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Submitted by mimi 04/25/11 2:58 AM GMT
Our Spring artist to be spotlighted is someone with a wealth of knowledge about photography and who is not afraid to gently critique any image on the site: snapshooter (known as Doug to many of us). He has provided a fascinating biography.
Stop by his gallery. Doug has a penchant for shooting unique angles. Leave some congratulatory words for him! Doug's interview:
This morning's PM was totally unexpected, and for one who is probably considered verbose in attempting to explain the reasoning behind a constructive critique, you can probably imagine how the instructions to provide a SHORT biography, presented an almost impossible dilemma. Just look at the length of that sentence.
For those that don’t know me, my name is Doug (snapshooter) Bays, and I was born in South/Central Canada, in the middle of the Great Depression, some seventy-seven years ago. Consequently, it was seventeen years before I graduated from highschool, joined the R.C.A.F.to continue my studies, and purchased my first camera, a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye. Out of a three year hitch in the Air Force, I spent the second year in England, and the third in Germany, where I discovered the capabilities of quality cameras and lenses. Home again, I continued the photographic studies I had started in Germany, and within a year was working part time, (evenings and weekends) for a local studio, in addition to full time employment.
A year later, I entered two images in a National photo contest, and won 2nd and 31st prizes, the 2nd prize being a Leica 111f camera. The following year I entered the U.S. Camera magazine’s International contest and won 2nd and 27th prizes. The prizes didn't seem quite as significant, as the contest had been open to both amateur and professionals, and there had been in excess of 80,000 entries from 53 countries. For me, that was the real prize. That 2nd prize was an Esther Williams (in ground) swimming pool.
The publicity turned out to be very beneficial, as the following year I was offered a job as news film cinematographer with the local TV station. It made no sense to me at the time as I had never shot any movie film, nor was I particularly interested in movies. As it turned out, the chief photographer was a former newspaper photographer who had gone through WW11 with the Canadian Army, shooting motion picture film. All he said was, “not to worry” the only difference is that your subjects could be moving.
Two days of assignments with him and I was on my own. I retired in the last year of the last century, and it took me three years to get up the nerve to buy a computer, and another two to overcome the total intimidation. I really bought it because my move to the lake cottage caused me to be without full darkroom facilities for the first time in fifty five years.
I came across Caedes through a link on the Kim Komando site, where I was getting some of my tips on how to use a computer (without crashing). I hadn't yet started looking for such sites, didn't really know what the web was, nor did I know how restrictive a dial-up connection could be.
I learned very quickly that everyone else had internet speeds at least fifty times faster than Dial-up, with even the slowest broadband, and Cable/DSL/Satellite/Wireless were not available to me due to the topography surrounding my cottage/home. Hopefully we’ll be getting fibre/optic cable within two years.
I use mostly Canon cameras and lenses, but do have a Sigma 70mm f/2.8 Macro and a small pocket Panasonic with a Leica lens. As for my favourite image, it’s not one of mine. It’s a portrait of Winston Churchill by Yousuf Karsh. I won’t tell you the story that goes with it, but it will undoubtedly be with the image if you Google it. “KARSH Faces Of Our Time”
Thank you all, who provided me with this privilege and honor.It is very much appreciated.
