About Tim

I was born in Matthew Brady hospital, named in honor of the historic Civil War photographer. Perhaps this was prescient because I have lived my life learning and using the technology of Photography as an art form. I earned my Bachelor's Degree in Art from the State University of New York in 1976. Since then, I have been involved in Photography in one form or another for my entire adult life.

For more than 20 years, I oversaw the daily operations of a commercial photo lab. It was here that I was first introduced to Photoshop (version 4.0). As I got more involved with evolving digital photography technologies, I wanted to show my work to a wider audience on the Internet. This led me to HTML (and CSS). I found that I had a real affinity for writing code and loved linking pages together to provide an entertaining experience for my visitors.

My images have been shown in numerous galleries, both nationally and internationally. I have published images in calendars and magazines and my work resides in many private collections, including the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. If you would like to see my web site, please visit www.timfleming.com

About Tim's hearing loss

1. I have a high frequency hearing loss that makes it difficult for me to hear consonant sounds. My love of music and live concerts, as well as being a musician in a blues/rock band, may have been the cause. Often I can tell that a student is speaking, but I can't make out all the words that he/she is saying. Words that have similar vowel sounds or that rhyme will sound alike to me. For example, the word "sight" will sound like "ight" to me. So then I have to figure out by the context if it's "fight" or "sight" or "light" or "might" or "night," or a myriad number of other possibilities. It can be very confusing!

2. To help me understand you, you must remember to do the following: Speak a bit more slowly than you normally do. Pronounce each word clearly. Speak more loudly than you normally do, but please do not shout. Shouting causes you to speak less clearly and will not help. Do not speak out of turn. Extra background noise makes it difficult for me to hear the speaker. Raise your hand and wait to be acknowledged before speaking. If I have not called on you directly, I may not be aware that you are trying to participate. Do not assume that I have heard you unless I have directly acknowledged you. This is especially true at the start of class before everyone has settled down.

3. Please be patient with me. Most people become frustrated when talking with someone who is hard of hearing and give up. If what you have to say is important, then it is important enough to repeat so that I will hear it correctly.

4. Laugh with me, but not at me. Often it is comical when I misunderstand what someone is trying to say, and it is important for all of us to keep a sense of humor. But, many times the misunderstanding is very frustrating and confusing. Be aware of the difference between the two situations and do not make fun of me when it is obvious that I am struggling to understand something.

I hope these basic guidelines will help us all this year. The school has provided me to with technology to help in the classroom. With their help and yours, the effects of my hearing loss can be minimized. I thank you for taking the time to read this. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to talk to me about it.

Education

• Bachelor of Arts, State University of New York, 1976. Art Major
• Santa Rosa Junior College, 2006-2008, 42 Units of studies in graphics and web design applications
• Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) Photoshop CS4
• Adobe Certified Instructor (ACI)

Personal

• My wife (Patty) teaches kindergarten at La Tercera school in Petaluma
• My son, Adam, is a Microsoft Networking technician
• My daughter, Sarah, is a Microbiologist
• My dog, Cricket, is a full-time Ball Chaser