About me

I am a retired Family Medicine physician having practiced my final 10 years in Wyoming. Growing up in Louisiana, I was interested in birds, photography and astronomy. I learned photography on a completely manual Minolta SRT-101 film camera, mostly taking pictures of backyard birds. That camera had a mechanical shutter, making it good for long exposures needed for astrophotography, like trying to capture meteors. Unfortunately, the light pollution in southeast Louisiana was quite severe, hampering my astronomy interests. I later got into birdwatching under the tutelage of a close family friend and father figure. While I enjoyed seeing the birds with binoculars and thrilled at seeing a new species for the first time (a “lifer”), I always wanted to photograph them but didn’t have the proper equipment. In high school I learned darkroom processing and worked my way through college and medical school as a darkroom technician. It wasn’t until in my 40’s that I was able to upgrade my camera equipment specifically for bird photography. I decided to concentrate on hummingbirds because I could attract them to my yard. Once I got proficient, I became acquainted with a professional hummingbird bander in Louisiana who would call me whenever a rare wintering hummingbird was found. I would travel to these homes and sometimes photograph all weekend. Later I expanded my hobby to many other types of birds. When I moved to Wyoming in 2014, seeing the entire expanse of the Milky Way so clearly due to Wyoming’s dark skies rekindled my enthusiasm for astronomy. I then decided to try my hand at nightscape images and some deep space astrophotography as well. This is my hobby and relaxation. I hope you enjoy the results.

Joe Turner M.D.