What's your story?

[fish]

This is one of those "Tell us about yourself" threads.

Some starter questions:

How old are you?
Where do you live?
Family?
How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital?
What's your favorite subject?
What do you do for money?
What other hobbies do you have?

.~.~.~.~.~.~. okay...me first .~.~.~.~.~.~.

I'm 43, married to a Georgia peach for 13 years. Two kids...boy 10, girl 5. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and have been playing with cameras since I was about 14. I currently own several Nikon film cameras (FM, FE, FG, N6006) and three digital cameras (Nikon CP990, Canon S400, and Canon 10D). I learned photography on my dad's old twin-lens reflex camera and continued shooting black and white with my SLRs. One of my neighbors had a darkroom and we spent many MANY hours in there...developing film, making prints, and sniffing chemicals. Funnily, he went on to become a pro photographer, and I went to college to become an engineer. Now he hates cameras and I love them. Funny how that worked out, huh? I work as a program manager in the services division of a relatively large computer company based here in Silicon Valley.

I've been riding motorcycles almost as long as I've been taking photos. I put the camera hobby on the back burner for many years, due to various other hobbies and work. For a couple of years before I set my N6006 on the shelf, I really enjoyed macrophotography and landscapes. It wasn't until I joined Adventure Rider (http://www.advrider.com) in the Summer of 2001, when I bought my first serious digicam and married the two hobbies together. Now I love to go out riding and shooting. Oh, yeah...I'm also into guns...so shooting, riding, and shooting, I guess. I've really enjoyed shooting candids (is there a better candid camera than an S400?) at the various rallies and get-togethers.

I'm not exactly sure what or who triggered it, but I recently bought the Canon 10D and a couple of lenses and I'm back in the saddle, trying to relearn everything I've forgotten. I'm also trying to learn Photoshop Elements...the digital darkroom is a lot less stinky and messy than the physical darkroom. I've got a wide angle zoom and a normal tele zoom, and I've been chomping at the bit for a 70-210/2.8 IS. Now that I've seen what the 100-400 IS can do, it's on my list too.

Now that I've got the BIG digicam, I'm shooting everything in sight. One of these days I'll actually come up with a good shot.
:lol3



So what's YOUR story? :ear

[Tuesday]

Nice Story:D

My name is Tuesday McCranie.
I'm 29 yrs old. I live in Florida.

I was a cosmetologist for 8+ years and worked for a photographer doing hair and makeup, or just carrying her equipment and learning her tricks.
She was a photojournalist, so I had to learn all of my studio techniques through trial and error (and boy were there a lot of errors).

Other than photography, I come from a long line of artists. Each person in my family has their own artistic interests.
My father was a sketch artist and my grandmother was a painter.
I'm the digital artist (Photoshop Queen)
I also sketch and paint when I have the time.

I'm into cars. I have a 1996 Impala SS named "Baby"
http://www.angelfire.com/pro/tuesdayoriginals/Allansstuff/Impala1.jpg
Here she is!!! All clean and purdy!

Well that's about all for me.
I'm not that exciting.

[wxwax]

Not interesting? You kidding me? I love the Impala SS. It was on my short list of cars to buy when I got my current ride. Very cool looking. Dunno how it handles corners, tho. :dunno

You've certainly taught yourself a lot.... those studio shots look good, and the outdoors kids shots (that little girl is a cutie) are excellent. I think you'll bump into a few other professional photgs around here.

[wxwax]

Funnily, he went on to become a pro photographer, and I went to college to become an engineer. Now he hates cameras and I love them. Funny how that worked out, huh?

I guess that's the risk of making your hobby your profession, eh? Better to leave it as a hobby? :dunno

[wxwax]

Man, I hate this stuff, but here goes.

I'm *^ years old, live in Atlanta, work as a television producer and am learning a lot about the weather. :D

I first picked up a camera in earnest when I was in my late 20s. I got a manual Nikon (can't remember the model) and borrowed darkroom gear from a friend. I shot a lot of B&W, trying to learn exposure. I got a few good pics, lots of bad ones. Did the developing on a tiny, cramped bathroom floor. Then stopped. Cost was one reason why - at the time I was making beans. I got a digital about 4 years ago, an Olympus 1.5mp I think. Not a bad camera. Last year I got the G3 and it was a revelation. I really enjoy taking the camera and wandering, trying to find good shots. I get frustrated by a good shot that doesn't have good light. (I take it anyway.:rofl) Working in TV has helped me develop an appreciation for some of the elements of a good shot - can't say I was born with talent. It can be work, but it's fun work. More than anything, I really enjoy the creative moment when I've made something - a show or a photo or a meal. That's the "Aha" moment for me.

