August 7, 2021

          My first real camera was a Nikkormat 35mm film camera I got in 1977

for my Intro To Photography class at University of South Florida. I had been

a Music Ed major there ten years before. Because of the expense, I had to

decide between music and photography. I chose music and put photography

on hold for another decade.

        In the 80’s, I worked as a real-estate photographer for a company that pro-

vided images for the Multiple Listing Service. One summer, probably in the 90’s,

I worked as a go–fer for Curtis Graham, an established photographer in St. Pete.

It’s a jumble in my mind, this timeline.  I didn’t realize I was walking this road

when I started. Perhaps I’ll sort it out by the time I get to the destination.

          I got a Sony Mavica (which used floppy disks) for our wedding pictures

in 1999. Not much of a camera, but innovative at the time. Then I got a nice little

FUJI Finepix, but it didn’t last long. My first Nikon DSLR was the D70, their entry

into the DSLR market. My next Nikon was, and is, the D300s, which I’ve used

since 2008. I’ve taken some beautiful shots with this camera, but it doesn’t

perform well in low light, especially when compared to what’s now available

with much progress in the sensors.

          So, I almost  always have to use Lightroom and Photoshop to edit my

work. Fortunately, I enjoy that process. I have unsupported Legacy versions

of those programs, so there are impediments to moving forward with all the

bells and whistles which I imagine the current versions must offer, but I’m con-

tent. I do hope someday for a newer no-noise camera that excels in low light.

        I had a job for a few years as a photographer for a man who brought in

international musicians to venues such as Pinellas Park Performing Arts Center

and The Palladium in St. Petersburg. I had the opportunity to meet and photo-

graph many world-class musicians and some locals. This was gratifying, being

a musician myself. I have a pretty large body of concert photography work from

that period.

          That job ended, I battled cancer and survived, we took in a cat and moved

to a condo in Seminole, Florida. My musical skills took a huge hit from the strong chemo and radiation and the hiatus I took from playing while dealing with all that.

I have consequently spent more of my time doing photography than music.

          Most of the work I do now is of the seabirds and critters that hang out

around our condo. Now that I have control over my website back, I’m very

pleased to have a more personal place to present my work. At this writing,

I’m 71 years old and a lot less mobile, but it’s certain I’ll never get over this

bug to create artistically, musically, and photographically.

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I am so grateful that the Lord

has allowed me to enjoy photography in the digital age. I'm also thankful that I got to live in the photographic world in the analog age. I learned with a film camera. But with the editing tools we have now, it is miraculous what can be done. I have fallen way behind; there have been inno-

vations in the technology that

look incredible. I will continue to use the tools I have until they or I no longer work, but I don't really see me having the financial freedom to explore those possibilities. I hope to bless you with some of the images I've captured. I just want to honor the Lord in all that I do.