I call it The Lean Years because they were years when I didn’t concentrate on my photography. After 15 years of struggling, I put it on the back burner to focus on my education, my career, and my family. I can’t say whether it was the right thing to do; that will never be known. I got to travel some, making trips to France, Switzerland, and Israel. These were my first trips outside the country, and I was happy to be able to do some photography when I wasn’t busy at work.