about duane

Duane Picture
Hello and thanks for stopping to look at the photographs on my site.

These images represent just a few of the thousands of shots that I have taken over the years. Most of the shots were captured digitally, but there are still several that were taken back in the days of film.

A little bit about my equipment. My first camera was a 35mm Pentax PZ-70. I really loved that camera and with it, began to gain an understanding of exposure and composition. I used that camera for several years until someone else thought they needed it worse than me (translation - my home was burglarized and my camera, lenses, and filters were all stolen, never to be seen again). After that, I upgraded to a Pentax PZ-1. This camera allowed for more flexibility than the PZ-70. I still have that camera to this day. Along the way I also used a Pentax ZX-7 occasionally as an extra camera body. An extra camera came in handy in those days so that you could load one body with color negative film and another with black and white or slide film. Again, this was pre-photo editing software days. When I finally made the plunge and purchased my first DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera it was a 6.3 mega pixel Pentax *IST. I used that camera for several years until most recently upgrading to a Pentax K-7. This is a 14 mega pixel camera and has been great so far.

So, what sparked my desire to take up photography? Well, several things. For one, I can remember as a kid, my grandmother always bringing out the point-and-shoot 35mm at family functions. She was always taking pictures of everyone. At the time, it may have been a bit annoying to some, but now we have images that remind us of those days. Also, I when I was in college and after graduation I had some friends who were into photography. I even got to spend a little time in the darkroom with them. On one particular college trip, one of those friends had a Canon SLR with various lenses and filters. I was amazed at the quality of his images compared to mine with my little point-and-shoot. Also, his eye for composition helped a lot too. I learned a lot from just looking at his shots and how he composed them. Fast forward to today and my passion for photography is stronger than ever.

Photographs capture a moment in time. Be it of a family member who has since passed on, a young child as they grow, or a sunset over a beach on a faraway place you may never be able to revisit. Much like a painting can evoke emotions, so too can a photograph. I am definitely not an artist when it comes to trying to paint, so I use a negative (conventional or digital) as my canvas. Capturing that moment, that feeling, and being able to look back through the images later and remember exactly where I was and who I was with when the image was taken….that is what it is all about for me.

I hope you enjoy looking at my photographs as much as I enjoyed capturing them.

Thank you for your time and interest,

Duane