Like many people, I began taking snapshots as a child using ‘point and shoot’ film cameras. I got my first serious camera, a Canon AE-1, in December 1980. I bought this camera to record my kids’ childhoods. The AE-1 did that job well, and also survived my time in the military traveling the nation and the world. For 30 years, however, the mode dial never moved from ‘Auto.’ Looking back, the results are interesting in spite of my limited knowledge and effort.

I went digital in 2004, after using my wife’s digital ‘point and shoot’ on a trip across country. I had a printer dock and really thought I was big time! A couple years later, I decided to get serious about my photography and upgraded to a Canon EOS 450D (Rebel XSi).  Shortly after, I bought my first serious zoom lens, a Canon EF 70-300, and started to look at subjects farther away. I took my first photography class – basic composition – in 2009. I graduated to a Canon EOS 60D camera with a Tamron 150-600 lens to reach those really far away subjects, then moved on to a Canon EOS 7D Mark II. As my skills got better, I purchased my first full frame sensor camera body, a Canon EOS 6D Mark II.

In the last couple years, I went mirrorless with a pair of Canon EOS R5 bodies, although I occasionally use my lovely bride’s Canon EOS R6 camera body . I am slowly upgrading to RF lenses, but still use a couple of the EF lenses with an adapter. I rely on a Canon RF 24-240 f/4.0 as my workhorse lens. For bringing wildlife closer, I love my Canon RF 800 f/11 lens. Midrange duties are handled by my Canon RF 100-500 L series lens, supplemented by a Canon 1.4 Teleconverter. Going wide is no problem for my Canon RF 15-35 f/2.8 L series lens. For getting up close, my Canon EF 100 f/2.8 L series Macro lens makes it happen.

I originally called myself The PHOTOROGR Project: A Journey in Creative Photography, because this truly is a journey for me. I have since dropped the Journey in Creative Photography even though I still learn something every time I pick up my camera and look through the view finder.  I was trained as an engineer and am also a retired military officer. Initially, my greatest challenge was to think outside the rigid logical thought processes that served me so well and include the abstract concepts of light, shadow, color, and composition to the technical knowledge needed to make images successfully. As I learned the basics of the exposure triangle (aperture, shutter speed, and ISO), I began to see the world a little bit differently – making the available light and compositions work for me.

I am mostly self-taught, relying on books, some online learning, and a network of wonderful mentors and friends to improve my photography skills. My preferred subjects include classic automobiles, steam locomotives, landscapes, and wild critters, among other things.

Thank you for joining me on this journey.  I hope my images are pleasing and look forward to hearing if I was successful.

PHOTOROGR