I have been pattering around with my camera forever. I love photography, almost obsessively. It trains your eye and your soul to always be looking for beauty. Even in the dreariest locale, your eye will just zone in on that lovely angle or the perfect color and composition. Or, you'll see something that brings an emotion to mind, and really feel it inside yourself.

I'm very old-fashioned, though, photography-wise. That's why my pictures are mostly pretty simple. I use only my canon rebel and my one lens, though I'm planning on getting a macro as soon as I can afford one. I don't use much in the way of photo-editing, either. Only a simple program that will crop, or increase/decrease the exposure, that sort of thing. You see, you can find the most amazing things that are called photography these days! Beautiful, outlandish things! My friend has a picture of her dog driving a volkswagon, smiling. Or you can remove something from the frame that doesn't suit you. Change the colors entirely. Add something. To me, that isn't photography, though it is a lovely, compelling art form of its own. I love to look at such images. But, to me photography is putting in print what is actually there, bringing it out for you to remember and the world to see. Or for people to wonder about.

Oh, am I still talking? Another thing I love to do!

create your own personalized map of the USA