I remember my first camera being nothing much more than a black box where I could wind film.  It also had a place for push-in type flash bulbs.  This had to be when I was around 12 or 13 years old.  From there I progressed to the favorite of the 1970s, the Polaroid!  You could take pictures and see them almost instantly!  It was great!

Years later, while stationed in the Philippines in the 1980s, I purchased an Olympus OM-G (not the same as today’s texting language) SLR.  This was my first “real” camera.  I bought lenses, and flashes, and really never learned what I was doing, but I knew I loved doing it.

Fast forward to the 21st century, and digital was really coming into its own.  I could now have a combination of the immediacy of the 70’s Polaroid with the control of the SLR.  While digital SLRs were still a few years away at the time, I jumped on the digital bandwagon and haven’t looked back since.  Shooting digital has given me opportunities I never would have had otherwise.

My love for photography, specifically nature and wildlife photography, flows from my love for God.  It is my wish that through my photography, others will recognize the beauty and wonder of the creation from the all-powerful Creator.  We are not accidents, neither is our world.  We were created to glorify Him in everything we do and I hope that in some small way, my photographs will lead others to Him, for all creation was created by Him, through Him, and for Him. (Colossians 1:16)

Then, something happened. Maybe it was because I was getting older. For years I declined to photograph people, other than the occasional family portrait for myself, but then one day I realized that as we lose those we love, many times the photographs are all we have left to remind us of the good times we shared. It was then that I decided to start offering my services of providing portraits, so that when those we love move on to the next life, we will still have those prints to look at with fond remembrance.

My goal is to provide beautiful, high-quality, yet affordable portraits to those who desire them. I live in an area that is not populated by “McMansions,” but the people here are just as deserving of fond memories as the richest people in the world. I’ve had 20+ years practicing my craft. It’s time others started to gain a benefit from this as well.

Michael Hampton