Ever since my childhood and my first brownie camera I took to a school field trip to Leo Carrillo beach, I have been fascinated with photography. I found Photography lets us see a moment and keep it indefinitely to re-live over and over again.
As I got a little older and got a job and a few bucks it was time for a better camera. I was 20 years old bought a Pentax 35mm camera and a couple lens’s and it was on, every week I would scout locations and shoot my friends family and I marveled as life went by in my viewfinder. As time went on and life went on I always had a camera and played photographer and loved sharing my captures and telling the story of what I was thinking as I took the shot. I would always look for angles or views people did not notice and experimented with differing looks and depth of field.
Back then photography cost money so I shot lots of slides as they were cheaper and I could easily review them at the camera shop ( that is a store people used to buy cameras develop film and talk with photogs) and print the ones I liked , I was able to discuss why I did not get the results I wanted with the experts and try again. It was always something I did ,I took lots of pictures and as time went on later in life vacations were my rare opportunity to take pictures and capture more memories.
Not too long ago I took a shot of a landscape it was beautiful and I was proud of it so I posted to a local group web page, I got quite the reaction, and was asked” Are you a PRO???” , sorry to say no, but the praise continued and my picture was requested for a local magazine and also was later to be enlarged and framed and hung in the community clubhouse. I went in search of more of these stunning moments and found myself immersed in YouTube tutorials, books and more equipment and even got involved in local photography group shooting everything from nature shots to portraiture and everything between. Photography gave me many friends who are involved in the creative world and I so enjoy them. I do not have a preference of subjects to photograph but I sure love shooting a model that starts off quiet and reserved and when we start shooting I peer through my viewfinder and watch as they transform into someone different than the person I knew just minutes ago ,it is like a new person appears and lights up the front of my camera.
I am amazed at some of the fun that happens when I stand behind my camera and collect these images and share them with others hoping someone sees them and says” Is he a Pro?” and no I am not, but I sure enjoy photography and what makes someone a pro is anybody’s guess but for me to capture someone showing a part of themselves they keep hidden is a joy.