I prefer photo cards to plain ones; I take pride in making nice QSLs but find that that many people do not. It's a shame, really, for ham radio is defined by people who are reaching out to contact and learn from others. After a QSO, what better way to share a bit of your life than with a photo card showing something of yourself or your surroundings? It lends a personal touch that generic cards cannot come close to duplicating. Below are a few of my own QSLs from years past.

One of my favorite Oahu photographs, taken on the beach at Waimanalo on the windward side of the island. I went to the beach that day scouting out possible photographs for a new QSL, and I came upon these girls playing in the sand. I'd never before seen them and have not seen them since, but a lot of people assume they must be relatives or friends of mine. They are neither, but rather a perfect example of the innate friendliness of the Hawaiian people...

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The QSL below fuses my three main hobbies: ham radio, photography, and scuba diving. I received my scuba diver certification in June 2000 and immediately started testing my photography talents underwater. This card is the second of what I hope to be a long series of underwater photo QSLs. Shot at a depth of 90 feet.

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Taken at a depth of 30 feet, this was the first scuba photograph I used for a QSL. Green sea turtles thrive in the waters off Oahu and are relatively easy to photograph, especially if you are wearing a scuba tank and can follow them after they dive!

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A shot of a girl on Waikiki Beach. This card was a first for me in the fact that it had a photo on both the front and the back (the reverse side showed an aerial image of Koko Head crater).

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Below, the only vertical QSLs I've ever created. I'm a big fan of photographer Kim Taylor Reece, who does exceptional photography; one of his most beautiful photographs became the inspiration for the QSL on the left. A random picture of a random island beauty became the second QSL. I found the cover artwork from Alan Brennert's book Honolulu to be captivating, as the resulting QSL on the right attempts to portray.

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My first photo QSL design featured what I love to photograph most: the lava of Kilauea,
one of many natural splendors found at Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii.

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One of favorite past QSLs, the card below was also made from a photograph taken at Volcanoes National Park,
this time incorporating myself into the fiery natural display.

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The first QSL I included myself in. I'm not a big fan of pictures of the operators sitting in front of their rigs (they all look mostly alike!) but thought it would be fun to show a beach scene. That's me on the left, soaking up some tropical sun with my friend Brian.

Click here to see QSLs from each Hawaii county

Click here to see QSLs from each of my personal DX & IOTA expeditions