I live in northern Colorado. I graduated from Colorado State University with a BS in Mechanical Engineering, so I suppose that makes me a "techie." I have considered that my interest in photography may be more about the camera and the software than it is the images, but I really don't want that to be the case. My late father was an artist and I continue to hope I inherited some talent from him. 

    I started shooting when received a Yashica MAT for my 16th birthday. That was a long time ago and I honestly don't remember much about it. My high school had a darkroom that I could use for B&W. Color processing was far too expensive and complicated for me to try. When I went off to college, I traded the Yashica for a slightly used Pentax 35 mm. Several years later I bought a newer model Pentax and added a telephoto lens. Lack of funds, time, and interest kept everything pretty much on the shelf for many years. 

    About three years ago I started thinking about digital photography as a hobby. I bought a point-and-shoot Panasonic TZ-1 thinking that it would meet my needs. I liked the TZ-1, but I quickly remembered the reasons why it would be better to have a camera that had a viewfinder and could deliver better images. I purchased a Canon 40D with the kit 28-135 mm lens and later switched to a 24-105 mm. I capture images in camera raw.

     For post processing I use an HP 2207w monitor connected to a Dell laptop with Photoshop CS3, Photomatix, and Corel Paint Shop Pro loaded. I don't use PSP any longer, but it was helpful during the period when I found CS3 to be so unfriendly as to be avoided at all costs. Since then I have taken a class in Photoshop and one in Adobe Camera Raw. Now I can fiddle-around with each one a little, but I do not claim any real understanding of CS3 or ACR.

     I hope to leverage the Study Group's experience and knowledge to help me grow as a photographer. I look forward to exchanging notes with the other Group members.