Young Photography

I began as many people did, taking pictures as a child.....however my childhood pictures date back to 1957.....no not of me, the ones I took. My mother was my influence and like her, I took pictures of my travels and life experiences. I found photographs are as said "worth a thousand words" but you do not want me to talk about each picture...or show my slides.....borrrrrrrring!

I define photographs as a pictorial documentation of life, family, events, times and locations that stimulate emotion, mind and heart. I was fortunate to have a career as a fire fighter which began in the Marine Corps and this career took me from California to Arizona, Florida, Alabama, and Washington. I had a very unique and different fire fighter career than that of a city/county fire fighter as the public have experienced first hand or as portrayed in the media. Some of my work is too sensitive to be shown.

My career because of training took me to other locations throughout the United States, as did vacation time or days off. Loving to camp I found myself driving back roads, exploring mines and ghost towns. I used to share my travels in pictures with fellow fire fighters and one day a fellow fire fighter suggested, that I do something with my photography. I began taking photography classes at the local college (Victor Valley Community College). While still a fire fighter, I became a wedding photographer.

Opportunity always blessed my career and life.....except money and time. As a wedding photographer (1983-1992) about 1985, I looked to see how the computer could assist my business and purchased my first DOS based computer. In reading professional photography magazines and books.....I began to see how computers and photography could become a commodity for my business. However, I could not afford the digital technology I read about and saw Medical and Government agencies using.

The next few years time and events altered my pursuit of my dreams and plans as a professional photographer. Another milestone in digital imagery and computers became available....very low priced professional photographic images on disks or the internet. Some of the photographs on this site are a product of my first scanner in 1993, digital camera in 1997, which many are of low resolution and size do not do justice for the picture.

Please enjoy what has become a site of memories, images of travel, places and events. I hope this site sparks interest and memories and as I pursue my dreams whether or not I fulfill them, the road is.....rewarding and fulfilling.

Another journey of mine has been my genealogy research which began in 1993.

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CONSUMER ALERT: 1 Mar 2005

DO NOT BUY from A&M Photo World their web site misleads the consumer, not clearly stating the item you may see or wish to purchase ARE NOT as shown. For example cameras appear with a lens and there is no warning that the lens is NOT included, so you are MISLEAD by the price first which may bring you to the site, as it did me. Only to find the lens is not included, then to find the battery is not included and one last item, as this was a digital SLR, the flashcard is not included. After speaking with the sales person and finally trying to get a complete camera, not only was the cost higher than other sites, i.e. Ritz Camera, which comes with 2 lenses, I was asked why I was not buying the Pro Kits. I replied, I am not aware you have them, nor does your web site mention Pro Kits, nor the cost.

The high pressure sales pitch comes into play trying to sell you on why you need certain items and the next thing my order went from approx. $2200 to $3999.99. Which exceeded my credit line. Also another complaint of mine is I placed this order online and never received a confirmation e-mail. I could not check the status of my order, for it had not even began processing by end of business day Friday. Order Status: was left messages. No one from A&M Photo World sent an e-mail or called, so the Left Message was a lie. On Monday when I called to check the status, I was told my credit card was declined. That was because A&M Photo World through high pressure sales tactics exceeded my credit line. They then tried to ask me not once but twice by two different employees what my credit line was. Never give this information out. Then with more sales pressure tactics tried to convince me they wasted 30 minutes of their time and tried asking me again what my credit line was as an attempt to see what charges they could reduce to meet my credit line, which would of maxed my credit card out. My order now exceeded $3999, with shipping of $200. How can shipping be $200 for 2 cameras?

I then was inconvenienced further by having to call my bank. Tuesday, A&M Photo World called me to state the bank had approved the order of approx. $3300, after I told repeatedly to cancel my order because of how I was pressured and mislead not only by their web site, but the sales person. I was told (you might of just called me a lair) that no the charge was never $3999.99 or approx. $4200 including shipping. I explained, I was told by Robert my total was $3999.99 and even wrote it down. Since I never got a confirmation e-mail of this price either. I was played back and forth between the lady in their credit dept., the original sales person and another sales person. Which is how cars are sold, pressure and bouncing you back and forth. I am not stupid and saw this pressure scam/tactic. I know they get paid on commission and the more sales, the more commission they get. They do not let you get a word in edgewise, so they pressure you by word brow beating.

A&M Photo World has caused my credit card to be tied up and not able to make any other purchases, or if I needed the funds in an emergency, also caused for delay in 2 products I wished to have ordered, having me to call my bank and now look elsewhere. Thus they have lost my business by how they mishandled my request from day one. And any future business. I make allot of online purchases and have bought camera's online before. ButterflyPhoto hassle free, received the camera in a timely manner and a reasonable price.