I've been taking pictures for most of my adult life. As a poor young man in the mid-1980s, I bought my first SLR, a Konica FT1, and 3 lenses. So began my love of photography. Then, I went through a period of about 20 years where I didn't take many pictures. However, with the advent of digital photography, I was hooked again. I now take 6,000 to 10,000 photos in an average year. It's what I do to relax, and when a picture turns out the way I want, or even better, I still get excited.

My current kit includes a Nikon D-850 and a Z-7 as well as these lenses: the Nikon FTZ-II adapter, Z-24-70 F4 S, 35-70 F2.8 D, 28-300 F 3.5-5.6 G ED VR, Sigma 14-24 F 2.8 DG HSM Art, 85 F 1.4 EX DG HSM, 120-300 F 2.8 EX DG HSM, Tamron 70-210 F 4 DI VC USD, and 70-200 F 2.8 DI VC USD G2 and SP 150-600 F 5-6.3 DI VC USD G2.

After shooting with Pentax for 10 years, I sold my Pentax gear and switched to Nikon in 2019. I initially missed several things about Pentax, but I have happily adjusted to Nikon and believe my pictures are consistently better than ever. The full-frame 45.7-megapixel sensor of the D-850 is incredible, and I love the ability to crop deeply into an image while maintaining excellent image quality. It deserves its reputation as the best all-around DSLR ever made. I recently sold my first mirrorless Nikon and Z-5 and upgraded to the Z-7. It enjoys a similar sensor that I'm getting more and more comfortable shooting with in a wide variety of situations. I definitely enjoy the smaller, lighter size & weight of the Z system, and shooting video with the mirrorless system is definitely much better. Shooting with both Nikon F and Z systems is a joy.

I also have a Panasonic FZ-1000, which is fantastic with its 1-inch sensor and built-in 25-400 F2.8-4 lens. This advanced bridge camera certainly doesn't rival the quality of my serious cameras, but I have taken thousands of high-quality images with it. Finally, I have an Olympus Stylus-1. It's old but small enough to fit in a large pocket, and it does a good job as a small camera with a slightly enlarged compact sensor. Each of these cameras shoot Raw, and I nearly always use that capability.

I love taking portraits, especially pictures of my grandchildren, but landscapes and outdoor nature pictures, particularly those taken during the golden hours, are my favorite. I enjoy near-macro photography but don't have an actual macro lens. I suspect that I will eventually buy one. The Tamron 70-210 especially does a good job of getting close, though it's not an actual macro lens.

On a personal level, I'm married to a wonderful wife and am blessed with five wonderful children who are each making a positive difference where they live and work. My wife and I are blessed with two grandchildren, one boy and one girl. We love both Baby J and Baby R.

I've been a pastor for 40+ years and find my work challenging and rewarding. I love what I am blessed to do with my life. In addition to my pastoral work, I also write a weekly column that appears in nearly 15 newspapers and is emailed to hundreds more. I have written three books. I love my family, my work, my photography & consider myself incredibly blessed. I hope you enjoy my pictures as much as I have enjoyed taking and editing them. God bless you.