In my early teens, I developed my first roll of film in my dad's darkroom. I have had a darkroom of sorts ever since that time. However, now I watch the finish image slowly appear from my Epson 2200 inkjet printer instead of in a tray of developer.

Today, instead of which developer-film combination we am working with, the discussions with other photographers centers around how many megapels our cameras can capture or how much RAM is required for processing large files. The digital darkroom is taking over and forever changing photography as we once knew it.

I have been a photographer for 45 plus years and have enjoyed working with computers for 35 plus years. Those two fields have merged into today's photography, giving me a total of over 80 years experience. Never before have I had the total control over the complete creative process. Photoshop CS has some new function that extends that creativity even further.

I can now take my collection of cameras ranging from 35mm, both digital and film, up to 4X5 format and capture the many images that I find in my journey of life to share today and tomorrow.

If asked about my interests as a photographer, my answer would be multi-faceted, as can be dicovered viewing the collection of images on my web site - www.bobricketsonphoto.com. Nature photography would top the list and mirror my love of the outdoors. Still life with an abudence of flowers, many of which I have grown in my gardens, would be a close second. Travel photography is next. It is always exciting exploring new areas, taking the road less traveled can lead to adventure.

Each new year, I start off by making a statement about trying to get better - stop back from time to time to view the images on my web site and see if I reach my goal.

Bob Ricketson is a stock and assignment photographer, specializing in nature and landscape photography. Nature in the area around the Hudson Valley makes up the majority of the images on these web pages. A large collection of lighthouses of Maine and Cape Cod are included with other seascapes.

Orders can be emailed to me for any image that is on these web pages. Each photo has either a title or a catalog number. That is all I need to get started. I would prefer to send just the print and not a framed print. You can create the framed print with your selection of matting and framing.