Shutterbugs

by Fred Moore

North Point View

I grew up in Bakersfield and worked mostly in the oil fields until deciding to have my own shop and build street rods for customers. I married the love of my life, Diane, in 1969 and together we had a successful business for many years. I took a lot of pictures of the cars we built, but left the real photography to the pros that worked for the magazines that featured our cars.

In 1999 we got out of the business and moved to Morro Bay. Living on the Central Coast is a great adventure and we enjoy seeing all of the beauty of this terrific place.

I had a small point-and-shoot film camera to take pictures of us exploring all the beautiful places here — just for the memories — never thinking about light or composition. Then I got a digital point-and-shoot and could take all the photos I wanted without the cost of the film. I took so many that I had to save just the keepers and delete all the others. Doing this caused me to figure out what I liked about the ones I wanted to keep and I started paying more attention to the details that make a good photograph. I looked at photographs in the galleries here and decided to try to make photos instead of take them.

I bought a Cannon 7D DSLR about two years ago and started learning how to use it. I had the good luck to meet Mike Baird and he gave me some tips to try when taking photos. He also suggested sharing my photos with other people and getting comments on what they thought of my work — good and bad. So I opened a Flickr account and joined Photomorrobay. The comments from those members and others gave me the incentive to really think about what it takes to make a good photograph. The more I learned, the more fun and enjoyment I got from photography.

It is a great experience to be around such talented people who are willing to share their knowledge and give encouragement to a beginner. To be a part of this community is a rewarding experience. Photography is a great way to get outdoors and take time to see the detail in the environment around us.

Cloud Before the Storm

Visit Fred's Flickr Pages   

Here on the Shutterbugs page, some of our best local photographers share their passion for capturing beautiful and fascinating images. Some images are cropped to fit our format. You will find more of their work on various photo sites, including Flickr, and in our own Great Shots section. Some images are cropped to better fit this page. You can see the originals at the photographer's flickr pages.

Previous Shutterbugs include Mimi Ditchie, Alice Cahill, Gary Powell, Ken Bondy, Sylvia Sanchez, Donald Quintana, Beth Sargent, Don Henderson, Jerry Kirkhart, Steve Corey, Linda McDonald, Catherine Ryan Hyde, Ronnie Goyette, Dorothy Cutter, Aiden Briggs, Devra Cooper, Ashala Tylor, Marlin Harms, Howard Ignatius, Elizabeth Haslam, Mike Baird, and Linda Tanner.

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