John Crews Photographer from Corona, CA

I had grown up with "instamatic" cameras, but I really didn't take photography seriously until I took a class in high school. It was my Sophomore year and I got my first chance to use an SLR. I liked.it enough to buy my own, a Fuji 35mm. I fell in love with capturing images. I learned how to shoot in manual mode. I was a Marine Corp brat and lived near a helicopter base. The base had a "hobby shop" accessible to Marines and their dependents. Part of this was a complete black and white dark room. I had a friend who also liked photography and we would spend hours processing film and developing prints. My first love of photography was capturing beautiful landscapes. Then I discovered that I loved taking pictures of people. Photographs are important. A single image can change the course of history. Photographs capture beauty, tragedy, disaster, renewal and all of the important human events of our time. I love the ability to capture a moment in time and preserve it for eternity. Babies, children, graduations, engagements, weddings, anniversaries . . .these are milestones in family history that should be preserved for future generations.