pkricker Loc: Woodstock, NY, USA

Great question. I started out many years ago doing mostly landscapes and closeups of flowers (for the color and texture - I used those slides in light shows). Then, after years of not making many serious photos I went back to it and did mainly what I referred to as "the joint efforts of man, nature and time" - mostly old buildings, and mostly details of those (I worked in preservation of historic industrial sites, so I had plenty of subject matter). Now it seems like it's mostly landscapes and seascapes. I would love to do street photography but I am too self conscious to take photos of people like that.

cmc4214 Loc: S.W. Pennsylvania

I shoot mostly nature, anything from macro bugs and flowers to landscapes to sunrise / sunsets, did a wedding once...(though everyone was happy I will never do that again). I guess I don't want to have to please anyone but myself. Rarely do people, other than family. Though lately (due to some posts here on UHH) I have been getting the urge to try shooting models...With a camera, of course lol.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Gorgeous work - very evocative and superbly processed. I am jealous :)

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Started out doing HS sports and candids around the school as a member of the school's photography club. Once in college (architecture school) I saw an opportunity for combining two things I was passionate about - architecture and photography - to create a way to work my progress through college. Many of my professors were award winning architects, and they sought my services and different perspective. I used a Sinar P 4x5 and a collection of Nikon SW lenses = the 65, 75 and 90 and a few Rodenstocks and both the 150 and 210 Symmetrigon lenses. 99% of my work was in black in white, which I would process in the school's darkroom at first, and later in the one I built in my studio.

Using 35mm, 6x7 - I would do the occasional model composite, cover events, and entertain myself with street photography (the 60s and 70s was an era to remember), natural subjects, landscape/seascape/urban landscape, and with a 2-1/4 or 6x9 back on a Horseman 980 I would do some macro - flowers mostly, bugs were a little too animated for me and my gear.

Took a hiatus for a number of years while my three kids were growing up and did no work for hire - returned to photography in 2000 as digital was beginning its climb to recognition as a serious, professional level way to do what was always done with film. Now I mostly shoot what pleases my eye - and that could be anything and everything - but mostly natural subjects. Though I did portraiture, I was never happy with the experience - now I focus on animal portraiture, and I create images for a number of local animal shelters. A good number of dogs and cats have found permanent homes as a result of my efforts.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gene_lugo/

I have a couple of other sites but they mostly contain client work which I generally do not share.

docshark Loc: Millersville, PA

Well Bill I am a retired educator and now a volunteer naturalist with the Army Corps of Engineers. I started shooting mostly nature shots - birds, butterflies, wildflowers, ferns, mosses but then started to concentrate on dragon and damselflies. I, along with another guy started the Berks County Odonata Survey. Now I record the species of Odes that we have here in the county as well as surveying with the Dragonfly Society of the Americas at different sites around the country. I would say that I shoot 90% Odes now.
-Doc

Erv Loc: Medina Ohio

Hi Bill. I have had a camera in my hand at the age of 8.:) Did the school stuff and weddings and anything else to try and make money.:) Now I just do it for fun. Anything interesting that gets in front of the camera is far game.:):) It is a hobby now that I totally enjoy. And you and the folks here make it even better!!!

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

As long as I can remember, I've always liked taking pictures. If I were born thousands of years ago, I'd probably be doing cave paintings. I like to post pictures online, and I have a long-term plan to take pictures around town and put them on a disc. I've lived here for almost fifty years, and things have changed a bit - but not too much.

I like the technical aspect of the gear and the processing.

russelray Loc: La Mesa CA

Anything except people. No people.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Yeah, some folks are always going to make a competition or a "put up or shut up" challenge out of everything in life. That's okay... I've dealt with it before. I'm not insulted... just amused. I answered that below.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Wow! Nice work.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Very nice work! Is that the Badlands of South Dakota?

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

As a "hired lens", I worked for three companies who own all the rights to over 95% of my life's work, and who own (or long ago discarded) the originals. Most of that work is proprietary, and a good portion of it is confidential. I could be sued if I even HAD some of that work to display.

I'm also very sensitive to copyright issues. I'm working on what will become a fundamentals of digital photography book. Most of the images I will choose to include in that book are among those I would choose to display here. That use is in direct conflict with the SUBMISSIONS clause in the Terms of Use of Ugly Hedgehog:

“SUBMISSIONS

Visitor agrees as a condition of viewing, that any communication between Visitor and Website is deemed a submission. By making a submission, Visitor grants the administration and the owners of the Website a worldwide, non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free, sub-licenseable and transferable license to use in any way, reproduce and distribute the submission and prepare derivative works of the submission without further permission. This includes commercial and non-commercial use of all submissions, including portions thereof, graphics contained thereon, or any of the content of the submission. Visitor agrees to only communicate that information to the Website, which it wishes to forever allow the Website to use in any manner as it sees fit. "Submissions" is also a provision of the Privacy Policy.”

If I knew that I could post my watermarked, copyrighted images here, without any such restrictions and without encountering any unauthorized use, I would post away…

As it is, the owners of this site and many, many others seem to appropriate the rights to any images posted there. That's okay if you don't care about others absconding with the rights to your images, but I do! I don't post images here for the same reason I stopped posting on Instagram, and never post on FaceBook, Twitter, and other sites.

I contribute my ideas and advice and experience to this site as a way to give back to the industry that has supported me in so many ways, for most of my sentient life. It's also a way for me to gain perspective on what will make my book appealing to enthusiasts, beginners, hobbyists, and wannabe professionals. But my images are mine, and I retain all the rights to them, unless otherwise granted in exchange for employment or payment or other consideration.

Have a nice day.

ronz Loc: Florida

I began back in the film days in HS. After college I shot on the PGA and Tennis tours for three magazines and after the travel became too much (married life), I opened a studio which kept getting bigger each year. We were shooting over 75 weddings yearly, portraits and commercial products. When I sold my studio I retired from photography for about 15 years but do to a need by a rather large church I attended, I got back into it. I currently shoot for 14 magazines, some senior portraits, special events and a few high end weddings. I have brought on a younger person who has a good eye and trying to pass on my good habits. Digital has changed the way people view photographers so I only shoot what I really enjoy. The magazines give me the ability to choose what I like to photograph.

papakatz45 Loc: South Florida-West Palm Beach

Grandkids, family, wildlife, sports & macro bugs.

Tony Britton Loc: California

Hi Gene51,

Thanks for looking and commenting!

Tony