Bryan Carnathan - About Me

Bryan Carnathan

The-Digital-Picture has been online for over five years as I finally get around to writing this "About Me" page. It took so long because, well, the site is not "About Me" - it's about you. I've had a lifelong love for people and for helping them. I find a great deal of fulfillment in doing so through this site.

The About Me page is actually the result of PDN (Photo District News) convincing me to get it done, so here we go:

At the age of 15, I was working all of the odd jobs I could find to save enough money to buy my first SLR camera - a Pentax ME Super SE with a Pentax 50mm kit lens (that should help you age me). At that time, I was shooting a roll of film a week - which burdened my tiny budget, but was the start of my photography pursuits. At some point soon after the SLR purchase, a Sigma telephoto zoom lens became part of my kit and brought the world of wildlife photography into reach.

Some of Bryan Carnathan's Early Wildlife Photos

The ultimate career to me at this young age would have been as a wildlife photographer, but my financial needs directed me toward another passion (I have many) - technology. Since graduating from college with a BS in CS (Computer Science), I have worked in various disciplines, but primarily information services consulting and directing in the business world. Creating information systems that make lives and companies better is fulfilling, challenging, ever-changing and therefore, fun.

During much of this time, I was not pursuing my childhood photography passion. Digital cameras delivering reasonable image quality at reasonably affordable prices changed everything. Digital imaging married my interests in computers and technology with my idled love for photography. I saw the light and jumped back into the photography world in a big way with commercial photography added to the mix of business services I was providing.

The original purpose of The-Digital-Picture.com was to sell stock photos online. However, what people were more interested in was the equipment I used to take the pictures. At this same time, I was active in some online forums and I spent a lot of time answering gear-related questions for people. Thus, I changed the direction of the site to one based on equipment selection with teaching intermixed. The present site is a blend of my love for people - and for helping them, my love for technology including the Internet and a since-childhood passion for photography. Most of my current photography is in support of the site though I take on some for-hire photography projects as time allows (I'm turning most of these opportunities down at this point).

I'm never satisfied with the site (and have many ideas for making it better) but the lack of time is what prevents much of this from happening quickly. I'm completely independent and have no connection with Canon other than some personal relationships useful for information gathering. The site is completely supported from commission from purchases made through the links on the site - I am grateful for the support of so many of you. The site really is about you - and without you, it would not be here today. I look forward to serving you long into the future!

Bryan Carnathan Barefoot Waterskiing