A:  I am a retired commercial photographer. Several years ago, my wife and I moved to Milan and I began walking the area parks for exercise. I've enjoyed walking the parks so much that I decided to take a camera with me on my walks and eventually I put up this website as a reflection of the Milan area. 

A:  I didn't intend to shoot outside Milan Township when I first started, but people are always asking me if I've seen this or that and making suggestions on what to shoot and often I take their advice and find area's of interest and things of beauty around the area which I then put on the site..

A:  This is the question I get asked the most and the answer is both yes and no. First the no's. I do not shoot weddings, portraits or family photos. For that you need a portrait photographer. My experience is in shooting people, places and things for advertising, corporate brochures and annual reports. Mostly now I  do web site designs and photography work for various web sites. Currently, as you can see on this site, I'm sharpening my skills as a scenic/nature photographer. If you have a need for a photographer who does my kind of work or need a photo oriented web site, and you would be interested in talking with me about it, just send me an e-mail at webmaster@milanarea.com or you can call me at 419-499-2132. My rates are very reasonable for web site design or photography work.

A:  To date, by choice, I've absorbed all of the monthly cost of this site but eventually I will take advertising on the site. I'm open to full site or specific page ads and the rates are very reasonable. Again, just drop me an e-mail or give me a call and leave a message.

A:  Actually more often than you might think. MilanArea.com is a labor of love and I try visit places and take photos every day (weather permitting) and work on the site at least once each week. But the majority of my day is spent at the computer where I do most of my work. Recently I added a section on the Index page that lists significant updates which should help regular visitors to the site.

A:  I think it's easy to take the parks for granted. The town where I lived before moving to Milan had no metro parks and when I moved here finding all these beautiful parks to walk in each day was eye opening to me. Since then I've been a BIG supporter of Erie Metroparks including doing some photography work for them. But I also review the walking trails on this site and tell it like it is. If I see what I think is a problem with an Erie Metroparks trail or any park trail, I'll point that out in my review.

A:  Because I'm had some physical problems as I've gotten older and I've come to understand that seniors have unique needs which are not always addressed in the parks. When I walk the trails, the majority of the people I see walking in the parks are elderly so obviously they're using the trails for healthy exercise the same as I and therefore I write my trail reviews from their viewpoint. Some trails are senior friendly and other are not and I think it's important they know which is which before visiting a park. The same logic applies to the design of this site. White type on a black background is easier for seniors to read than black type on white backgrounds.

A:  I'm more interested in local  places of interest than the commercial ones. Cedar Point doesn't need me to promote it, nor does the Marblehead Litehouse or any of the other major tourist attractions in this area.

A:  Perhaps, but not in the foreseeable future. So many people have sent me suggestions on places to photograph that it would take me a long time just to get through that list. The history of Milan and Erie County is of great interest to me so I want to learn more about the area and figure out how to show that in photos - it's not easy photographing something that doesn't exist any longer. I also want to spend some time photographing the old churches and landmark homes of the area. And eventually, I'd like to spend more time in neighboring communities finding the hidden gems in those towns. 

Information Page Updated:09/21/2006