Who am I, and why am I doing this?

I’m an Information Technology professional with 37 years of work experience as a computer programmer, systems administrator, systems engineer, database administrator and data architect. I’ve worked in the government and private sectors, supporting military, healthcare, education and biometrics projects and clients.

I’m also a musician. I’ve played drums and percussion for over 50 years. I’ve performed with the Greenville Symphony Orchestra, the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, and the North Charleston Pops. I’ve performed in rock bands, jazz ensembles, big bands, and worked with travelling shows. I played timpani with Liberace when he came to Charleston while I was still a high school student, among my more notable celebrity gigs!

I’m also a photographer. Growing up, my brother and I developed black and white film in a darkroom in our upstairs bathroom, and I’ve always enjoyed photography. After my father died in 1999, I got his old cameras, and I decided to pursue photography with a bit more passion. I decided I needed to learn as much as I could about the technical aspects of photography, the craft of making photographs, as well as the art of photography. The local library made a great starting point for this endeavor, and over the next few years, I worked through pretty much every photography book available in the Charleston County Library System. I bought every photography magazine available in the local Barnes & Noble store, as well as any books that seemed to offer new insights to the art and craft of photography.

Along the way I thought it might be good to share what I’ve discovered in my journey. Some books I found especially useful, either for their technical subject matter or the inspiration they provided to me. Some volumes offered insight into the history of photography and the photographers upon whose shoulders current photographers have built their work. I hope that by sharing my personal opinions on the books that I’ve found most helpful I can help other photographers pursue their passion as well.

I’ll probably share a few negatives along the way in the form of what books didn’t seem to be particularly good sources for my journey, but in general this will be a positive site. I’ll share my thoughts about books that I’ve personally found very helpful or inspiring.

Thanks for stopping by!