Don C. Johnson

Don Johnson has been a serious amateur photographer since the mid-1980s. He first learned the basic elements of photographic design, composition, and equipment taking a photography course while in college. After graduation, Mr. Johnson pursued other important activities such as career building and raising a family, but he always maintained an avid interest in photography.

In the mid-1980’s, Mr. Johnson returned to his hobby of photography on a more serious basis. His wife reignited his interest in the activity after giving him a new camera one year for the holidays. Much to her chagrin, this stimulated further photography equipment purchases, but also helped Mr. Johnson produce much better images.

Over the years, Mr. Johnson has had a number of his photographs published. In February 1997, Popular Photography, billed as “the world’s largest imaging magazine”, selected one of his photographs for their “Your Best Shot” column. He has also produced cover photographs for The AOPA Pilot magazine and Ballooning: The Journal of the Ballooning Federation of America. In addition, Mr. Johnson had three of his images published in the fall 2006 issue of Nature’s Best magazine, one of which appeared on the cover of the issue. Another photograph in the issue was selected as the top “Zoo and Aquarium” photograph of the year. Two of his images from the magazine, including the winning “Zoo and Aquarium” image, are currently on display at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History. The display will run until October 2007.

Mr. Johnson has won a number of awards in various local photography competitions over the years. Mr. Johnson is also proud of the fact that he has sold a number of his photographs to, in his words, “people I don’t even know.”

Mr. Johnson is the immediate past President and an active member of the Gaithersburg Camera Club, located in Gaithersburg, Maryland, as well as a former President and current member of the Frederick Camera Clique, a photography club located in Frederick Maryland. He is also a member of the Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ) Photography Club. Mr. Johnson uses Nikon equipment and is currently exploring the world of digital photography, having recently purchasing a Nikon D200 digital camera to go along with his Nikon D100 camera he purchased a few years ago.

In the real world, Mr. Johnson is the Director of Market Research for the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association, an organization located in Arlington, Virginia. Mr. Johnson lives in Gaithersburg Maryland with his wife. He has three grown children.