I'm an ongoing, mostly self-taught student in the art and technology of photography. This is a pretty serious hobby for me...I love every aspect of it - the subject matter, the camera, the postprocessing, the documenting. It's been so enlightening just getting out there and shooting everything around me, especially when I don't know what exactly I'm taking pictures of. I usually return home with great excitement to see the shots enlarged on the monitor and then research to identify anything unknown that I may have photographed. Many of my photos are purely for documentary purposes of travels & events. Once in a while, I'll happily get one very special shot amongst the masses ~ I've grouped them into a set "My Personal Favorites".

I hesitantly took the digital SLR plunge in 12/08 when my husband bought as a gift for me a Nikon D80 camera body to go with my existing Nikon lenses I had used with my film SLR. My kit seems ever changing as my needs change with my interests although it is a bit more in check on account of the amazingly high cost of photographic equipment.

I'm still learning about lighting, flash techniques, post processing and posing for portraits. I am open to constructive criticism if you have knowledge to share, I'd appreciate it :)

A little more about me:

Married 31 years with 3 adult children, a daughter and 2 sons. Passionate about animals and always wanted to be a veterinarian since I was a little kid...it just never came to be, however I did practice as a veterinary assistant and went to school to become a registered technician. Have had many jobs and hobbies along the way, typically to do with science, technology, arts, and animals. I've always had any number of pets, from horses to chinchillas. Currently there are 9 birds, 1 dog, 5 fish, and 6 cats in my life. It's a busy but fun time having them around and they provide a mend for that 'empty nest syndrome' thing going around. ;)

www.flickr.com/photos/patti-jo/sets/72157625703082807/