Pat Sampson

Denver, Colorado, USA

 

I grew up near Tulsa OK on the prairie and around the black jack oak trees that are common there.  I was raised on a farm and spent most of my time outdoors, fishing whenever I got the chance.  After a four-year tour in the USMC, I returned to Oklahoma and completed a philosophy degree at the University of Oklahoma.  I also minored in physics and math which have continued to be life-long interests.  My career after college involved some aspect of software development, either as a programmer, systems analyst or development manager.


I began photography when I was in my early fifties, mostly as a way to record the birds and wildlife I saw when I was out hiking.  That evolved into an interest in fine art photography and I was fortunate enough to discover the group of photographers on the Nature Photographer's Network and participate in the photo posts and critiques there.  In particular, William Fach (as moderator of the Flora Gallery on NPN) mentored me and helped me develop my own style.

My wife Terri and I currently live in Denver, Colorado and are both semi-retired.  My current interests include cosmology and astronomy, Buddhism, the Python programming language, photography and art history.  We plan to travel to several of the national parks yearly for photography with our dog Molly.  I'm trying to train her to carry my gear.  (smile)