Someone once ask me, “In your opinion what is the best translation of the Bible?” My answer was, “The one you will read every day.”

Cameras are like that too, Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, DSLR, Point and Shoot, whatever. The best one for you is the one you will get out and use.

My experience began in 1958 when I purchased a Polaroid camera. Being able to see the photo I just took blew me away. I wore out several of the cameras and the pictures faded away pretty fast too. Then on to a Pentax Spotmatic 35mm, I still enjoy putting a roll of slide film in it and going out to take pictures. But enough reminiscing and on to the point I want to make.

That point is this, you don’t have to be a world traveler to take Masterpiece Photos, Start in your own backyard, your own city, your own county then your own state. Purchase a digital camera and shoot, shoot, shoot. Take several shots of the subject at hand, keep the good and erase bad and the ugly. That would make a good movie title wouldn’t it?

You never know what you might run across, look at this picture. I honestly didn’t see the face in it until I processed it in my computer.

I have discovered that all the beauty spots in the world have already been photographed at least a million times. I go to California and take a bunch of pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge and guess what they all look like someone else beat me to that angle or lighting.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go and do it, but if you want your own style and have a tight budget go local.

I live in Ohio, and Ohio is not known for its photographic scenery that is unless you look for it. There is Lake Erie with its lighthouses and islands, Amish country, flat on the west side and beautiful hills on the east side. We have the Grand Canyon of the east and the Ohio River and the list goes on. With gas at $4.00 a gallon it is fun to stay local.

I need to set a goal to keep me motivated, for the past several months Ruth and I have been working on all the covered bridges in Ohio. The feeling I get as I am standing in one of these bridges is hard to explain and the wonderful people close by are a joy to talk to. In 2003 Ohio celebrated its bicentennial year by having a bicentennial logo painted on 0ne barn in each of our counties. Ruth and I decided to photograph all 88 of them on our motorcycle, 6200 miles later we had them on film. What wonderful memories and photos.

So what are you waiting for? Keep that camera with you all the time. You never know when the Martians might land.