Never Quit - Personal Photography Progression

TL,DR - Sit back, relax, and enjoy some of my photographs, which should look more terrible as you scroll down.

My first introduction to photography was as a child with my father's Canon AE-1 Program, a film camera, as well as a Rangefinder. Photography was magical, but I became more interested in playing in the mud and making cinder block towers, as any boy would.

The magic of photography re-emerged when I was 15, and my parents gave me the old AE-1, which I added lenses and filters to. At 17, I turned to girls. Many girls. And I put the camera down (such an idiot). Fast forward to present-day, and I'm happy to report that I'm back into photography full-swing, thanks to an encouraging wife who challenged me to pursue my past loves (also including music). I'd like to pass on the encouragement to anyone out there that has something they loved but don't do anymore, or have always wanted to do. It's cliche, and Nike has trademarked it, but - Just Do It.

First photo: 2016 - Acadia National Park, Maine, USA - This National Park has so many trails that provide awesome views with varying difficulties. I'll be going back here. Still shooting with a Nikon D800E, and no plans to upgrade anytime soon.

2015 - Tongariro Alpine Crossing, North Island, New Zealand - I did this hike in reverse, much to my wife's chagrin. The views were worth it, though!

2014 - Grinnell Glacier Overlook, Glacier National Park, Montana, USA. I also did this hike in reverse, doubly to the chagrin of my wife. I haven't been back here, but if anyone has I'd be curious if the glacier has retreated even further. This photo was taken in the spring. Upgraded to a Nikon D800E.

2013 - Chicago, Illinois, USA - One of my favorite cities. Low light, hand held on a windowsill. This was about the time my wife left her 9-to-5 to pursue art and graphic design full time. We formed an LLC, and bought camera equipment, of course.

2012 - Hillsborough River State Park, Florida, USA. A nice park with some canoe outfitters if you're ever in the area. One of my first outings with a new Nikon D7000.

2011 - Green Sand Beach, Big Island, Hawaii, USA - It's Hawaii, enough said. This is about the time I became interested in photography again. First trip with an iPhone.

2010 - Halong Bay, Viet Nam - Canon Powershot. Cool place if you have a chance to visit. There's much wrong with this photograph, but the horizon is fairly straight for being on a boat and no post-processing.

2009 - MyPlace - Fujifilm Finepix. We did a full gut and remodel from 2006 to 2009. The only photographs I have are documentation of the hell we went through doing almost all the work ourselves. Pre-2006 my photography and music-making were fairly non-existent. Don't do that!

Thanks for scrolling!

Cat Tax - My Bro-in-Law with his cat, Gus. We brought him to the beach, and he was confused as hell.