I’m at my happiest when I can slow down, and immerse myself in the scene that I’m visualizing through my camera. That usually involves wandering aimlessly back and forth for a few minutes with my camera and tripod, looking at the scene from different viewpoints before settling down and taking a photo. Even without my tripod, I can often be found lying on my belly flat to the ground, looking for the right viewpoint. It might seem like aimless wandering or odd behavior, but there’s a method to my madness. 

I’m a retired research scientist, which is probably why I love finding beauty in what I call the intimate landscapes that surround us and which we normally pass by without notice. I also love capturing the grandeur of wide open landscapes, reminding us of our position in the universe. 

Soapbox time: although I love technology, I will never use generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools to create or add or remove features to any of my photos. I do use AI software tools to edit photos (e.g. noise reduction), but will never use it to try and pass off something generated artificially in software as something real that I saw through the viewfinder.

What you see in any one of my photos is pretty dang close to what I saw when I took the photo.