My father-in-law was a media buff who had collected lots of cameras and lenses. When he passed away it became my project to do the research and find buyers for them. In the process I found a Nikkormat EL with a lot of different lenses and I decided to keep that as my personal camera and take some classes to learn the ins and outs of using an SLR.

When we would go on a trip, instead of buying tee shirts or souvenirs, I would take lots of pictures and when we got home I would frame one of my favorite photos and hang it on the wall. It is such a great way for me to remember details about some of our travels. I love it!

In the past several years I have been teased about not going digital. I just wasn't ready to give up my Nikkormat. Unfortunately, my eyes were getting bad and I was having difficulty focusing with the type of lenses I have for my camera. I am also one of those people who takes a roll of film and might get one good shot out of the roll. Digital was beginning to look more inviting but I didn't want to get a point and shoot because I love learning new techniques and being in control.

In August of 2009 I made the leap and bought a Canon EOS 450D. I mentioned this to a friend who told me about Flickr. I thought I would sign up for a month and see how it went. Oh my gosh! I discovered a little piece of heaven. There are some amazing photos posted by people all over the world. I find inspiration every day on Flickr.

I post a lot of my photos for different reasons. Some of them I am really proud of and hope others may appreciate them. Others are for learning. I used to write my settings in a journal so I would know why a picture was too light or too dark or depth of field wasn't just what I was looking for. Now Flickr does that for me. What a great tool!