I’m an amateur photographer living and working in the St. Louis area. I enjoy taking photos of outdoor and nature subjects but have been trying to expand my horizons to include images of local events, including the people participating, architecture, and other areas.
A friend recently asked me when and how I got started taking photos. I could really answer that by saying I remember taking snapshots as a very young child using an old Kodak box camera and 620 film. That was followed by other film cameras and at least one Polaroid. Luckily not too many of those old prints and negatives are still around since I’m fairly certain they weren’t that great. When I was a high school senior I had my first experience with a medium format camera (twin lens reflex) as the student photographer for our yearbook. Another case where the photos weren’t that great because of limitations of camera and, more significantly, the photographer. Even so, I think that may have been the real start of my interest in photography.
In college, photography took a back seat to other interests and activities but it was not forgotten. Upon graduation, I was commissioned as a second lieutenant and sent to my first Army school. While there, I met a classmate who also had a strong interest in photography and I purchased my first 35mm SLR, a Bell & Howell FD35. One of the best things about this camera was that it was actually manufactured by Canon (it was a relabeled Canon TX) and used all Canon lenses and accessories. Along with a 50mm lens and a 200mm lens, this camera served me well for almost 16 years. It was later replaced by other Canon film cameras — Elan IIe, AE1, and A1. While a lot of the photos taken with these cameras were of the snapshot variety, they were also where I started focusing (no pun intended) more on outdoor and nature photography, initially landscapes but later expanding into plants, animals, and other areas.
In mid-2004, I entered the digital world purchasing a Canon 10D. I still have this camera although it has moved to backup status. One of the major advantages of digital is that it allows you to shoot more without incurring the cost of processing and developing. I also began upgrading my lenses around the same time and continued to shift my focus to outdoor photography (landscapes, wildlife, and some architectural). As you look through both this site and my SmugMug galleries, you will see that this remains my focus today. While I do occasional “people” photos, these are primarily limited to family and work events. (I tried one wedding for a relative a few years ago and have to say – never again! Definitely not my cup of tea.)
I still use Canon equipment today and use Adobe products (Lightroom and PhotoShop) along with a variety of plug-ins for processing and managing my images. I’ve also digitized most of the slides and negatives that I have from over the years so some of the photos here were born digital while others are scanned film images. While a few photos were taken with fixed focal length lenses, most were taken with zoom lenses which, for me, offer more flexibility for a variety of situations.
I hope you find something here that you like and that you will come back often. I also maintain a more extensive photo gallery at http://frymanfoto.smugmug.com/ which you are welcome to visit.
