I became completely bitten by the “photography bug” about 1989, when I was stationed in Naples, Italy. I owned various “point-and-shoot” cameras before then, which included several 110mm formats and later a 35mm Minolta camera.
In Naples, I quickly realized I needed to photograph the Italian landscape. So, in early 1990 I invested in a Nikon n8008 35mm camera, at the time one of the top “amateur” cameras on the market. I’ve never been sorry about buying that camera. And all the “accessory” photo equipment I’ve purchased.
I shifted to digital SLR (DSLR) cameras around 2006 with a Nikon D80. Since then all my work has been digital. While digital photography has definite advantages over film (one being the photos are much easier to display online) I still miss many aspects of film photography.
My current primary camera is a Nikon D7100, augmented by a GoPro 11 Black and my iPhone 15. I end up using my Goddamn iPhone more than my Nikon, which really annoys me. But, the best camera to have is the one you have with you, so… Here is what I consider my best photography work. I hope you enjoy viewing these images as much as I enjoyed creating them.
Travelogue Photos
I got hooked on photography shooting travel photos of Italy. I’ve done a lot of traveling over the years, and my photography work reflects this. This is my album of travel photography, both within the United States and around the world. Note that all my earlier work was 35mm film, and I continue to transfer those images to digital. As I digitize my earlier work I’ll be posting here.
Ron and Winnie
Having a camera means taking pictures of the people most important to you. In this album I’ve collected photos of my wife Weifang (“Winnie”) and me on our many adventures together in life. Note some of these photos were taken by Winnie, as I can’t always do selfies. She is credited for the photos she took.
Pandora’s Box
“Life is like a box of chocolate. You never know what you’ll get.”
In this album I’ve collected all sorts of strange and experimental photography stuff, that doesn’t fit into my other albums. As my collection grows, I’ve added sub-sections of common themed images.
Boats Ships and Subs
I’ve been around watercraft all my adult life. From joining the Navy at age 17, through my post-Navy life of working in shipyards and later shipbuilding programs, I’ve never been far from some type of boat, ship, or submarine. In this album I’ve collected my photos of watercraft.
Family Scrapbook
Along with photos of Winnie and me, I’ve also acquired a large number of photos of our extended families. These are their albums.
My Undersea World
In addition to all my land-based photography, I’ve had several encounters with underwater photography. I first worked with a 35mm film camera, and more recently using my GoPro 11 Black camera. I do not claim that any of my underwater work is earth-shattering, or prime for a National Geographic special. But, I love the water and these photos have a special place in my humble photo collection.
Hurricane Katrina
As unpleasant as it is, Winnie and I are survivors of Hurricane Katrina. We were living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast at the time Katrina blew through, and flooded out our home along with hundreds of thousands of other homes. I’ve created one album for the images I took of this life-changing event.
Gratuitous Videos
I used to take a lot of travel videos way back in the late 1980s, using a VHS-format Camcorder. Once I acquired my first Nikon 8008 I largely abandoned videos. A VHS camcorder was simply too much equipment to lug around (VHS Camcorders were the size of a carry-on suitcase) along with my Nikon. Over the past few years, as video equipment became more compact (cough…iPhone…cough…GoPro… ) I’ve started creating video clips along with my still photography. I’m now beginning to make a push into doing more video work, and will be posting my videos in this humble blog. Videos published here will be scattered around the various galley pages with related photos. My complete collection of video work is available on my YouTube channel .
Ron Charest
November 21, 2022
Related Posts
- The Katrina Diaries: Stories from living through hurricane Katrina.
- The Year of Hurricane Katrina: My story of living through the storm and the year afterwards. Uses info from my Katrina Diaries as source references, with additional material.
- A Bittersweet Homecoming: A story about visiting the Mississippi Gulf Coast several years after moving away.
- A Sampler of Peru: My travelogue of a two-week adventure exploring the magical country of Peru.