In 2004 I retired from the University of Massachusetts as a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. In addition to my faculty teaching and research activities, I spent over ten years in university administration. I loved this work, especially teaching courses in microwave engineering, antennas, and electromagnetics. And I enjoyed developing novel designs for microwave antennas for use in remote sensing applications. In 2006 I am not teaching and my antennas research is winding down. It was a great career but it's now time to set some new goals. One of these is to create some really good photo images of birds and landscapes. I've taken some good photos but still have much to learn about light, composition, and digital workflow. In photography, as in electrical engineering, practice makes perfect.
Retirement has allowed me the time to develop my photographic techniques, especially using digital SLR cameras and specialized lenses. I look for photo shoot opportunities, take my shots, and process the images. Capturing the shots and creating images can be very satisfying. Sometimes the images seem magical, even mystical. I begin by taking a picture but my goal is to create and share images that convey the feel, mood, colors and action that I felt when I pushed the button. I primarily photograph family, birds, landscapes, and interesting events.
Currently I'm using a Canon EOS 5D digital camera, a single-lens-reflex (SLR) 8 MP model that can produce stunning photos. My primary "walk-around" lens is a Canon 18 - 40 mm zoom, especially good for wide-angle scenery shots, panoramas, etc. My bird photography lens is a Canon 500 mm IS, which I often use with a 1.4X teleconverter. It's a large lens, weighs nearly ten pounds, so I use it with a Wimberley gimbal head on top of a Gitzo 1325 carbon fiber tripod. That makes it very easy to aim and get steady shots. I also have a Canon 100 - 400 mm IS zoom, a 70 - 200 mm zoom and a 50 mm macro lens.
I began shooting digital photos in 1999 with a Nikon Coolpix E950. I used it for several years, then bought a Canon PowerShot G3, still my favorite point-and-shoot camera. In 2004 I graduated to a Canon EOS 10D, a digital SLR, and later traded it for a 20D model. For more about these previous cameras, click here.