Photography

I have been fascinated with photography nearly as long as I can remember.  I still have some black and white photos that I took when I was 8 or 9 years old.  I brought a 110 camera on family vacations and to summer camp.  When I got into high school I started longing for a “real” camera.  At the age of 16 I dipped into my savings and bought my first SLR (single lens reflex) camera.  It was a Minolta and I can still picture the face of the Dayton’s employee that sold it to me.  (Yes, they sold cameras back in 1980)  I still have that camera, boxed up somewhere in the basement.  It was manual focus and the only plastic part was the little wheel that wound up the film as it was exposed.  I used that camera for over 15 years and the only repair it needed was the replacement of that little plastic part one time after all the teeth had broken off.

I switched to digital in 2003.  I didn’t intend to, but I rented a digital SLR in Phoenix and took photos at the zoo for a day.  One photo convinced me to switch.  This photo of an iguana.  I was completely blown away by the detail in the scales of its skin.  I bought the camera within a week and I have not shot a roll of film since.  I’m on my 5th digital SLR now and I’ve taken over 12,000 images with my most newest acquisition – a Canon 5D Mark II.

In between my posts on travel and racing, I will be writing about my journey as a photographer and some of what I hope to accomplish going forward.  These posts will probably be more introspective and less amusing than some of my other ones.  You can just skip them if you’re not interested.  I plan on including a photo or two with each post to illustrate the point I’m trying to make.  I invite you to comment on the photos.  It’s okay to be critical, I am my own biggest critic and I almost always find that something could be improved in every photo.

Today’s post is dedicated to my good friend Jane, who is a tremendously talented photographer and my new number one blog fan.  Keep shooting!