My first camera was an Olympus OM1.  The salesmen convinced my dad that I would learn more about photography with an all manual camera.  It was good advice.  Having to manually set exposure, f-stops and shutter speeds taught me photography and put me in control of the final look of each photo.

The first place I took my new camera was Fort Funston, just south of San Francisco, to shoot hangliders jumping off the cliffs over the Pacific.  A few months later, Hallmark bought one of the pics to use as a poster.  I was so excited to receive a check in the mail for $200. 

Ever since then, I’ve always had a passion for photography.  My newest camera is the Nikon D3, a far cry from the OM1.  I love the rapid fire shutter, raw images, and sophisticated auto-focus technology.  All that technology helps me take great photos.  But I still owe a debt to the OM1 for teaching me how to manipulate all that technology to shoot the photos I want.