Sunset from the iPad

I started feeling a bit better today. At least I was able to get out of the house for a few hours.

I mentioned a couple of months ago that my hair stylist is also a well known Western photographer, and is the photographer for the Reno Rodeo and Elko Cowboy Poetry Festival. Since I was in desperate need of a haircut, I made an appointment with him today. And as usual, all we talked about was photography. I mentioned to him that I needed to get my camera sensor cleaned and I wasn't courageous enough to do it myself. He laughed and said he was the same way. He then told me that there was an excellent camera repairman here in Reno that all of the professional photographers take their cameras to. He said that "Steve" was the only person he trusted enough to have work on his cameras. I was surprised to find that there are many professional photographers here in the Reno/Lake Tahoe area, and was very pleasantly surprised to find Steve.

After I got my hair cut, I promptly called Steve and set up an appointment to meet with him this afternoon. His "shop" is in the warehouse district in Sparks, and was very small. But the minute I entered it I knew that this man loved cameras and photography. He had several display cases of "vintage" film cameras and equipment - all of them absolutely spotless and lovingly conditioned. He also had dozens of fantastic photographs on the walls - all taken by his clients (and, yes, he asked for one of mine!).

Steve is in his 60's (maybe older), and has been repairing cameras for 40 years. He worked for Nikon in Japan and the US for over 15 years, and Canon as a supervisor in San Francisco for almost as long. He then decided to start his own business for custom repairs servicing mostly pro photographers, and then settled into opening a small shop in Reno. He still does custom repair service for the pros, and for others "by word of mouth". He is an authorized repairman for Nikon, Canon, Sony, Fuji, Minolta, Pentax, Leica, Hasselblad and probably all the others - both film and digital.

I explained to him the issues with dust that I was having. Using a light magnifier, he was able to immediately show me where the problems were and what he would do about them. We talked for over two hours about cameras, lens and techniques. I felt like I was in the presence of a master. He knew my camera inside and out, giving me insight into functions I didn't even know were there. And, by the way, he said he believes that the D7100 is one of the finest cameras Nikon has ever made. And to top it all off, he said he would have my camera and lenses sparkling clean by tomorrow for the low price of $45! Needless to say, I feel like I stumbled onto a real "gem".

I will let you all know how things go after I get my camera back tomorrow.

So, that is the long story of why this shot is taken with my iPad. Even if I did have my camera, I still didn't have the energy to venture back out again to get a "proper" photograph.

Thank you for being so understanding about my lack of commenting. I am trying to at least look at your photos and scatter stars everywhere.