Welcome to my stream!

I'm Patrick Dirden, a life long resident of Western Sonoma County in Northern California. When I'm not out with the camera, I'm a Registration Coordinator with O'Reilly Media in Sebastopol. I'm also entering my final year in the Public Administration Masters Degree program at Sonoma State University.

I've been playing with the camera since I was 10. Once I picked up my first camera ( a Pentax 35MM point and shoot film camera), I started a lifelong obsession with photography. I started taking pictures off trains in 1993. I'd always loved trains. After seeing Richard Steinheimer's work from the 1950's, and O Winston Link, I quickly took on train photography as an avocation. I found that images involving the railroad can convey drama and emotion, from human, to nature and mechanical. I love to chronicle those moments, and the railroad is a great place to do it! I also love nature photography....Sonoma County is a great place to practice that craft!

I hope you enjoy my stream! You can also find me on Facebook and Twitter (rarely post there...not a tweeter yet).

Facebook: www.facebook.com/dirden

Twitter: twitter.com/pdirden

Cheers!

--Patrick