Greetings from Arizona

<p>Well, I've been sticking my nose into forums for months so I suppose it's time that I write one of these introductions!</p>

<p>For humor's sake, I've been encouraged to describe myself as a "recovering teacher." I have recently completed a decade teaching in public schools. I miss both the teaching and the colleagues, most of whom give above and beyond the call of duty each and every day. I feel honored to have been able to share time with all of them. It was the politics and constant lack of funding that made things difficult.</p>

<p>Prior to teaching, I worked nearly 20 years as a journalist. I started out with weekly newspapers in the Bay Area and graduated to a long-gone daily in Palo Alto. My next stop was an afternoon daily in Phoenix (also long gone) and, later, a lengthy stint at its sister paper, a larger morning daily. It was there that I became the company's first online reporter. They allowed me to cover anything because they were eager for content. I had a blast, but being able to report, write and publish in a few hours or less made me unpopular with the old-school reporters in the newsroom upstairs. Their work was printed on paper just once a day.</p>

<p>(These days all reporters get published online and in print. But back then, the online division wasn't part of the newsroom and was even considered competition for the printed product. One newsroom editor called me a "traitor" for going digital!) </p>

<p>Since then, I've written freelance for daily papers in California, Web sites, magazines and various marketing departments.</p>

<p>My interest in photography revealed itself in high school, when I took a photography course as an elective. I loved the cameras, developing film and printing and the whole art and science behind making the best images possible. I shot with a Canon F-1 and, later, the mass-produced AE-1. I saved money and built my own darkroom at home and shot black-and-white throughout college. Eventually, as with so many others, my focus shifted due to family and career.</p>

<p>But here I am now, jumping back into photography and enjoying every minute. I'm still shooting with Canon equipment and am capturing everything that moves (or doesn't). I'm testing my skills by volunteering as a photographer for a large non-profit science center, which offers a wide variety of shooting opportunities and associated challenges. I am feeling drawn to portrait work but am happy to shoot, shoot, shoot and learn, learn, learn all the way.</p>

<p>Thanks for following this ramble. I look forward to making positive contributions to Photo.net and learning as much as I can from other community members!</p>

<p>Hell, David, and welcome to photo.net!</p>

<p>Hello from Cottonwood, and welcome to PNet, David.</p>

<p>(Hosteen, here's a replacement for the letter you lost: O) ;-)</p>

<p>Ah, Cottonwood! I go through there often on my journeys to Sedona. It's a wonderful part of Arizona.</p>

<p>Oh, and thanks for throwing a spare "O" over to Hosteen!</p>

<p>"O" my, should carefully look before I press submit. Thanks for the replacement, William.</p>