In the beginning....

This whole thing started out during a trip to Alaska many years ago. With an old 35mm Practica with a 55mm lens and a 135mm lens and a 2x converter. I never really knew how to use a camera but wanted to learn on that trip. It was Alaska after all and what kind of trip would it be if you did not return with any decent pictures. Unfortunately, I really did not come back with too many. On the flip side, it did get me going in photography. I ended up putting the camera down, only to pick it up from time to time when I got bored. After buying a cheap Sony point and shoot camera, I started taking pictures occasionally.
Then one Christmas, my mother bought me a Pentax K110d. I picked the camera back up again and really have not gone a day without it since then. It went with me everywhere, fishing, camping, and roadtrips. Since most of the free time I have is spent outdoors, thats where the majority of my pictures have come from. Then I started going out just to take pictures, walking through the woods and across rivers. Since she can usually keep herself busy and happy without complaining, my dog usually accompanies me on the trips.
After some time, I started getting better at it. I joined an online forum, to share everything I knew, then quickly realized, I was in over my head. Instead of jumping out, I started to learn as much as possible. After realizing how dynamic the whole art of photography was, it became an obsession. Everything started looking like an opportunity. The thing I have learned is that anyone can take a picture, but its turning the extremely ordinary objects, into extraordinary images. You begin to learn to see things in a different way. All the little details about everything seem to scream at you. From the texture of a painted wall or brick, to the lines in the cabinets inside the kitchen, or the way the light bends around a door knob and light switches. Once my eyes started seeing things in this fashion, the objects in my everyday life started becoming more of the opportunity. Instead of taking pictures of deer, birds, squirrels, and trees, it meant more to become creative with the things people usually do not find intriguing.
Most recently this has been the case. I still spend more time outside than inside, especially when the weather is nice. Making more time to focus on the fine art of photography is where the gratification has come from. It has taken a lot of patience, time, practice, and many verbals that should not be repeated. In the end it was worth it. Since practice only makes better, I am still learning. I am not at the same point in the learning curve as I used to be, but in photography there are different curves for each type. At anytime, I can jump to another type of photography and be on a whole new curve.
I recently got another camera for Christmas. A Sony Alpha 100. Along with the two cameras, I also have 5 tripods, an 80-200 lens, and a 70-300 lens, circular polarizers, and a table top studio with lights. More memory cards and pictures than I will ever be able to show and many life experiences I will never be able to forget. That is where this blog will begin. Each picture will come with a story, it may be short or long. It all depends on the experience. Cheers!