Role models

Everything I know about photography, which is not a whole lot, I learned from three men in my life: my brother Alan, my son Steve, and my late husband Tom, all of whom are/were camera wizards. So today I'll thank them by sharing some of their work.

After years of hiking with Tom and trying to be patient while he fussed with his camera, I finally bowed to his insistence that I needed one of my own. He was a great teacher, offering praise often and giving advice only when I asked for it. Which was a lot. His spirit of playfulness and ability to see beauty in the tiniest everyday objects still inspire me.

Alan lives in close proximity to Puget Sound and the Olympic mountains. He's endlessly fascinated by the night sky, as well as landscape and portrait photography. He does spectacular work. He taught me the rudiments of night photography and led me on a couple of hilarious dawn outings. He's recently put a collection of his work on Etsy. https://www.etsy.com/shop/AventuraPhoto?ref=search_shop_redirect.

Steve has been doing photography for years. Lately he's been focusing on birds. When I'm in Florida, we go on bird shoots, or just hang out near his backyard feeder.He, too, sees inspiration in the ordinary, like grackles. He's been inspiration and co-learner, and he encourages me to learn my equipment and be patient. Plus, he's just a whole lot of fun to hang out with. (And he cooks!)