About the PhotoGregory Blog

About Me:

Greg Wilson Profile Photo I moved to Kansas City in 1978. More specifically, Overland Park, KS, is where I call home. I grew up in southeast Kansas and always have had an interest in tinkering, capturing, and documenting how things work. One day, I found an old Brownie camera in my parents closet. It wasn’t getting used all that often so I finally convinced them to let me use it. But in those days I was a kid with no source of income of my own. Film and the cost to develop it made it a luxury to capture pictures. It was while I was on family vacations taking pictures of people, that I eventually realized I enjoyed landscape photography the most. A landscape didn’t talk back and it always cooperated far better as I was composing a photo. After returning from a road trip to the Grand Canyon as I looked through pictures from the trip, I realized one of the images captured a bolt of lightning striking the other side of the canyon. That was my “ah ha” moment when I first realized I had been bitten by the photography bug!

I earned my bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in Accounting from The Wichita State University in Wichita, KS. That’s what my diploma says anyway. I bought my first Minolta 35mm film camera as soon as I landed a “real job” after graduating from college. I’ve worn out several of them over the years. That “real job” began a 40-plus year career in accounting which did not allow for much time to devote to my interest in photography. First as a public accountant, then moving into Corporate America. In 2012 I made the decision to leave a fast-paced stressful Corporate America to pursue a more meaningful career in finance and giving back in the non-profit environment. This has provided me more time to be traveling and getting out and about exploring photo opportunities. Finally, I had the opportunity to release my repressed creative side. (Accounting is not a career that provides a lot of opportunity for creative expression. And accountants, who do express “creativity”, frequently end up in jail.) I spend most of my time in the Midwest and enjoying the opportunities that having four distinct seasons has to offer. Although I’m still working full-time, I somehow manage to travel a bit more and more each year. Hard to beat it!

I live in what most Americans call “fly-over” country. Although the Kansas City metro area is home to more than 2.34 million folks, I still view it as a photo-rich environment of rolling hills and wide open spaces. With more Boulevard miles than Paris and more fountains than any city except Rome, I get to call upon my interest in nature, photography, and computer graphics to create artistic images that blend it all together. Just a short drive to the west offers 360° unobstructed views of rolling hills and prairie. To the east, we have the forested Ozark mountains and the sprawling Lake of the Ozarks with more shoreline than the coast of California. There’s a much wider variety of diverse photographic opportunities than most Americans expect to find “in the middle of nowhere.”

About My Equipment:

In case you are interested: I am currently using Sony Alpha a99ii and a700 bodies. I chose the Sony A-mount line back in 2006 when I made my first DSLR purchase as I made the transition from my Minolta 35mm film camera. I was able to continue using the various Minolta lenses I had acquired during my college years and therefore it made the investment in a newer technology easier and more affordable. A lot has changed in the decade since that purchase, but I continue to support the Sony ecosystem because of the investment in equipment I’ve made over the years. I added my current “go-to” a99ii body in late 2016. Unlike the a700 which had a 12.24-megapixel APS-C size CMOS sensor, the a99ii has a 42.4-megapixel full-frame Exmor CMOS sensor.

Lenses: Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 ZA SSM II wide angle lens, Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 ZA SSM II Vario-Sonnar T* lens, Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G SSM II mid-range zoom lens, Sony 2.0x Teleconverter, Sony SAL-1870 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, Sony SAL-75300 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 lens, and Sony SAL100M28 100mm F2.8 Macro lens.

The rest of my gear is rather eclectic. The tripod I use most is an older three-piece Carbon Fiber Tripod. Recently I’ve added a Platypod Max and Platypod Ultra for low-angle shots and situations where traditional tripods are cumbersome or impractical. For either Platypod, I use a Manfrotto 496RC2 Ball Head to support the camera. My camera bags of choice are from PeakDesign. I use them to keep all of my equipment organized and ready to grab whenever the urge strikes me to head out on a photo safari. They are filled with all kinds of gadgets, triggers, connectors, and so forth, along with PeakDesign straps and accessories.

About The PhotoGregory Blog:

Overview: The first gallery of images on this blog site was made in October 2010. By almost any measure, this is still a blog site in its infancy. My goal was to create a site where I could share images I’ve taken with family and friends. From time to time, I’ve had requests for a copy of one of those images. So I eventually added a BUY PRINTS section to accommodate those requests. I didn’t really want to add pricing to every single photo I uploaded in a gallery. I’d rather have a limited well-curated selection of images available for sale. And add images for sale based on specific requests.

More recently, the blog section of the site has been used as a way to keep me motivated to learn each and every day. I tend to go through “spurts” of photographic activity. In an effort to build self-confidence in my photography skills, I’ve challenged myself to take at least one photo a day. But taking a picture a day can be something that is easily allowed to slide as other pressures make demands on precious “free time” in a day. Therefore, in an effort to hold myself accountable, I’ve decided to try to add a daily picture and brief description.

It’s not been an easy thing to do on a daily basis. You’ll notice there are gaps where I was not satisfied with my results and therefore I did not share them. And other days, I just didn’t get myself motivated. I’ve given myself permission to miss days and not feel like I’ve been a failure at this project goal. It’s something that I’m working on to make myself better. I look at it as a self-improvement project aimed at helping me hone my skills. Not only photography skills but also self-discipline and follow through necessary for success; however we choose to define that.

So, feel free to interact and let me know what you think. Share ideas and thoughts about the places you have found and enjoy. Tell me about photo safari locations you’ve stumbled upon or want to explore. Or just share your passion or interest in photography. I’m not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. But I know what I like, and it’s fun to share that with others.

All photos on this website are copyrighted by PhotoGregory. More information about this copyright can be found on our Copyright Notification page.