Frame Maker's photostream  

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Member, Berkeley Camera Club

Administrator, Berkeley Camera Club Flickr group

"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see."
- Henry David Thoreau

Usage Guidelines
N.B. I'm happy and flattered if you want to use any of my images. But please ask permission via FlickrMail. I like to know how my images are being used, and I ask that you link to my image or credit me. If you want to use an image for non-commercial purposes, the image is free. If the image is used for money-making purposes, I expect payment. Hi-res, print-quality images are available on request, price negotiable.

Experience
I'm an "advanced beginner." Over the years I've taken my share of snapshots, usually on trips, but I didn't begin to take photography seriously until the summer of 2009, when I was planning a three-week trip to India. At that time, I bought my first digital camera, a good point-and-shoot (Panasonic Lumix TZ5), started reading photography how-to books, and joined Flickr. I've been trying various kinds of photography since then but seem to lean toward landscapes and street photography. Recently, I've also been trying some night photography.

Gear
I now use a Canon Rebel XSi with three lenses:
o Canon EF-S 17-85mm 1:4-5.6 IS USM zoom
o Canon EF 70-200mm 1:4-5.6 IS USM zoom
o Canon EF 50mm 1:1.8 prime
I often use a light Slik Sprint Pro II tripod (2 lbs) but sometimes a heavier hand-me-down Velbon V-3 (over 4 lbs). For post-processing, I started with Corel Paint Shop Pro but moved on to Lightroom and Photoshop CS5 in the Spring of 2011. I still use the Lumix point-and-shoot for backpacking and snowshoeing. For my trip to India, I kept my luggage down to 22 lbs. My photo gear for that trip is here.

Book Recommendations
I'm something of a bookworm, so here goes:
o The Photographer's Eye by Michael Freeman
o The Photographer's Mind by Michael Freeman
o Within the Frame by David duChemin
o Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson
o Creative Black and White by Harold Davis
o Night Photography by Lance Keimig
o Lightroom 3 by Nat Coalson
o Bystander: A History of Street Photography by Joel Meyerowitz and Colin Westerbeck
o Street Photography by Clive Scott (insightful, although you must be willing to struggle through labyrinthine, postmodern, Barthesian prose)
o On Photography by Susan Sontag (provocative critical theory, a good place to start , but don't stop there!)
o Art and Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland (how to keep doing art and stay sane)

About Photography
I can't list the photographers I like -- the list gets too long. Fortunately, given the price of photography monographs, the Berkeley public library has a good collection. I've begun developing my ideas about photography, but they are still at a formative stage. I've added some thoughts to some photos in this set: More to come....

Contact Information
If you want to contact me, please use FlickrMail.