September 2021 - Randy Dykstra

My name is Randy A. Dykstra and I first started taking photographs over 45 years ago in high school.  I learned everything from taking photos to working in a darkroom.  I love the outdoors and nature and was an avid backpacker, which gave me plenty of opportunities for landscape photography.   In the early 1990s I became a professional SCUBA diving instructor (PADI), which opened complete new worlds of photography for me.  My love of nature, wildlife and photography has always been a huge passion of mine.

I graduated college with an Electrical Engineering degree and spent a long time designing and integrating space and military aircraft and surveillance equipment.  I've taken photography classes from various sources including a variety of private instructors and including some classes at Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara, CA.  I'm also always searching, experimenting and learning new things.

My lifelong hobby turned into my vocation.  Instead of the darkroom of my youth, I spend my days working with Lightroom and Photoshop.  I use my engineering discipline and knowledge to continually learn and adjust to the intricacies of photography, and ever expand and concentrate more on the artistic aspects. I now lead photography tours, conduct workshops, and teach classes in addition to free-lancing magazine articles and images, and selling stock photos.

Today I’m fortunate enough to be able to follow my passions, and along the way I get to share some of my knowledge and experiences with you and others.  I love giving back as I've been a VP of a local camera club, and I also run two large Meetup Groups (over 9000 members) and make speaking presentations to numerous groups.  

Click here to see my image gallery.