My (nick)name is Syd, and I am the site admin and rabid photography enthusiast. Welcome to the third fourth* incarnation of my photocentric website. A few years ago if anyone had asked me if I had a blog, I would have probably shrugged it off with some joke about it getting better with a prescription. But then I like to dabble in geeky creative things, and discovering WordPress was really all it took to get me going. Soon I realized that I missed writing for many years, and it is somewhat therapeutic for me. And my obsession with photography gives me plenty of material to write about, and keeps me motivated.

I am not a professional photographer, heck I may not even be remotely interesting as a writer. So you might wonder who am I to give advice on these subjects, and who cares about my opinion, so why would I even bother with this pointless blog? Well, good questions, indeed.

Thanks for stopping by.

Brief Photography Bio:

Some of you may be relieved that I’m not going to pull that half phony overused schlock about being given a Kodak Instamatic at age seven or something like that. Why is it that every other photographer, especially being interviewed, feels the need to exaggerate their experience like that?

Born January 1966, during a snowstorm in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

1993-1996: I did some product photography as part of my job working for a large national grocery store chain. I was starting to show an interest in photography outside of work as well. I came across some old photos I took with a little Fuji disposable film camera while I was working on Vancouver Island, and…well…they’re not half bad. Here’s a quick scan of a 4×6 print I pulled out of the photo album:

Pier Near Courtenay, BC around 1993-ish

2000-2001: Bought my first DSLR (film) which was a Pentax MZ-5. In the years following I added lenses, also got fascinated with the older Pentax bodies like the ME and ME Super, and I started reading books about photography.  

2004-present: Bought my first Digital SLR which was a Nikon D70. With digital technology my learning curve rapidly accelerated, and I really delved into it big-time. Books, podcasts, magazines, blogs, review sites, Flickr, web forums, etc etc. That plus shooting as much as possible. I have won a few photo contests, the most notable of which was one hosted by a local media group (small town/rural area radio and newspaper). I had an image (was not submitted by me, was just chosen off of a Flickr search I guess) chosen to represent the Calgary Zoo on Schmap online interactive tourism maps. I have had a batch of four images accepted to the Pentax Photo Gallery on my first attempt. 4/4, not bad. And I have had an image published in the small local newspaper where they showcase local photography that defines our town. I continue to develop my skills, and I enjoy every opportunity I get behind the camera.