A brief history.

The story began in my early teens with a Yashica FX-3 Super 2000. Fully manual, 35mm film. I had never used a camera like that before. What were all of these controls and dials? On a family trip to Europe, I designated myself the trip photographer. I planned to capture memories of this incredible journey on a single roll of film.

The time came upon return to the United States to have the film developed. I eagerly awaited the moment I would get to open that envelope from the one-hour photo and see my work.

Nearly every exposure was dark black or bright white. Of the entire roll, I recall, there was one useable frame. I can't even remember what it was, leading me to believe it wasn't all that impressive. An entire roll of film wasted, and what's worse: we came home with no photographic memories of the trip. My parents? Not pleased.

This was my first unwitting foray into manual photography, and the reflection I did following that trip led me to the fascination with photography I still have today. I spent weeks after that trip playing with that Yashica, discovering there was actually a light meter built into the viewfinder. Manipulating the controls, I was finally understanding how aperture and shutter speeds worked.

Fast forward to my early twenties: wire assignments on celebrities and events, pictures that had to be filed before the subject left the room. That kind of work taught speed and precision.

Today the pace is slower. I mostly shoot medium format, an ongoing obsession, pointed mostly at landscape. Southern California at its edges, where the city gives out. The light is nothing like the light I grew up in. I still shoot that old Yashica from time to time, too.

Photography is no longer a job for me. Commissions are still welcome; the difference now is that I have to find the assignment interesting.