Hello Everyone

<p>Hi, my name is Mike and I'm a photoholic. I live in San Diego....but wish I lived in the Pacific Northwest.<br>

I've had an on-again, off-again relationship with photography. As my profile says, I've had a photo.net account for 8 years, but I had my share of dry spells during those eight years. I do absolutely love photography, but for too long have felt that I stumbled into my best shots vs. having obtained them by skill and planning. So I've recently decided to re-engage photography and see if I can move from periodically blessed amateur to knowledgeable and confident amateur (forget about pro...at least for a while). I don't know if I'll manage to take better photographs as a result of this (very difficult to consciously re-create the magic of a lighting strike), but I do think I'll put myself in a place where I'm more likely to get the shots I want.<br>

Photo.net has proven to be a great resource of inspiration and technical guidance. I'm glad I found my way back to this site. I enjoy reading the forums (I'm currently changing around my lens collection for some faster glass) and perusing the many photos that people place in the Critique Gallery. It's a great community, and I'm happy to be a part of it.</p>

<p>hello michael,<br>

8 years is a long time indeed! what do you like to shoot mostly? when to mention perfecting skills, what are you focusing on at present?</p>

<p>Thanks Starvy!<br>

Most of my photography is of landscapes. I've recently discovered HDR, and so that seems to be a natural area to explore. We're expecting a son in July, and so I also suspect that I will become quite proficient with portraits of babys/kids. :-) One area that I absolutely want to improve in is lighting...I've become fairly confident with natural lighting (although I haven't mastered that by any means), but I still struggle with flash, not to mention any kind of studio lighting. There are a few local classes I may try.</p>

<p>Glad you are enjoying the site again. Life moves in cycles for a lot of people and it is perfectly understandable that something like photography would have a similar up and down.</p>

<p>But we're glad to have you here!</p>

<p>Welcome back Michael. You have some great images posted... keep them coming.<br>

Regards</p>