Why would an amateur make their photo galleries available for everyone to see? There is always an element of ego involved, the feeling that others will surely be interested in what I am interested in and will surely see what I see. It is sometimes even true.

Photography is a language and, like any other language it must be learned. The photographer must learn to think in visual terms, not as they see with their eyes, but as the camera sees. This is the most difficult thing for me to learn. These galleries contain two things. The first is the record of how I have made progress in learning to see with the camera's eye. The second is a record of those things in which I have found some element of beauty.

I also want to refine my own thinking about what photography is and why I should continue to make images, even though most will only be seen by myself. I have been influenced greatly by reading on the subject, from photographers ("The Day Books of Edward Weston", Nancy Newhall , ed. ) and non-Photographers ("On Photography", Susan Sontag). Knowing that others may read what I am putting down will hopefully make me be a little more precise.