, and maybe tweak the contrast a little. If it takes me more than 30 seconds to "process" my photo, that's too long for me.

I don't really have a particular style or niche area that I focus on. At least not yet. But maybe never. I just take photos of things that that catch my eye and that are pleasing to me. The picture style is all over the place, but who cares. If it looks good I press the shutter button. I don't know if not yet having a narrow niche or style is necessarily a bad thing, although definitely I am new enough to serious amateur photography that I am still learning and trying out new things and approaches. Nonetheless, I like being open to anything that interests my eye.

My favorite photographic subjects tend to be nature-based, and while I'm always looking for a grand scenic, the photos I find myself gravitating towards the most are closer shots of simple things in nature. I seem to be highly aware of patterns, although I don't necessarily just go looking for them. But they tend to pop out at me. Also, I think I get a secret delight in finding a shot that most people wouldn't even notice or realize was there all along.

I've never owned a macro lens, but I would like to try that some day as well. I live just west of Denver, and my wife Carol, my dog Buddha, and I take lots of hikes in Jefferson County Colorado.

All of my pictures are legally copyrighted. If you wish to use any of them, for any reason, please contact me to make arrangements. Use of my pictures without my express permission is a violation of copyright law.

To end on a more fun note, I love the following quote:

"Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter." - Ansel Adams