photo credit: M. Ernest Marshall

Photography has always been a means for me to capture memories and tell a story. I have fond memories as a teenager of an extended family vacation, a cross-country road trip. The Painted Desert. The North and South rims of the Grand Canyon. Zion National Park. Fun times spent with the family captured with my old point and shoot camera. After graduating from college, some friends and I traveled throughout Europe for a month. London. Paris. Rome. The Alps. Amsterdam. Again, I captured these memories with the same point and shoot camera. Anytime I wanted to reminisce, I could refer to my photo albums. However, there was something missing. While the pictures would evoke great memories, very few were technically sound.              

About 25 years ago photography became a serious hobby. That is when I started using my first SLR. It was a used Rollei SL35 that was purchased from a camera shop in Munich. There was no autofocus, autoexposure, or autowind. In order to get good results, I had to learn more about photography. I started reading everything I could about exposure, light, and composition. After spending considerable time experimenting and shooting rolls of film, I began to notice better results. The thrill of producing that one great shot kept feeding the urge to shoot more.              

Now, I have come to a new chapter in my life with photography. I am no longer just the serious hobbyist. My camera equipment has been upgraded several times. However, I continue to capture memories that tell a story.