Debbie Ferrell-Smith is a freelance writer and photographer based out of Houston, Texas.  She began her photography career early during her high school days, and encouraged by her grandparents, she began with images from the family flower gardens.  No doubt, that early experience contributed to her extensive knowledge of  Texas' flora and fauna today. Debbie currently uses state of the art Canon equipment, favoring the tried and true EOS-3 body. Lenses range from wide-angle to 500 F4.5 super telephoto, along with teleconverters and an array of accessories. Most of her images are taken using a Gitzo 1348 tripod, Arca Swiss ball head and Wimberley Sidekick.  Fuji Sensia and Velvia are her favorite films. Not only is she a talented writer and photographer, but a wonderful teacher as well. Recently, she served as a co-instructor at one of my bird photography workshops in Galveston.  I saw first hand her ability to help others develop their skills and enhance their abilities. "Seeing others improve their nature photography is immensely rewarding. With the technological advancements available today in photo equipment, many people need special one-one-one instruction in order to master both equipment and technique." she told me. Debbie currently serves as Managing Editor for www.Birdzilla.com, and she has crafted Birdzilla into one of  Texas' top birding web sites. Texas is her first love, but she travels extensively around the country in pursuit of intriguing nature subjects about which to write and photograph.  Her diverse portfolio contains images of Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes from Bosque del Apache, NM, landscapes and scenics from Wichita Mountains of Oklahoma, and a wonderful collection of  Florida wading birds. Recently she became interested in macro work, and from what I have seen so far, she is very good at it!. She keeps her options open, choosing freelance work over a permanent, more binding position, and she says, "That keeps my work interesting, fresh and challenging." Visit Debbie's web site and view a sampling of her work at www.dfsphoto.com  Best of luck, Debbie, and I am glad to have had the opportunity to meet and work with you!