Born and raised outside of Cleveland, Ohio I showed an interest in photography at a young age with my Fisher Price camera while dad captured all the family moments with his Kodak with flashcubes! That love resurfaced when my wife (a dog lover) got serious on the  show dog circuit and I got serious about photography and bought my first camera. I researched and read, but in the end, I went to Circuit City and Best Buy and found the youngest kid in the department and picked their brain. Information Overload!! Deciding finally on a Point-N-Shoot by Canon.  I loved everything about it! Now she could show our dogs and I could photograph it. We could look back over the photos forever! Well, our hard drive/computer crash and no more photos and no way to retrieve them. We found ourselves starting over.

A move to Florida in 2009 brought a welcome change to the Cleveland area winters.   I decided it was time for the next step in cameras and purchased my first DSLR Camera the Canon Rebel T3i.  It even came with 2 lenses and was ready to go.  (Yes, I still have this camera, and I do still use it from time to time).  As time went on, I took photos of our dogs and friends we made at the shows and shared photos with them.  Next was a prime lens - a lens with no zoom, it was 85mm and it was fantastic for shows.  Great for photos from across the ring, but if I wanted a candid photo from close to a dog or person, I had to move about 20 feet away.   The good and the bad about prime lenses.   

In 2015 I signed up and took my first photography course at Potthast Studios in Winter Haven.  Mike was a great instructor and at the end of the class, he recommended that I visit a place called Circle B Bar Reserve.   I thanked him and declined as they have alligators there, and they are wild, and loose!   It took a couple months to decide to go see what this Circle B was all about - and I never looked back.  I have to say “Thank You” to Mike as it was his referral that started this incredible ride!  My first solo visit I met so many wonderful people and was introduced to a nest of Pileated Woodpeckers with parents going back and forth feeding their young.   I’m surprised my wife encouraged me  to go back again, as this was all I could talk about, and I couldn’t wait to return.    Over the next 5 years, I learned to shoot in manual mode, I got a new lens, a Sigma 150-600, a new camera body - the Canon 80D - a new lens - the Canon 100-400mm - a new camera body -the Canon R6 Mirrorless camera and my present go-to  camera.  I have traveled all around Florida to take photos of anything and everything I could find.  I love the friends I have made through my journeys, the places I have visited, and the photos I have to remember them with.  Now, I Love that I am sharing some of them with You!  

I thank my dad for introducing me to this hobby, and my wife for encouraging (Putting up with???) my love of animals and photography.  Also, a very special thank you to Tom Oldt, for believing in me and giving me this opportunity!

Photo Credits… My Dad, T. Oldt and A. Sudiswa