What is your name?

David Patrick Valera

When did you begin listening to The Candid Frame?

Couple of years ago after I took my first street photography workshop and have been listening ever since.

How long have you been shooting and what inspired your interest in photography?

I've been shooting on and off most of my life. I was 6 years old when I had my first experience with a camera shooting my mom's Kodak Instamatic 44.  I remember loving to expend the flash cubes, they looked so crystal clear and perfect, then after use, get all bubbly and distorted.  It wasn’t till later I realized these little black boxes make pictures which then I proceeded to take all the family vacation photos.  I shot film throughout high school and college with my trusty Nikon FE2, taking a few classes here and there, spending countless hours in the darkroom developing B&W film. My first experience into digital photography was in 1994 when the Apple Quicktake 100 was introduced.  I was so excited I had the ability to easily connect to my home computer and instantly, see the images I just took in all their 0.3 MP glory.

When my first child was born, I realized the numerous P&S cameras I had were not able to capture the unwillingness of the subject to sit still and pose. I know, how selfish of her.