One of our long-time members, Don is originally from a city about an hour outside of London in the UK. He spent years working within the storied world of Scotland Yard, retiring as an Inspector in 1989. Don wasted no time and moved to the US exactly one day after his retirement. He started here as a licensed Private Investigator, and a few years later started a background screening and drug testing business. He grew that business over the next twenty years until he decided to sell it and truly retire.

Don has always had an interest in photography. He bought a complete kit of Nikon film cameras and lenses and went on a cruise along Alaska’s inside passage. He enthusiastically shot 23 rolls of 36 exposure film... excitedly dropping them off for processing upon his return. Out of 828 potential “photos of a lifetime, only 4 were worth a damn."

He put the camera in the closet for a while, until a colleague showed him stunning pictures of the California coast. This colleague had just started photography with a Canon Rebel kit from Costco. Don went that same day and bought the same Canon kit from Costco. He had already scheduled a trip to the UK and was committed to giving photography another go. So off went Don and his Rebel. Through time, effort and experimentation, he began getting good shots.

A few years later, he decided to upgrade to a newer Canon. He continued to upgrade his kit over the years, but found himself encumbered with lenses and tripods weighing many pounds... a difficult thing for travel.

After investing in Canon equipment for several years he tried Sony, then decided to give Olympus a try. With Olympus, what Don gained in portability and comfort was far greater than the small difference in the image quality from his larger, heavier, and much more expensive gear. Thanks to Jerry Veal (who served as his Olympus inspiration) he sold all his other gear and went full force into Olympus. “My move to Olympus happened at about the same time I joined the Beaches Photography Club. The people I've met have been inspirational and friendly.”

About photography, Don shares, “It’s my number one hobby. I travel a lot and combine that with photography, or the other way around, and I’d encourage anyone who wants to do it, to do it.”

Don shares that one of the things he is most proud of during his time in the BPC is connecting the club with F3C. He brought FC3 to us, which increased the number and quality of competitions in which our members can participate.

Don has won many ribbons and is quite proud of that. He earned a mid-year ribbon for a shot taken in Antarctica, which was automatically entered in the year-end contest. That photo won 1st Place in the Documentary category.

The photo features a white-out storm (katabatic storm) with a row of people, positioned at 45 degrees, with one person standing out in a striking red coat. He took the picture because it was interesting. He didn’t realize how special it was until much later. Don has made many other trips throughout the world.

Don continues, “One of my biggest disappointments, I guess it’s a disappointment, because I travel so much and because of the life I have started to live, is that I am not able to be at the club as much as I would like. I found love again with Sandy, and we like to travel a lot. When I am able to attend, I especially love the meeting after the meeting (affectionately called MAM). Not only do you get to meet people and get to know them, but you hear stories and references that are just amazing."

What’s in your camera bag right now?
"2 OM1 bodies, 150-400 zoom with 1.4 converter, 7-14 tele, 12-40, 40-150, remote control, and batteries, but no tripod as I don’t use them."

Favorite site for sharing photographs
"Facebook because the photos go to people I know and are easily shared with family and friends."

One piece of equipment I don’t want to do without
"My vest!! I load it up with two cameras, a long lens and a wide lens. People look at me strangely, but it is the best tool I have ever bought. I don’t need a backpack, and I have full control of everything. I look like I am going to war, but, for example, having the vest for five weeks in Italy was phenomenal."

Advice to someone thinking about getting started
"Just get started. Read the manual. Challenge yourself. Then keep going."

More from Don
“Once I settled on my equipment (the last change to Olympus), I thought all was well. That illusion was soon shattered when suddenly Kaye, my wife of fifty years, was taken from me. I considered the options, and thanks to photography, I had somewhere to go.”

“I literally ran away, travelled for photography, and travelled again. I thought I had handled it, and then nine months later, on Christmas Day, I lost my elder daughter Clare. Again, my hiding place was photography.  Our amazing club members rallied quietly, and that support was in many ways what allowed me to focus on moving my life forward."

“It is at such times that your beliefs are truly tested, and you find out who your friends are. Moving on, especially later in life, is to me the only action that will prevent an early demise.”

“I now have a new life partner, Sandy, who loves my photos and who I hope will explore her photo skills. The journeys continue and this means that we are not in Jax as frequently as I have been in the past, and therefore only can attend a few meetings a year. I try to attend using Zoom, timezones permitting, when I’m traveling.”

“The Beaches Photography Club is my photography home. I joined the Bollington Photography Group in the UK, a small club which I am proud to say, has listened to my descriptions of our activities, has taken them on-board, and is now growing through similar events and programs.”

“My big life lesson is my email tagline: "Do today what you thought about for tomorrow, for tomorrow sometimes never comes.""