I am very new to digital photography and have recently taken it up as a hobby. I am actually a scientist by profession - I attended Southampton University in England where I did a BSc in Physiology and Biochemistry and a PhD in Physiology and Pharmacology. From 1994 to 2005, I worked as a DNA Scientist in the UAE and Kuwait. I worked on endangered and local wildlife, mostly birds, but also sea turtles and various species of fish. I learned so much there and met many wonderful people both in and outside of work. Most recently I taught Biology at the University of Virginias College at Wise.
One of my favorite things to do in my spare time is to travel - I have been to Brazil, Paraguay, Ecuador, most of Western Europe, and various countries in Arabia and the Indian Ocean region. I WISH I'd had a digital camera back then - the images I could have taken!
My first venture into digital photography occurred in summer 2007 when I traveled to Ecuador - the birds, wildlife, nature and people there are amazing!
Being new to digital photography, I have mainly experimented with nature subjects so far. I think having an understanding of their biology and a love and appreciation of their natural beauty helps me with my photography. What I aim to do is to portray the character and vitality of the subject in its natural surroundings: for example, a hummingbird is such an amazing bird, so tiny, fragile and delicate, and I want that to come across in my pictures. A close-up of one of these birds perched on the edge of a curled leaf in the forest portrays this.
The equipment I have so far: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50, 10.1 megapixels, 35 - 420 mm equiv. (12x zoom); DMW-LW55 Wide Angle Lens for Panasonic Lumix Digital Cameras; DMW-LT55 Telephoto Lens for Panasonic Lumix Digital Cameras; DMW-LC55 Close-up Lens for Panasonic Lumix Digital Cameras. |