akope's photostream  

I love to take pictures. How good I am at it, I don't really know.

Photography, for me, is a means of expression, but to no specific ends. I'm in this to express myself by any means necessary. I shoot film because I enjoy the process, and more importantly, the result.

My primary motivation to join this community, other than a medium to share my work, is to learn by seeing what others have done, and from critiques of my work. Please feel free to comment, good or bad!

I would say that I'm a serious amateur, wanting only to improve my skill, and enjoy making pictures. That being said, if you'd like a copy, it's for sale. :)

Usually, I don't have any ideas in mind when I go out and shoot. I will wander the countryside looking for things the pique my interest, then shoot them as creatively as I can. To me, half the fun of photography is the journey to the photo destination. What might I have found or saw on the way I didn't know existed? My photographs serve as a physical memory of a moment in time when I was exploring the world around me, and found something worth recording.

Equipment is one of my favorite parts of photography. I started with a Pentax K1000, which I still shoot with quite often. I've got too many cameras, but I enjoy my Pentax camera and lens collection. Most recent to the collection was a Pentax LX, a camera I thought I wouldn't ever have.

I also develop my own film. It's a rewarding process, and another tool and set of variables to keep it interesting. I scan my negatives with an Epson 4490. I've finally completed my basement darkroom, which was a small dream come true. I am currently working at developing a set of good printing skills, which has proven to be an interesting challenge.

Thanks for looking!

Kope