Gordon Lubbers

I grew up on Long Island, NY. Family vacations introduced me to the beauty of the mountains … the Catskills, the Adirondacks, the Whites. I began solo hiking at 17; it’s something I still enjoy to this day. At some point I decided I should show the family what I was seeing, and so started packing a camera. When digital cameras became available I made the switch. When I retired in 2018 I made the effort to go from “taking snapshots” to (a rather fuzzy idea here) “real photography”. I joined a local club, watched a lot of Nigel Danson and Thomas Heaton on YouTube, memorized the owners manual for my camera …. you get the idea. I still study, still practice, am still a dedicated enthusiast … and still try to capture the beauty I see in the outdoors.

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Favorite of all is nighttime photography. I love moonlit landscapes; the colors are more rich. It’s also very true that a 2 AM session shooting the Milky Way is much more peaceful and quiet than a session in Market Square at 2 PM.

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My gear is Pentax bodies and lenses, Slick tripods. Most recent addition to the kit has been a K-5 converted to IR using an 850 nm filter.

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My military service – the US Army right out of high school. After all the training for light weapons Airborne Infantry I was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division’s Finance Company. Made SP5; earned the GI Bill. After earning a BS Chemistry I reenlisted … this time with the US N avy. After OCS and SWO School at Newport, IR I had a “split” sea tour on the USS Suribachi (AE-21) as STREAM Division Officer and then Damage Control Assistant. During my follow up shore tour I was an instructor of the NROTC unit, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY. I taught Navigation to 3rd year midshipmen.