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SELF TAUGHT PHOTOGRAPHER: Here is a little of my story. After Being a bartender for 14 years I had decided to quit and go to school for Graphic Arts. I went to a community college for a semester and had a 4.0 average. Wonderful!!! I had intended on going back but circumstances beyond my control prevented that from happening. I decided to get into photography instead. I bought books, read tutorials, and watched tutorials on the internet to learn all I could. I bought a DSLR camera and read the manual to learn how to use it. I have since upgraded my camera from a Nikon D60 to a D700. I use the D60 for a backup now. I bought lenses, speed lights, extra batteries, filters, ect... I learned photo editing the same way that I learned about photography. I am currently in a few contests and challenges and am ranked in the top three in a daily international competition among hundreds of other photographers. People tell me all the time that I inspire them, that warms my heart and makes me feel that everything I am doing is right. I feel now that I have chosen the right path in my life, what God intended me to do. I don't specialize in any one type of photography, I love variety. I do all types of photography and I believe that is what sets me apart from most other photographers.