I have always taken photographs, going back to the days of the Kodak Instamatic. In college I learned to develop my own film and print enlargements. It was like magic. As soon as I graduated in 1969 I set up a darkroom in my apartment.

After starting a family I slowly got away from taking non-family pictures. My kids grew up and I took fewer pictures each year. Sometimes a roll of film stayed in the camera for 6 months before I finished it. Then came digital!!

My major interest is bird photography. I love to study the habits of these wonderful creatures, especially when they are involved in an activity such as searching for food or interacting with each other. It is exciting to watch them close up through a telephoto lens and then capture the moment. However, to create artistic images it is important to take in the entire frame, not just your subject.

Since retiring from elementary teaching after 38 years in 2007 I spend more time on photography. Most of my images have been taken in New England, but I have made trips to Florida, New Mexico and Long Island, New York to photograph birds..

I belong to both Massachusetts and New Hampshire Audubon societies, Photographers' Forum of Nashua, and various online photography and bird forums.