I’m 37 year old Family Medicine doctor in Pasadena, California. I got into photography to mainly get out and find a creative outlet.

I got bit by the bug when I got a digital camera and then bought Rick Sammon’s "Complete Guide to Digital Photography" to learn the basics. Other than that, I’ve learned about photography just reading a lot on various websites and forums. I’ve no formal training, just read and practiced various techniques till I felt comfortable.

I got a Canon Digital Rebel in 2005 as a birthday gift to myself. I always wanted to get into photography but couldn’t afford much as a student, so I had to wait a while.

I started like a lot of folks, one body a kit lens and a kit 55-200mm Canon telephoto lens. I would mainly do landscapes, gardens, and cityscapes, then got into street photography. I learned about Photoshop and shooting in RAW/post processing and things just kept rolling from there.

I had a few months off while changing jobs a couple years ago, and used that time to devote a lot of time to photography and learning how to post process. I think I shot almost every day during those few months.

Right now, I have two bodies, a Canon 30D and a Canon Rebel XTi. As for lenses, I have a Tokina 11-16mm f2.8, Sigma 20mm f1.8, Sigma 50mm f2.8 macro, Lensbaby 2.0 with a wide angle adapter, Canon 50mm f1.8, Canon 135mm f2L, and a Sigma 50-500mm. I use a Canon 420EX flash with a Sto Fen diffuser and a Canon 220EX for by back up flash. Other than that a few UV and Polarizer filters. Oh yeah, I just got a refurbished Minox Leica 3, it’s a tiny digicam that looks like a Leica 3. It’s quite cute.

I’m a recovering gearhead and have owned five dslr’s , four digicams, and more lenses than I can count now. I’m learning now that it’s not really the gear that counts.

As for any future gear, I’m not sure. Maybe a Canon 5D Mark II, but then I’d have to sell my new Tokina 11-16mm. See, it never ends. :)

I shoot around Los Angeles a lot, because I like to shoot once a week and since there are a lot of photo ops here. I’d like to travel and do more travel and landscape photography, but my schedule doesn’t allow for it right now.

So far, some of my favorite places to shoot are the Getty Center and Villa, Huntington Library, Griffith Observatory, Santa Monica, downtown Los Angeles, Queen Mary in Long Beach, and Hollywood.

I got into photography to get out, so as long as I’m outside, it’s fine. So needless to say, I don’t do any studio work.

My friend Gary Ayala, a former Photojournalist, has helped me to learn a lot about photography. Other than that I look around some of the famous photographer’s sites and also on the forums for inspiration. I really don’t have a single shooter that I try to emulate.

I think three years now. I signed up with smugmug right after I got serious and bought my Canon Digital Rebel. I think I got the pro account about a year ago because I wanted to protect my images from being copied along with the ability to sell some images if I want to.

As mentioned, I like the protection against having your images downloaded, the ability to customize your site, the ability to sell you images with no hassles, and the comments feature. Members at my photo club “LAShooters” use it to leave critiques in private.

Smugmug has really helped me to share my pictures with my friends, club members, and on various forums. It’s so much easier to get varied feedback when it’s easier for others to see your work.

Photography is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration, so study and then spend as much time as you can shooting and processing, ask for the toughest critiques you can get to learn on how to improve your skills.

Lastly, have fun.