Photography for me serves many purposes. Mostly it captures the moment, which is deeply important to me. This comprises the majority of my images and helps me to remember and re-live many very special times. But early on, photography taught me to "stop and smell the roses." Rather than hurrying through life as we tend to do, that Nikon hanging around my neck causes me to move a little slower....to take more time to really see things, not just look at them with a passing glance.

Seeing the world through the lens, camera in hand or not, has helped me focus on that which is beautiful but often not noticed -- a lone sea oat gently swaying in a warm ocean breeze on the Carolina coast, or, the winsome charm of century-old row houses marching up a steep Cincinnati hillside. Photography can also capture the disturbing and call us to action. Witness my daughter Amy's outstanding pictures of the Dominican people, captured with a simple point-and-shoot but through the eyes of her heart.

Photography is also fun, lest I forget to point that out. And my favorite computer tool, Adobe Photoshop, allows me to further interpret an image in different ways....to tweak, enhance, or change the impression altogether. Which poses an interesting question about photographers -- Does one convey reality or one's interpretation of reality?

Anyway, thanks to Mom and Dad for buying my first camera when I was 4 years old, and to the love of my life, Sara, for surprising me with the Nikon D300 on Christmas morning 2007. There have been many cameras in between and since, including my current D810. But those two were special. Thank you for planting and allowing me to cultivate my hobby.

Romans 1:20