Photography for me begain in 1967, at the age of 11. The only reason I remember it now is because I have a picture of me at the coast holding my Kodak Brownie. Black and white film only making that crunching sound as I hand wound the roll of negatives after each shot.

From there it was the 110 Instamatic, then the Polaroid One Shot and waving those heavy wet prints in the air so they'd dry before I smeared them. In my twenties I was given a Canon 35mm autowind and would hear groans from family members at every occasion, "You're not taking pictures again, are you?"

It was also in that decade that I found the perfect resource for photographers - I went to work for Fotomat. An entire parking lot kiosk full of film of every speed, size and format, for every roll I developed, I received another roll of film for free. It was like heroin to a junkie.

What's most amazing is that for all of that feeding the need, I never took a class on photography, never professionally practiced the art. I have no idea what an F-stop is, nor a clue about shutter speeds.

Most recently, I've purchased a Canon Rebel xsi. It's way more camera than I know how to drive. With it, I'm forcing myself to learn. I've always been an ametuer who's developed a good eye for what pleases me. Perhaps now, I'll finally reach a professional level.

My mantra will always be: Just keep taking pictures.