I have been taking photographs for what feels all my life. I remember my Dad letting me use his Kodak rangefinder when I was 9. I got my own camera I believe when I was 11. In college, I saved and spent enough money to buy my first SLR, a Minolta SR-T101. I loved that camera. Eventually, I would move to medium format, with mama and Rollei kits. Those were beasts, but I carried them up the Na'Pali Coast, to Costa Rican jungles volcanoes, and into the deep Amazon. Something about making images spoke to me, though I wasn't especially good at it. I avoided art classes in college, never received any photo instruction, and stayed away from competitions. And of course, through most of my career, I was working long days and nights, and eventually, I became a solo dad. None of this afforded much time or energy to hone a hobby.
The advent of digital changed how I thought about photography. Having children and accessible images that did not require a lab raised the value of convenience and immediacy. For a while, I did not even own what I would call a serious camera. But eventually, I got back into it, selected Nikon as my platform, though I had previously been primarily a Canon shooter in 35mm film. I made the decision, with Mary's encouragement, to attend a photo workshop led by Gary Hart and Don Smith on Maui. I did this with some trepidation, as I am not much of a people person, and tend to resist coaching. But it was truly a life-changing experience. Gary and Don are superb and delightful instructors. My colleagues were affable, and a pleasure. There is something to be said for being in a car full of photogs when you round the bend, and all 4 of you exclaim at the same time: "Look at the light!".
I learned so much in that first workshop. I signed up for several more thereafter with Gary and Don, and with other photographers as well. With each one, I feel as if I double my knowledge or more. Each one helps me revisit old images and see what was right, and more often, what I did wrong. And I still keep making mistakes, though I am more aware of them now, and more comfortable in addressing them.
The image at the top of this post is one of my favorites from the Maui workshop. If I get to go back to Hana, there are things I would do differently. But I feel fortunate to have been there, near the Huli Huli Chicken Shack, when sunset began to assemble. This 30-second image was made with the Nikon D810 and Zeiss Milvus 15mm lens.
