I taught college photography for two years and did workshops and seminars as well. More fun. I combined backpacking and outdoor skills gained at National Outdoor Leadership School under Paul Petzoldt with survival skills while teaching under Larry Dean Olson at Brigham Young University(on the 28 day survival courses) with photography. I shot the book Outdoor Survival Skills for Larry as well as working as an instructor on the survival programs. I caught and sold rattlesnakes to zoos and for part of the money for school at BYU during this time.

The Bay area of California was very nice, with Point Reyes National Seashore just a few minutes from our house. Relaxing & quiet as most won't get up before sunrise for a photograph. Point Reyes, Yosemite and Mono Lake all provided locations for workshops in wildlife, scenic and backpacking photography sponsored by schools, Humane Society groups and City Rec programs. All fun and keeping me outdoors.

Gear is simple. Nikons in 35mm and Linhof or my inexpensive Anba/Ikeda wood field camera in 4x5 and 5x7 formats. Lenses as appropriate and always looking for a better one, the 'magic answer' to better photos. Still haven't found it & probably never will. But I try to get the most out of what I have by learning to use it and combine that with solid technique. I get info & inspiration wherever possible. Particular thanks are due to both Dave Muench and Bill Ratcliffe, who have given freely with info and encouragement through the years and whose work I particularly admire. As people they are even better than their images, helping a young opinionated character just out of the U.S. Army. So I try to do the same and help others as I can.

Now for an explanation of what this feature will be

Too many beginning photograhers take way too long(in my opinion) to figure out the basic rule of photography: take pictures. They spend way too much time looking for a lens that will do it all. Reality for me is that if I get up early and photograph, I take more photos that are good than if I read every book and owned every lens and sat at home fondling them. You have to get out & photograph to get good.

This feature is about the photography. Why I took the image. Where it is and how I either found it or why I decided to stop. With some images I will be showing variations in technique or lenses. Possibly in films, though with monitor limitations they would be difficult to see.

A big part of photography is equipment and technique, so I will mention it as it relates to the image. Just because I use something, or someone else uses a particular piece of equipment, doesn't mean you should. But as you read my experiences, and then read the experiences of others who are better or that you admire, and notice many who do work you like use the same basic focal length for certain shots, maybe you should consider that focal length for your work. That is how to read the relevance of what someone uses to what you might use. Not by manufacturing hype.

No matter what camera or lens you buy, the manufacturors will be coming out with something newer soon. You take the photos, the gear is just a tool. So learn to use it and use it well. Test the basics & make sure they work for you. In this series of articles, one each month, I will be going over what works(and doesn't work) for me. Take it for what it is worth, and apply it to your own photography. Nothing that I photograph, or anyone else photographs, with the exception of certain space or classified photography, is beyond the ability of most out there. So read these articles and go out and photograph. Don't be the buy saying "I could have done that" when you could easily get up early or stay a bit later and do it.

Dan Smith
shooter@brigham.net