In 1978, at age 31, I moved to California with my husband. During our three years there, I learned how to use a 4" X 5" view camera and immersed myself in California's dramatic landscapes. In my 20's I'd driven through Death Valley and had been astonished by the odd visual illusions that I'd seen. So I went to Death Valley and slept in the back of a pickup. During an hour at sunrise and an hour at sunset, I took photographs. This portfolio , titled "Visions of Desert Light," was my first serious black and white work. My love of photographing the landscape persisted in moves to Kentucky and Ohio.