John Haldane's photostream  

Two of my great passions in life are travel and photography. Travel broadens one's view of the world, peoples, and cultures. Experiencing other cultures from China to Austria, Mexico to the Arctic Circle, and across the USA has helped me understand that all of us are both very much alike and at the same time unique. Through my photography I seek to document my own personal experiences, to capture and to share the beauty and diversity of the world I've seen.

As the images of other photographers have inspired me to explore the world, I hope my own contributions will inspire others to do the same.

I view the art of photography as more than just a snapshot. To truly capture the beauty, emotion, and experience of the images, I use Lightroom, Photoshop and other tools to develop my photographs into Fine Art.

I have loved photography since childhood but served careers in varied fields from the Christian ministry to government service. Since retiring, I have been able to pursue my passion with greater diligence, more time, and more freedom. The tremendous support of my wife has enabled me to obtain excellent equipment and together we have traveled to many unique places.

I established web sites and the Grand Memories names over 15 years ago related to restoring old photographs to their original beauty. This skill enabled me to become an advanced user of Photoshop. I have been a member of the National Association of Photoshop Users for more than 11 years. Today, Grand Memories continues as my photography passion. Please visit my web site and Gallery of photos at www.grandmemories.us or www.flickr.com/photos/20166606@N07/

Now have a a store at Cafe Press called, appropriately, Grand Gifts. Clothing, caps, bags, fun stuff, home and office items, cards, calendars, stickers ... check them out today. www.cafepress.com/Grand_Gifts

I am a blogger at Squidoo with many articles on photography and Photoship tips and tricks: check them ot! www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/GrandMemories

When I evaluate photos here, my biggest "pet peeves" are poorly done HDR and over-sharpening of images. Some great shots are ruined by too much post-processing. Frequently, less is more, people!! Don't ruin your images!

Follow me on Twitter