Welcome to my hobbies page. I have a variety of hobbies (mostly neglected). However, by far my favorite hobby is photography. As such, this page is dedicated to photography. I do NOT claim to be a good photographer. Photography for me is mainly a personal pursuit.

You can access some of my favorite photos by clicking into the photo gallery. If you like some of them, great! If not, I take no offense. Photography (as with most art) is a matter of personal taste. That said, I would be interested in any comments you have concerning the photos (stephen@standifird.org).

                 Nikon D40x

I love photography equipment. I do not think you have to have great equipment to make great pictures. Some of my favorite shots were taken with an old manual focus Konica 35mm SLR camera. Using an older manual focus camera was a great way to learn some of the basics of photography. I've now gone totally digital. I primarily use a digital SLR, the Nikon D40x. I have been very happy with this camera, great picture quality, light weight, and easy to use (great for travel photography, especially when paired with my 18-200 VR lens). I also have a D70, also a great camera but does not get much use now that I have the D40x. I purchased the SB-600 flash to go with the digital SLRs. Honestly, I don't use the flash much. However, when I do, I'm quite happy with it. I have a nice tripod (Slik Pro 700 DX) that I do not use nearly enough. For printing at home, I use a HP 8750 Photosmart printer.

My current lens stock includes the following:

Nikon 18-200mm, 3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S VR (VR = vibration reduction. The ultimate travel lens. Pairs nicely with the D40x. This has become my primary lens for most of the photography I do)

Nikon 70-200mm, 2.8D AF-S ED VR (VR = vibration reduction. One amazing piece of technology.
Can take some amazing pictures capable of isolating a subject nicely - the butterfly picture in the photo gallery. It's big. Size is the only thing that keeps me from using this lens more often then I do)

Nikon TC17E II (not really a lens. Increases the reach of the 70-200 lens by 1.7x - up to 340mm. Maintains all of the lens functions including Vibration Reduction)

Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM (Super wide angle lense - great for landscapes. One of the few third party lenses that will autofocus on a D40x)

Good links for information concerning photography in general:

Photo.net Largest community based general photography site
Moose Peterson's Home Page (talks about equipment, sort of has reviews)
Kieko Natural Images Home Page of Tom Hill (great photos and photo tips)
Ken Rockwells Home Page (also has reviews)
Photosig.com (also has reviews, same as Photography Review)
New York Institute of Photography World's largest photography school
Popular Photography Magazine (great articles, don't trust the reviews)
Outdoor Photographer Magazine (great articles, don't trust the reviews)

So what's better, Canon or Nikon (Chocolate or Vanilla)? Again, it's a matter of personal taste. I love my Nikon equipment. That said, some of my favorite pictures were taken with my first serious digital camera, a Canon G5. I've defaulted mainly towards Nikon equipment. However, I think I could be quite happy with Canon equipment as well. For those interested in more information about photography equipment specifically, the following links might be helpful:

Digital Photography Review (DP Review)
Photography Review (user feedback site)
Steves Digicams (different Steve, not me)
NikonLinks.com (Nikon Reviews)
Thom Hogans (Nikon Reviews)

For purchasing camera equipment online, I highly recommend BH PhotoVideo or Adorama. They are the biggest, best, most reliable online/mail order retailers in the business. Chances are if you want it, they have it.

"The End"