Hi. My name is John Kester. I live in Georgetown, SC. I became interested in photography at an early age. My grandfather's hobby was photography and I was with him a lot. He had many different cameras; Leica, Rolleiflex, Nikon, Hasselblad, and others. He had a fully equipped dark room in his house. I "helped" him develop the film and print the pictures. I was also a part time model for him.
Me with my grandfather's Leica camera
As I got older, my grandfather began teaching me how to use the camera. He taught me about f-stops, shutter speeds, focusing, how to use a light meter, and different kinds of films. When I graduated from high school, he gave me a Nikkormat 35mm camera. I still have that camera.
I went to college at NC State University in the early 1970s. There was a dark room on campus for students to use. I took pictures with my Nikkormat and then took the film to the dark room on campus and developed it, and printed the pictures. I really enjoyed taking pictures. I never considered myself a great photographer, but I enjoyed photography.
I continued to use my Nikkormat camera, but every now and then I would borrow one of my grandfather's Hasselblads. I'm not sure what year Nikon started making DSLR (digital) cameras. I remember that I resisted digital to begin with. I didn't see how auto-focus could possibly work or be reliable. I did not grasp what a revolution in photography digital cameras would bring.
In December 2004 I caved in and ordered my first DSLR (digital) camera. It was a Nikon D 70 with an 18-70mm kit lens. It was a pretty good camera. I enjoyed using it. I had to learn how to get the pictures into the computer and edit them. I could get by, but I certainly was no expert. The software back then wasn't that great either. I started with Photoshop Elements software. I eventually changed to Adobe Lightroom which I have used ever since. I now subscribe to Adobe Creative Cloud for photographers, which includes Photoshop, Lightroom, and several other applications.
I have had six different Nikon digital cameras through the years. I currently have two Nikon digital mirrorless cameras, the Z6 II and the Z8. The cameras keep getting better and better.
My favorite subject for my photographs is wildlife (mostly birds). I enjoy photographing birds because of the challenge they present. I also enjoy photographing scenes around the coast where I live. I am not a professional photographer. I do it for my own enjoyment. I hope you enjoy looking at some of my pictures. Please feel free to send me a message in the contact section, if you would like. Thanks for looking. John K.