I've been collecting and using cameras since about 1970. My first serious cameras were a Bolsey B2 rangefinder that my father gave me when I was about 10, and then a Leica IIIc that I bought from a great-uncle for the princely sum of $35 when I was 12 or 13. Around then I also set up a darkroom which I shared with my father. I've digitized many of the photos I took back then using a Nikon CoolScan 4000 ED. I also used that scanner to digitize maybe 100-200 trays of slides that my father took -- rather a huge job.

My collection now has over 500 cameras. It's pretty eclectic, and doesn't have much that's particularly valuable (some exceptions: the Leica IIIc, a Leica IIIf inherited from the same great-uncle through my father, and a couple of old Contaxs). Major subcollections are cameras from the former Soviet Union, and stereo cameras. The collection is currently stored in cartons due to lack of space, which makes me sad.

I no longer use film cameras, which I find sad in an abstract way, but which I don't regret. My current main cameras are a Nikon Df, a Nikon P900, and an Olympus TG 850 (one of their "Tough" models). I also use my cell phone, of course; the best camera is the one you have with you. The Df is, in fact, a significantly better photographer than I am.

Major photographic interests are indoor sports photos (Tae Kwan Do and dog agility) and stereo photography, for which I use the Nikon Df with a Loreo stereo splitter lens.

Personal information: I'm a semiretired Math teacher (now subbing) with 20 years of experience in the software industry. I'm married with one son who is a freshman in college; I have three standard poodles (all black; getting decent photos is a challenge), two cockatiels, and a gold-cap conure. I enjoy reading, especially fantasy; my favorite author is the late Terry Pratchett.

I live near Dulles Airport in the US state of Virginia.