About Me
I started taking photographs seriously while serving in the United States Air Force as an aircraft avionics technician. Stationed in Germany during the cold war in the late 1970s, I traveled throughout Europe carrying an Olympus OM-1 – at the time the leader in compact, ultra-light SLRs.
After the Air Force, I spent the summer of 1982 in Spain in an immersion experience in Barcelona. From there, I once again hit the road – living out of a backpack and traveling throughout Europe, having upgraded to an Olympus OM-2S with its amazing (for the time) spot metering system.
Family and career commitments kept me home for a while, but once the kids were old enough, my wife Lori and I traveled to the UK several times with them, traveling the length and breadth from Land’s End to John O’Groats. Since then we’ve enjoyed working together as she has established herself as a leader in her profession as a small business owner.
Several years ago, my proficiency in the Spanish language paid off and I was assigned Latin America as part of my territory as a Technical Training Engineer for a major semiconductor manufacturer. Over the years I’ve spent many happy hours exploring the length and breadth of Latin America with the occasional forays to Europe and Asia.
These days I carry a mirrorless, full-frame Sony ⍺7ii. Since I have regular opportunities to film local art events, I also shoot with a Sony ⍺6300 because it’s completely silent and unobtrusive, and shares the same lenses. The Sony mirrorless system is amazingly small, and, as you can see below, two cameras and six lenses can fit into the smallest Think Tank bag, still leave room for my MacBook Pro and iPad, and be light enough to carry into the field and fit beneath the seat of the smallest airliner (well, OK, the tripod goes into my other carry-on during the flight).
Occasionally, even the smallest interchangeable lens camera can be intimidating when shooting an event, so I often carry one of my favorite cameras: the Leica D-Lux (Type 109).
This Post Has 4 Comments
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Shirley Walsh
5 Jun 2022I am really impressed. What a full and interesting life you have led. Can’t wait for further adventures and accomplishments.
Stu_C
7 Nov 2022Thanks so much for your kind words! After a long quiet period I’m starting ramp up again, and even get out of the house occasionally ;-). I’ll be posting some updates soon. Thanks, hope you will be back in your home soon after Hurricane Ian.
Dan Thompson
20 Oct 2022Can you tell which one of the think tank bags you had at the presentation at the Pittsburgh Photo presentation two weeks ago. Thanks
Dan
Stu_C
7 Nov 2022Hi Dan! Thanks for asking – I use the Think Tank Photo Airport Essentials (here’s a B&H link -> https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/859421-REG/Think_Tank_483_Airport_Essentials_Backpack_Black.html). It’s just the right size for my Sony A7ii, Zeiss/G-Master lenses, MacBook Pro and iPad, yet fits under the seat of any size commercial airplane. I did try it on my brother’s Cherokee, and it didn’t fit there, but nothing larger than a tissue box would.