In September 2005, I bought my first camera (a Sony DSC-H1 5.1mp "near-SLR" point & shoot.) I shot like crazy on it, gaining an understanding of the various shooting modes & exposure controls. I picked up Jim Miotke's BetterPhoto Guide to Digital Photography with that camera--which led me to this site--and I recommend the book to anyone new to photography. (Several years later now, I am especially proud that a handful of my images were selected by Jim Miotke and his co-author Kerry Drager, for inclusion in their 2 newest photography books, published in 2011 and 2012!)In April 2007, I upgraded to the Canon 400XTi/Rebel dSLR; a terrific camera which also introduced me to RAW shooting during a BP class. I upgraded again in Dec. 2009, to the Canon 7D and passed the Rebel on to Kara Hendricks here at BP. (Kara's long produced amazing and winning images from her P&S camera, but was eager to explore SLR territory.) The 7D brought better ISO response, expanded metering & focusing systems, and a few other nifty features.
My gear now includes the ultra wide angle EF-S 10-22mm, the EF 24-105L f/4, the EF 50mm f/1.4, the EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro, the EFS 17-85 IS f/4-5.6, and the EF 70-300 IS f/4-5.6. I use an Induro carbon fiber tripod w/ Manfrotto "squeeze-grip" head, a wired shutter remote control, and the Angle-Finder C viewfinder attachment (my favorite accessory by far!) I edit in Adobe Camera RAW & Photoshop CS4, and recently added the NIK Software plug-in suite (which is amazing!) to my workflow; all running on a MacBook Pro 15" laptop.
I love architecture, and it is one of my favorite subjects (followed by macro images, travel photography & landscapes.) I am drawn to strong design elements, and love repeating, receding subjects. I generally aim to produce realistic images, mostly using available light. My goal is continual learning & technical improvement, and honing my artistic style.
I have served as a volunteer docent at Washington National Cathedral since 1996; it has been a favorite photography stomping ground and you could say I learned photography there. The substantial damage caused by 2011's 5.8M Virginia earthquake is truly heartbreaking. The earthquake repairs will take 7-10 years, and run into tens of millions of dollars (all of which must be raised privately; the cathedral receives no federal or taxpayer funding, and is not covered by earthquake insurance.)
Please consider lending your support; visit nationalcathedral.org for details.
Thanks for looking and feel free to contact me!
--cjb 11/12
A link to my other online gallery, arranged in subject matter albums, is below:
