fototaker

Artistic freelance San Francisco-born photographer with 38+ years experience behind many viewfinders. I like to think my imagery is unique as I see a different shade of “gray” or color. What I adore capturing are details, objects and go wild over reflections and lines. Though I see in many colors, black and white is still my primary ViSion. I capture many different themes: architecture, landscapes, sunsets, flora (acHoooo), cityscapes, portraits and even landscapes of the human body…. I’ve also had the extreme honor of photographing the beauty of bodies that have been aged well past 60 years young, to newborn babies and challenged with bodies as vast as a meadow of individuals weighing over 300lbs, or with as little as 100lbs. To me it doesn’t matter, as i love ALL landscapes of the human body.

There is no specific area I dedicate my Vision to – I remain in awe of any and everything. About 99% of my imagery is straight out of the camera. If I add an “effect” it’s usually pre-visualized and entails perhaps removing an annoying STOP sign or cables, or making a Black and White image with selective coloring – that’s about it. I believe in traditional photography with very little added or done. That doesn’t mean I do not like digital images that are heavy in HDR and/or effects; it’s just not my game or style. I’m a simple guy and like simple things, dat’s all… ;-)

I still have a A2000 Amiga computer with a Video Toaster within, and my 30+ year old black and white darkroom equipment. :-) I now enjoy using a Canon EOS 7D with a variety of lenses, but everyone knows it’s not the equipment but how it’s used… I love the fog, the snow, the heat and the wind…. I will snap in the rain and the chill, and often stay out hours after the sun has disappeared to snap at night, often without benefit of a tripod though I do have one.

I enjoy music in many styles: C&W, spanish, chill and just regular ballads and folk/pop music. If you thought rap sounds bad, listen to it in another language!! I cook and love preparing american, chinese and spanish foods, and enjoy traveling, driving (with a manual shift, though am stuck with an automatic), eating in or out, and enjoy spanish as well as other wines.

Seemingly a world-traveler during my film-days, I have now lived in SW Andalucia for 16 years and have NoW returned to Cadiz province to prepare over the next few years to sell my apartment then prepare to resettle in Eugene, Oregon. Just because I am gone from Spain doesn’t mean I won’t return (and I will return). Because of all this activity related to my – yet again – overseas move, I am busy packing and repacking, trying to get my Life to the Pacific NW; if I do not view your lovely images or reply to your kind comments, trust that it’s not because I do not want but due to lack of time and energy. I am also flying back and forth between Spain and the west Coast to get my stuff back on “foreign soil” so bear with me. Once I get settled in Eugene, I’ll still be up to my elbows in boxes but might have more time to see your imagery (unless I’m on the Oregon coast snapping pixs in the fog or high winds!

I’m most happy to talk with other artists and photographers ~ please refrain from using ONLY RBmail and email me directly please: fototaker @t gmail dot com

NOTE: IF you want to FAVE my images, PLEASE at least take a second or two and make a courteous comment first. I consider it rude to fave and not comment. Please think of it this way: Visiting or favoriting a picture anywhere without leaving a comment is like passing by a friend’s house to visit, then upon discovering nobody is home, you depart without leaving a note on the door saying you had stopped by. Without that note, it’s as if you had never ever even passed by, and nobody at the empty house will know the difference when they return.

I am always available for photographic commissions throughout the year no matter my location (San Francisco, West Coast USA and Cadiz province, southwestern Spain). I am experienced and very interested in travel, expedition and adventure proposals, or if you and your group just need a photographer to just snap everyone in a group without the million exchanging of camera – I have done it and can capture the excitement, the sights and the travel of your group! Just contact me for details!

All displayed imagery are owned by fototaker.net and cannot be copied or otherwise used in any type of medium without my express written permission. You can own a piece of me and my thoughts for just a few smackers to support my Vision and Arte, enabling me to continue creating these images and more…. All imagery with words upon them are also copyright fototaker.net. The words written are the property of fototaker’s mind and cannot be displayed elsewhere, written or copied, used in part or whole, excluding reviews in which I should be advised prior to its publication, and provided a hard copy. Please respect these copyright rules or I’ll have to snitch on you and send a platoon of angry armed marines to your living room.

I am also party to a growing group/organization of fellow photographers who assist each other in discovering misuse of OUR collective imagery. When we see an image of “ours” used somewhere with someone else’s name on it, or in a site WE wouldn’t dare call home to OUR images, we report it to the photographer, plus the authorities. It’s actually quite easier than you think. Unfortunately it’s sad to see how people think it’s perfectly legal and okay to copy a picture or two, put it elsewhere and even under their own names as the artist/photographer. Doing so is just like any other crime virtually or real-world: it’s NOT okay.