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Photography has only been a part of my life since 2008. In the second half of that year I've got my first relatively serious camera, the Sony Cybershot DSC-H5. Ever since I got that camera I've been putting some thoughts on the various variables that make photography a craft instead of a hollow activity to capture the objective reality. As the legendary photographer Ansel Adams said: "You don't take a photograph, you make it." Before I bought that camera though, I only took snapshots without even thinking (too much) about how elements such as composition, lighting and movement could influence the viewer's perception of the photograph. In a way I guess I do miss the carefree mindless activity of "clicking on the shutter and we'll see what comes out", but I always knew there was more I could do to improve my shots. The biggest change came somewhere in 2009 when I joined the online art community called deviantART. On that website I discovered a photography technique called HDR (High Dynamic Range) and instantaneously, I fell in love. After some practice I got the feeling that I understood the core values of this technique, but to make true use of it I felt that I needed to be able to have more control over my photographs and that's when I bought my first DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera, the Canon EOS 450D. After this, many hours were spent improving my skills and many euros were spent buying photography equipment.