abikeOdyssey

Taken in the Caddo Mountains, AR, April 2009. Me with a Copperhead found during a survey of endemic salamanders.

I'm a newcomer to all photography. Most recently I've been most interested in shooting birds. It's incredibly hard, especially with entry-level equipment, but an exciting challenge that I love. I have to improve in my technique not only in photography, but also in stalking birds and patience waiting for them to come to me (patience was never my strong suit!).

I build tall bikes, I learned to weld to build choppers. When they started selling them at Wal-Mart, it wasn't unique any more. I moved on to tallbikes; they're more fun anyway. Plus they're considered too dangerous for anyone to market to the public, which is a bonus to me. I ride mine to class daily, and I won't pretend not to enjoy the attention : )


I've been using deviantart for a long time to find art.
I'm very interested in wildlife and always just took pictures with my point-and-shoot. Recently I got a Nikon D60 to improve my photos and knowledge of the art of photography.
It's a learning process and I'm here to share my work and get constructive criticism. I have friends interested in photography, but none are into wildlife.
I did a lot of drawing and painting in high school, but don't really have the time any more. But I gained an appreciation for and basic understanding of those arts in the process.

I'm primarily interested in shooting:

Reptiles and Amphibians
Spiders, insects, and other invertebrate macros
Birds
Landscapes and sunsets
A select few object macros and artistic shots

I may try some more portraits and human shots in the future, but it's not my primary interest. I have the utmost respect for those who can make good images that way, but I prefer to shoot when I'm interested in the subject itself.

**There are also a few pictures in my gallery of knives I've made...they're not here for photo critiques, just to show off my handiwork.


Besides photography, I like building tallbikes, learning about reptiles and amphibians, making knives and swords, and watching westerns.

Current Residence: Oklahoma
Favourite genre of music: almost anything except country.
Favourite photographer: different artists for different subjects!
Favourite style of art: I like all kinds, but especially photography, drawing, and paintings.
Operating System: Vista (suckfest)
Wallpaper of choice: Wildlife macros or rustic bars.