Music has been a part of my life since I was 12 when I began learning to play guitar. And I've been composing poems and songs since about the same time. In the past 15 years I've studied and can play violin, piano, and mandolin. I'm in two bands at the moment and really enjoy the performing side of things. I also have a home recording setup I use to record my own songs and songs others have written and performed. I've also been involved with photography for about 30 years and although I've been shooting digital for about 10 years, have been working with digital SLR for a some time now. I'm a member of Photography Matters and am really enjoying the learning curve. Photography is helping me focus (no pun intended) on the beauty around us all and appreciate it more.