I've been an amateur photographer since I was 8 years old. My first camera was Polaroid Swinger, which developed the image right after taking it. I went through various Polaroid cameras, finally ending with the SX-70 model, which I still have (but never use, sadly). I stepped up to a 35mm Yashica YM-1 that I used extensively on a high school graduation vacation I took. I was hooked by then, and eventually upgraded to a used Nikon Ftn, which I used for years. Getting with the more automated age as it emerged, I bought a Nikon 2020, which served me well, and still does, to this day. That is now what is called the 'backup body', since I got a Nikon F100. That is one beautiful camera to use. It has a little competition now, what with an Olympus 2500L digital camera that shares the camera case with it. In case you're wondering which is better, the Nikon is still far superior to the Olympus, not because of film vs. digital, but because of the lens optics and the overall control one has over the exposure. The Olympus takes great images, and is not affected, of course, by the new 35mm films that have come out. The latest craze is to have every color become saturated in the final print, which means film chemistry has changed to allow a greater exposure latitude, a greater build-up of color dyes when developing to get those saturated colors, plus other tricks the film makers do. Unfortunately, many of today's non-pro films do not reflect the true colors, or sometimes even come reasonably close, with the colors in any given scene.
I've been one of the photographers and the Photo Editor for Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids during 1972-1974. When I went back to finish in 1981, I was briefly one of the staff photographers. It wasn't the same, so I faded out of the picture, but not before I created a controversial picture of the torn up parking lot. The college was adding academic buildings right and left, and everything was torn up, so I decided to make a statement.
I've developed my own film and paper, black and white, color and slides, but gave it up when the price of silver went sky high, and have used local labs ever since. With the advent of computer imaging, the quality has gradually gotten better and better, and now the ability to make photo quality prints at home is a reality. And much cheaper.
My photo interests are mainly aligned with nature, still life, architectural buildings, what you can see under a microscope and scenic shots. At one time I did weddings and portraits, with portraits being my favorite to do of people.
I hope to bring my 25+ years of experience as an amateur photographer to this website, and pass on a few of the things I've learned and figured out along the way. With digital imaging becoming more and more a part of our lives and the web, this website has begun to become blended with what you can capture with your eyes and a camera, into molding and shaping what your imagination sees using digital imaging techniques in the computer.