Featured Photographer

In Oct. 2003, my wife Isabel and I retired and a month later we moved to Beaumont. After tiring of playing golf 5 days a week, we became involved with Carol's Kitchen, an all volunteer soup kitchen in the pass area. While there, I met a volunteer who is an RCC club member who invited me to attend a meeting. The hook was set...I just found a new hobby…and new expenses.

Having been a 'snapshot' photographer for 40 years, recording every family event, changing to an 'artistic' photographer required a whole new set of skills. However, having been a computer programmer and very comfortable with computers, I jumped right in and learned the basics of Photoshop and read everything I could get my hands on about 'proper' photography. It's just amazing how much free material there is on the Web.

Settling on landscapes seemed the most appealing to me as we love road trips, having visited most of the National Parks and many state parks west of Colorado and western Canada. We also spent almost a month in New Zealand, which, of course is all landscape/seascapes. However, lately, I have been broadening my skills into close-ups of flowers and anything else that is 'unique'.

Photography is a never-ending learning experience and I am always looking for new ways to take and present my pictures. I have delved into the fascinating world of HDR and trying out the almost limitless supply of Photoshop plug-ins. I enjoy producing slideshows and am always looking for new methods of making a show more enjoyable.