Born in Philadelphia, raised in Drexel Hill as the eldest of three brothers, and having attended school in the Upper Darby district, I�ve never lived far from my origins except while at Syracuse University during the late 1950s. My wife Liz and I have lived in Media for over 20 years, where we can easily walk to stores, galleries, banks, the post office, and restaurants

My interest in all things mechanical and electrical is rooted in my childhood when I took apart my Dad�s old Lionel O-gauge electric locomotive and made something else of it. I have long since forgotten what that was (I wish I still had the unaltered original), but it made me think I would become an engineer of some sort. However, my inability to grasp trigonometry, calculus, and college algebra during my first semester at Syracuse quickly prompted my switch to a business major. I became a field supervisor in my dad�s homebuilding business, watching various tradesmen at work in the new houses. But being the S.O.B. (Son of the Boss), my growing aversion to clearing-and-grubbing for new developments, and the new "tract mansion" craze led me to leave the building business and enter the emerging new profession of Home Inspector, a profession which I thoroughly enjoyed and was self-employed in for about 22 years, until I retired from it in 2002. I don�t miss climbing on roofs, visiting superheated attics, or creeping through cobwebby crawlspaces, but I do miss the enjoyment and challenge of penetrating the mysteries of varied and traditional old houses—and telling clients, "they sure don�t build �em like they use�ta."

My first computer—recommended by my lawyer brother who uses Macs to this day in his office—was a Mac Plus, which I purchased in 1987 primarily for helping to create inspection reports. My rig consisted of the perky little Plus with a 1-MB memory chip, a 20 MB external drive, and an ImageWriter II.

Retirement gave me the time to elevate my lifelong hobby of scenic photography to a semiprofessional level. Having had darkrooms much earlier in my life, and no space or inclination to have one in my present residence, I acquired my 4th and latest Mac rig (a G4 DP 450, Nikon film scanner, Epson Stylus Photo 1270 printer) to function primarily as a "desktop darkroom." It boggles my mind to realize that only one of my photographic images would not have fit on my first 20 Meg hard disk

My photo subjects range from sweeping land- and seascapes, through intimate close-ups of natural and man-made objects or patterns. I especially enjoy making photographs of mundane, often unnoticed details, such as the textures and colors on a weather-beaten jetty, or the random litter underfoot on a beach, sidewalk, or forest floor.

I have work on display in the gallery@5east on State Street in Media, and more can be viewed on www.MikeBermanPhotos.com . I regularly participate in several local outdoor art festivals, including the Community Art Center in Wallingford, the Media Art & Craft Exhibit on State Street, and the annual Rose Tree Park Art Exhibit. In addition, I have hung work at the Tyme Gallery in Havertown, and at the Darlington Art Center.