Les Izmore's photostream  

Making photos has always been a great pleasure to me. Getting a picture that satisfies me helps me see and feel beauty, even sometimes in the harshness of the world. I grew into taking photography more seriously rather late in life thanks to a good friend and great photographer, Butch Baluyut. For years I had a darkroom in my apartment and made my own black and white prints. Now that the digital imaging age is upon us I can shoot as much as I want as often as I want, maybe too much. I have had a lucky life to have lived in the beautiful city of San Francisco, which has it's ugly side, and now in Shanghai, a city some see as ugly, which I find very beautiful. I look forward to exploring more of China with my camera in hand. Some of the pics I post are work related. Most are personal expressions. Being part of Flickr has made me a much better photographer, and one day I'll figure out how to take pictures of people thanks to the inspiration of some of the great photographers in this community. This chance to share images, ideas and feelings with so many wonderful people all around the world gives me strong hope for a peaceful and happy future for our ofttimes troubled, always beautiful, planet.