Since about 1980, I have been involved in photography (off-and-on around major life events) as an amateur. My photographic education has come about exclusively from reading books and learning by trial and error.
In the mid-1980's, I began to develop black-and-white negative 35mm film and prints. At that time, I had only one camera body and lens: Canon AT-1 body (with all manual controls and spring powered) and the 50mm standard lens that came with the camera.
Eventually, I came across a book explaining how to implement Ansel Adams' Zone System for 35mm negative film. That knowledge provided me with a means of capturing negatives that did not require dodging and burning during printing; the negatives captured were near perfect exposures (assuming non-extreme lighting).
The entire exposure and development process---from film capture to print development---was all standardized in the darkroom. Then, by simply metering on an 18% gray-card (or equivalent) to set camera exposure, I was able to obtain negatives that when printed held virtually all the desired exposure zones intact between pure black (underexposed film) and pure white (overexposed film). This past learning about exposure still impacts my current approach to metering .
After a lengthy departure from taking pictures, in the 1990's I got back into photography about the time the digital photography age was taking off. I began to scan film (color slides that I developed), process them in Photoshop and then print them on an Epson ink-jet printer.
After another lengthy departure, I realized in the early 2000's that digital technology had both significantly advanced in quality and become much more affordable; I chose to start capturing in digital as well.
The development of this website is an integral part of having a comprehensive digital workflow -- from capture to presentation. I am building this website from scratch in Adobe Dreamweaver; I have no prior website experience. Adobe's Dreamweaver Classroom in a Book (CIB) series (2019-2021) has been a significant source in my learning Dreamweaver and understanding website building in general.
Virtually all of my photography is purposefully done under existing light conditions. When photographing people I prefer candid, still-photography shots that capture memorable moments in the lives of ordinary people engaged in various activities within genuine settings.