As a retired IT Professional of 35 years, a father to two accomplished children with exceptional spouses, grandfather of three phenomenal grandchildren, and husband of 50 years to the love of my life, in recent years I’ve turned my attention to photography.

Despite dabbling with film photography back in the 70’s, it’s not until my work life was over that a more serious approach to photography took place.  It began as with many with documenting family life and events.  It progressed to coincide with our shared hobby – birding.

This meant that a normal lens was no longer appropriate to capture the detail of those small and constantly moving subjects.  Larger and larger lenses, tripods, cases, and gear were obtained.  Trips to birding locations continue to this day.

The next area of interest was landscape photography.  The pace was particularly inviting, with much time spent planning and positioning for a single shot, rather than the machinegun approach that worked so well with birds.  Wide-angle lenses and a variety of filters were the tools that made it possible.

But eventually, with age and mobility playing a significant part, macro photography came to the forefront.  The urge to depict that which cannot be seen by the naked eye was a strong driver.  That, along with the diversity of subjects, both living and inanimate, made for an easy choice to concentrate on shooting small subjects.  Again, equipment such as macro lenses, speedlights, diffusers, and DIY solutions that included 3D printing made it possible.

My most recent foray into photography is using microscope objectives such as a Mitutoyo 5X, 10X, or 20X combined with a 200mm relay lens, a Beseler CS-21 Copy Stand, StackShot rail, and even a stereo microscope to select and pose subjects for shooting.

With the time my wife and I have left, my goal is to fill our lives with the interesting fauna and flora around us, capturing them with as much accuracy and beauty as to do them justice.

Hank Levesque

Photographer