So imagine you are sitting around on a nice summer afternoon drinking lemonade with your friends and family.  Out of the house the boy comes running and excited screaming “You have to see this, look what I just learned to do!”  He looks around a moment and fixes his gaze on a motorcycle mirror and dashes over.  He motions with his hands and says “Come look” and he is concentrating on the mirror.  He opens his mouth and for the first time ever you see him roll his tongue, something which up until now was believed he could not do. 

     Sure I could have not been there with my camera but I am glad I was.  Now we all have a story to tell when we see this picture.  Not to mention we can hound the boy endlessly for making such a silly face.. .

     The point of all this was an attempt to describe why I LOVE taking pictures so much.  Not only are they little moments frozen in time but with a little skill(not that the above photo shows any skill at all) you can record history and make art.

     The above picture was taken during a little adventure looking for blackberries with Grace and her son.  This picture is exactly what I was referring to above.  While I really like this picture from a technical standpoint it is the emotional connection which matters most.  When I look at this picture I will always remember the adventure we took and the scars we have to prove it(stinking blackberry thorns!).

     Ok now to the point of all this.  I can not draw, I can not sing and I can not play an instrument.  What I can do though is take pictures.  It is finally a way for me to be both creative and artistic, something which has alluded me up until now.  While I think it is a bit conceded to say I take great pictures, I have no problem saying I have taken some darn good ones.  Granted a large number of my pictures are crap and go right into the trash but that is true even for the Pros. 

     On the left side you will see my links section  Ken Rockwell and Strobist are both GREAT resources for photography.  I have no problems saying that what I have learned from these two gentlemen have made my pictures 1000% better than before.  They both have the same no-BS style which I can appreciate.  They are real people with real lives and real stories.  They are not trying to sell you anything or even convince you that they are better than anybody else.

     So in closing, I hope I have helped you all to understand me just a little bit better.  That way you won’t shy away when I have my camera pointed at you…