Every other week we have the privilege of interviewing a photographer and browsing through some of their favorite photographs. In today's SmugMug Corner we meet Bill Lloyd from Mountain View, California.

Name: Bill Lloyd
Website: blloyd.smugmug.com

Moraine Lake

Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Bill Lloyd, and I now have the benefit of 4 full decades of "experience." I live in Mountain View, CA and work in the computer industry. I'm an avid cyclist (a "reformed" racer), and have a wife and a 15-month-old son who is darling, but shares the stubbornness of his father. He's going to be a handful. I've captured photos of him at his most darling, as well as in his cranky moments, which I have digitally archived for use at a later date.

What is your background/training in photography?

I have little formal training in photography. I am no stranger to beautiful, photogenic locations: Between cycling, hiking, and travel, I've visited many beautiful locations, but never got photos that really reflected what I saw. My parents gave me a gift certificate to a week-long workshop from the Rocky Mountain School of Photography, and since then I have incorporated at least one week-long workshop into my annual vacation plans. I did take a black and white photography class at the local community college a few years back, and am now convinced it's easier with digital.

How long has photography been a passion for you? When, where and how did it start?

Really for the last 5 or 6 years, as I've spent less time as a slave to bicycle racing and training, and spent more time traveling and photographing. I liked photography and had people telling me I took great photographs (aren't supportive friends and relatives wonderful), but I started to believe it when I went to a workshop and settled down and focused specifically on photography.

What equipment is in your camera bag? What piece of equipment will be added to the collection next?

Camera Bodies:

• Canon 1Ds Mark III
• Canon 1D Mark II
• Canon G9 for backup and ultralight hikes

Lenses:

• Canon 17-40 f/4L
• Canon 24-70 f/2.8L
• Canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS
• Canon 85mm f/1.2 II

Additional Gear:

• Gitzo 1270 Tripod with RRS BH-55 head
• Gitzo 10XX Tripod with RRS BH 25 head for day hikes

Wish List:

• Canon 300 f/2.8 for wildlife and sports
• Canon TS-E 24mm 3.5L II for architecture and panos

What are your favorite places/subjects to photograph? Why?

I love nature and the outdoors, so my photography is overwhelmingly oriented around landscape work. I do some stuff local to the Bay Area, but usually I take trips that are oriented around photography in beautiful places. Last year I went to the High Sierras with Marc and David Muench, followed up by a personal trip to the Canadian Rockies. This year I will be going to Death Valley in another RMSP trip. A couple years ago I went on trip organized by the Luminous Landscape to South Georgia and Antarctica, and it was a fantastic photographic opportunity.

Who are your biggest photographic influences? Why? What about their work influences your work?

I like big, colorful landscapes. I like a lot of the work of Galen Rowell, as well as David and Marc Muench. There are few landscape photography "coffee table" books that I will put down without spending hours leaving through them and planning a future trip.

How long have you been Smug with your photographs? What features do you most enjoy with your SmugMug account?

I have been a SmugMug customer since 2004. Curiously enough, SmugMug was a customer of mine first, and that's how I came to know of the service. I really like the flexibility of SmugMug, and with the Aperture plug-in it's very straightforward me to process, upload, and keyword straight from my editing application. I like the Dgrin community; Don mentioned the initial trip to Yosemite to me, which I attended, and I find it a great place to get inspiration and interact with other photographers.

If you had do sum up in 50 words or less the impact SmugMug has made on your photography/photography business, those 50 words would be...

SmugMug lets me concentrate on my photography. It makes the hosting/commerce/printing/shipping side of things easy. So I can shoot, upload, and price photos, and they handle the side of things that I have no interest in dealing with.

If you had to give one piece of advice to those wanting to pursue photography, what would you tell them?

Get out and shoot, and follow your passion. Oh, and get a tripod. Always get a tripod. :)