My name is Wayne Wendel, aka: birdshooter. I retired from the Houston Police Department in April of 2005. After 33 years, most of it in the Homicide Division investigating violent crimes against persons, and chasing those who committed those crimes. I now chase "light" that thing we all take for granted. It is light and especially "magic light" that makes a photographer's blood stir to pick up a camera and shoot something. My love of the outdoors and nature led me into photography, but I didn't begin a photographer. I was a dedicated bow-hunter and reveled in the chase of big game with traditional equipment; hand made longbows and recurves and handcrafted wooden arrows. Bow hunting takes you outdoors and you become one with nature. By their very existence hunters are the world's best conservationists as they have a deep appreciation of nature. Several years ago I hung up my bow and I grabbed my Nikon camera and hunt for natural subjects.

My photography is a reflection of my faith in God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Nature is God's creation. The Psalmist tells us that the "heavens declare the glory of God and the earth shows his handiwork." A nature photographer puts a frame around what God has already painted for us to enjoy. In every photograph I try to convey the beauty of God's creative genius. Limited by composition, exposure, and equipment, my photography attempts to reveal the beauty in the natural world. Whether landscape, birds or flowers, God's creation is hopefully revealed in every photograph.

Birds are the most abundant subject to photograph and a natural subject for the nature photographer. I got interested in birding so I could name all the birds I was photographing. Many of my photos were taken on property managed by the Houston Audubon Society and I have donated many photographs for their web site. You can see them at http://www.houstonaudubon.org. I switched from slides to digital photography in 2000 and currently use a Nikon D200 digital camera with Nikon lenses and a Gitzo tripod topped with an Arca-Swiss ball head. My Nikon lenses are 500mm f/4, 300mm/f4, 70-180 f/3.5 zoom macro, an 18-200mm f/3.5 and a 70-200mm f/2.8 and 12-24mm f/4. I also use a Leica Digilux 3 in landscape photography and Canon G9 Sure Shot for snapshots.

My wife and I travel frequently and when we do I will write a travel blog containing stories and events of the day, some background about where we are and who we meet along with a photo. http://travelingwaynesworld.blogspot.com is the link to the blog.

This website is interactive. Feel free to comment on any photograph you find. Comments can be made with thumbs up or down or short written phrases and stars. Any photo you see is for sale at reasonable prices. Just email me at waynewendel@yahoo.com for details.

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