First camera I ever picked up was an old Polaroid. I didn't do much with it because it was my Dad's. In the mid 70s, after having a fascination with television, I signed up for filmmaking class in 8th grade. I could only take it one year so the next year I searched for an alternative and signed up for photography. My Dad got me the best camera we could afford, we found an Asahi Pentax SP1000 (which I still have) in a local pawn shop. As soon as I could save up I added a Vivitar 28mm, 200mm and a Braun RL515 flash. I was hooked. I finished out high school with Photography 2, newspaper and yearbook. In 1975  I entered the TAPPS state competition and won 1st place in show and again in 1976 In those same years I also won various awards in the TCIL competitions.

I credit those awards to a fantastic teacher, Othel O. Owensby a AP/UPI Houston Chronicle staff photographer. We were fortunate to have excellent darkroom facilities. He also taught us both sides of the business, news photography and the artistic side and how both can co-exist.  

I replaced my SP1000 with a Canon Elan but it was stolen, so I made the choice to go digital and at the time started with a Sony but soon switched to a Canon Digital Rebel and it wasn't long till I had to move up to a 20D. I was always frustrated not being able to have a darkroom, but now with Photoshop CS2 on a laptop and at home I can fine tune my images wherever I am and then send them out to be printed or print them at home.

The filmmaking experience launched into the television business also. I have worked on television crews for local and national broadcast. Of course using the photography skills as a camera operator in a variety of jobs, studio, handheld and JIB operator. I have my own equipment for production, editing, and DVD creation.

I am proud to say my daughter has won several regional and state contest and has a great eye.

Equipment

• Cameras : Canon 20D, Canon 300D
• Lenses: Tamron 18-200mm, Tamron 28-300mm, Sigma 18-125mm, Sigma  50-500mm, Sigma 600mm
• Flash equip: 3 Canon 580EX, Canon ST-E2, Canon 550 EX, external battery cases
• Miscellaneous accessories: tripods, monopods, light stands, umbrellas, etc.
• Software: Adobe Photoshop CS2, Adobe Premiere, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Audition, Adobe Encore
• Video: Sony DSR 500, 4:3 and 16:9 digital camcorder, DSR 11 vcr, Matrox RTX100 editing platform on P4 3.4 ghz with 1 TB storage, Mole Richardson lighting, Azden broadcast wireless audio