About - Image Mechanic

IT STARTED FOR ME IN 1990 IN RIVERDALE, ILLINOIS

Image Mechanic is a midwest, Graphic Designer and Photo Editor. My love for photography started back in 1990, when I took a black and white photography course and got hooked. At about that time, I began taking photos with my mom’s old Minolta 35mm film camera. I then took a 100-level photography course at my local community college and developed my rolls of film and made prints in their darkroom.

Working in the dark room was fun, but a bit tedious for me. Having to open the film canisters with an old can opener in the dark, then blindly wind the film into a developer tumbler was a bit difficult it too patience. Also working with the developing chemicals, the fixer. My hands always smelled of chemicals when I got home. Also keeping the dust off the enlarger and paper prints was a pain.

STARTING OUT IN PHOTOGRAPHY, TRIPS DOWNTOWN

I took trips to downtown Chicago to document what I saw back then. I did not mind working with film, but my enthusiasm and creativity grew when I purchased my first digital camera in 2004. Once I learned Adobe Photoshop, I’ve only shot on digital. I started with a Sony Cybershot, then moved up to digital SLRs, including several Canon models. Most recently I have switched to a Nikon D800 full frame digital SLR, which I use with four Nikon FX lenses. I have noticed that there is a difference between Canon and Nikkon cameras, which has as much to do with my switch from APS-C to full-frame as it does with the change in camera makers.

ALWAYS LEARNING NEW THINGS

I am always learning new things along the way in terms of taking photographs and editing them in Adobe Photoshop. I am currently using Adobe Photoshop Creative Cloud version.

Lately, I have transitioned away from taking photos in downtown Chicago, preferring to capture images of the rural landscape of northern Illinois. I hope to go back downtown to take photos in the weeks and months to come, and I will post the images here. I also will check local photography events coming up in Chicagoland and post them on the blog section of this website. In addition to viewing photos, you can purchase photos for your personal use. If you like a photo you would want as a wall art piece or a smaller print, feel free to contact me!