ABOUT

I retired from the Air Force a number of years ago and started my second career flying for a domestic airline.  Early on there, a senior Captain told me that I'd find my thing.  I wasn't sure what he meant until he explained that my new job wouldn't be enough to fill my time and eventually I'd find something to be passionate about.  He was right - photography it is!  

I am on the road every week and started bringing my first 'real' camera along on my trips about 8 years ago.  I needed figure out how to really use it as it was so much more complicated than my old point and shoot.  After a while, I found that finding things to photograph was the motivation I needed to get out of the hotel and learned that you have to look to 'see'.  I was amazed by what I had been missing!  Most of my photos are of subjects that thousands of people have walked right past without notice.  

Most of my trips start in mid-afternoon and end later in the evening, so I am usually taking photos late at night after arriving at the hotel or mid-day before leaving for another day’s work.  I can’t control the lighting or plan my timing very well so I have to work with what’s available and I find I am forced to look for ways to overcome those limitations.  I consider myself successful if I can just get out and see the world around me - it's a bonus if I can get a good picture too.  Sometimes I will work very hard in one place trying to find a perfect composition but then am ready to walk right past another spot when I hear a voice say, 'take that picture!'  I have learned to not be surprised when I get back to my computer to see which ones are usually better.  That's what I like about photography - it takes both the left brain to fiddle with the knobs and the right brain to actually 'see' something. 

When I am home, Toby is my trusty sidekick.  For a Golden Retriever, he has a lot of opinions and is quick to express them.  He fancies himself a critic and likes to comment on my photos.  He rarely holds anything back.  Look around at some of the Best Sellers and see if you agree with him... 

I shoot with Sony Alpha equipment. I use the A1 camera body with the SEL1635GM, SEL2470GM, SEL70200GM and the SEL100400GM lenses and sometimes the SEL14TC for extra reach. There’s very little the equipment can’t do which means that I am usually challenged keep up with it.