About norjam8 / Norm Hoekstra  

Someone correctly pointed out that my profile was lacking a bit. What? “Male and Taken” is not enough? ☺ OK. This occurred because I had a free Flickr account for a couple of years that went nearly unused. When I purchased a pro account and started using it seriously, I never thought of going into my profile and updating it. So here’s some more…

I am an amateur, untrained photographer who loves to photograph…
… classic cars and trucks (aged and rusty is preferred),
.... old and deteriorating buildings and signs (mainly rural and small-town),
… rusty things of any type (rust is beautiful!),
… park benches (from which one would have a beautiful view),
… beautiful skies (including, but not limited to sunrises and sunsets),
… lighthouses (especially our local Big Red),
… windmills (Ok, I only have one nearby. But maybe I’ll find another some day)
… landscapes of all types,
… and an occasional macro, bird, flower, animal, etc.

While I have dabbled in photography most of my life, I have only gotten serious about it starting in 2006. I am generally not into Photoshopping artsy photos, not that I don’t appreciate such work. I also generally do not do portraiture, but that might change once grandchildren arrive. ☺ I love to use HDR in the way it was intended, so I strive for true tones and natural appearances. I have also dabbled in Orton and Black and White, but my primary goal is to present a subject in a close a way as possible to the way the eye sees it, but in such a way that the viewer feels that he/she is actually there.

Many people visit my sight, see photos of a Dutch mill (AKA windmill) and see my Dutch name and assume that I am from Holland. Well, I am from Holland, but not Holland as in the Netherlands, but Holland, Michigan. Yes, I am of Dutch heritage along with many other people who live in my city, but I actually grew up in Evergreen Park, Illinois. I have also lived in West Lafayette, Indiana, where I earned my M.S. in Chemistry from Purdue, and Bellflower, California, where I taught for 11 years.

I work at Holland Christian High School as a Chemistry teacher, Technology Coordinator and Registrar. I am married and have two married daughters. My current hobbies are woodworking and, obviously, digital photography. Other interests are technology in education, religion and science, and music.

If you stop by my Flickr site, please enjoy the photos. If you see one you like, a comment is appreciated, but please never feel obligated to leave a comment just because I commented on one of your photos. Comments, compliments and critiques from fellow photographers are what make Flickr great.

Thanks. Enjoy your visit and have a great day,
norm