Greetings from France !

[Sammael99]

I live near Paris, France (although I travel a lot) and have been a serious amateur photographer for about 18 months. I feel like I have done significant progress in that time frame, as evidenced by the difference in quality on my photo blog Apprenti Photographe (in French and English, don't worry ;-)) at the beginning and now.

I have also sunk way to much money in gear and software, and am now an avid user of the Canon EOS 7D with the following lenses:
- Sigma 17-70mm 2.8/4.5
- Canon 85mm 1.8
- Sigma 50mm 1.4
- Sigma 20mm 1.8
- Lensbaby Composer

I originally decided to get into photography seriously because, as an avid music fan and concert goer I wanted to capture some of the atmosphere of the dark and (oftentimes) derelict jazz clubs I frequent. This has proven to be a hard task (and explains why I veer towards prime lenses) but also a great education. I shoot many things besides concerts, including my kids, various objects seen at flea markets, and the cities I visit as part of my day job, but concerts and musicians remain my favorite subject.