I got the photo bug early on; as many of us did, with the gift of a "real" camera from my grandmother. A Kodak Retina that had actual settings and f-stops. I used it extensively through high school and then college at UC Santa Barbara. After college, I was able to pick up better cameras in the US Navy during a tour aboard an aircraft carrier USS America. I took mostly travel photos and learned tricks from friendly photo mates.

After leaving the service and getting a teaching credential, most photos were of family and travels. I was fortunate enough to be living in northern California and had easy access to Yosemite, San Francisco, Carmel, Napa and the Central Valley. I took several photo classes at Modesto JC and began collecting photo books and later collected prints. I was able to meet numerous photographic artists at the openings in San Francisco and Carmel. I enjoy being a collector as well as a photographer.

I have shot black and white and developed and printed them for 40 years. Now it's time to switch to digital and it isn't easy to parse the bits, jpegs and other lingo of the pros. But I see the handwriting on the wall and am making the transition.

I lean toward documentary, portraits and travel photos. I have always enjoyed festivals. I am happiest when I have a camera in hand and am at a new place shooting unique and interesting people. We will be retiring to North Carolina in the future where I have shot hundreds of tobacco sheds, barns and old buildings slowly sinking back into the earth. I want to record their decaying dignity before they are gone forever.

Cameras owned: Nikon 3100D, Nikon FM, Nikon 8008s, Mamiya 7II, Mamiya 645, Toyo 4x5, Bronica 6x6.