My other hobbies include riding motorcycles (same site as Fish) which I've been doing, off and on, more on than off lately, for about 12 years. I really enjoy movies (go see "Lost in Translation" if you haven't already) and cooking.

[Mike Werner]

Well, let's see... I'm 49 years young. Born in Holland and at the ripe age of 3 months, started moving around the world, dragging my parents with me. First port of call was Iran, then Iraq then around the Gulf area, Africa, South America, Europe, Asia. 22 countries in 49 years... you do the math. Ended up speaking a lot fo languages.

Since my father's job required him (and his family) to go to countries that were in turmoil (wars, revolutions, all that fun stuff), at an early age my brither and I started carrying a camera. So we eventually became stringers for Reuters (in fact Latin Reuters since we were living in Chile). I remained a freelance for years after, my brother turned pro and eventually became the chief photographer of Reuters for the East Block.

I went on to become an airline pilot, flying 737's for Kuwait Airways. But than disaster struck, and my eyesight went south and lost my commercial ticket (the limit is -3 and I became -4.25). So did a career change and went into aviation IT.

Since last year, I'm on my own, working as a freelance consultant, and designing/running several websites. (http://blogs.motorbiker.org http://motorbiker.org http://visitnormandy.org and http://mike-werner.org)

I've been involved in motorcycles since 1973, having learned how to ride in Chile. It has been one of my main passions (next to my wife). I was planning to ride from Paris to Jo'burg last December, but that got postponed, and now I hope to leave for this 6 months journey next December.

[Baldy]

I'm not exactly sure what or who triggered it, but I recently bought the Canon 10DThat would be me. :D

fishDaugher is adorable and fishBike is the 10D of two wheels:

http://baldy.smugmug.com/photos/5640-L-1.jpg

http://coyfish.smugmug.com/photos/15168-L-1.jpg

[Tuesday]

Not interesting? You kidding me? I love the Impala SS. It was on my short list of cars to buy when I got my current ride. Very cool looking. Dunno how it handles corners, tho. :dunno
Cool Sid. Nice to see another Impala fan. There's not many of us left. We have 2 in our household. Mine is the daily driver. The other stays in the garage and only comes out to play for car shows. One thing about these cars... They'll get up and haul @ss!:super Oh. and corners like it's on rails.

You've certainly taught yourself a lot.... those studio shots look good, and the outdoors kids shots (that little girl is a cutie) are excellent. I think you'll bump into a few other professional photgs around here.
I love outdoor photography. I would much rather work with natural light (as I'm sure many would) I have a really cheesy studio lighting setup. I bought a beginner's kit about 5 years ago, and I'm still making due with it. I need to learn more about the diff. types of studio lighting before I go spending money on something I don't know how to use.

Anyway. Thanks for the encouragement.

Tuesday

[Tuesday]

Well, let's see...
Wow Mike. You should write a book. What a full life you have lead.

Tuesday

[Mike Werner]

Wow Mike. You should write a book. What a full life you have lead.

Tuesday
Naw, you shoud see my brothers' life. War photographer for Reuters covering several wars. Kidnapped in Algeria, tortured for 2 weeks, and after intenational pressure released and expulsed for Algeria. Did not stop him, he went rigt back....

[Tuesday]

Naw, you shoud see my brothers' life. War photographer for Reuters covering several wars. Kidnapped in Algeria, tortured for 2 weeks, and after intenational pressure released and expulsed for Algeria. Did not stop him, he went rigt back....
You both have led amazing lives.
I just can't imagine.
:tuesday

[KC Action]

My name is Kevin Camp and I am 38 years old. I live in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I am single with no children. Got interested in photography in 98. Purchased my Olympus C2100UZ in 2001 after owning a Canon Rebel. My passion is action photography, particularly motorsports. I also love doing nature and landscapes as well. I've spent the last two summers as a crew chief for a friend's drag boat team. We race in the Southern Drag Boat Association and International Hot Boat Association events in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kansas. Last summer I started taking my camera and laptop with the express purpose of shooting the boats in action. I have also shot the USAC Tulsa 100 Silver Crown sprint car race and some local drag race and road course events. I also shot and made up sports cards for a friend's son and his soccer team. I also race RC cars when time permits and do some phtography at the races. If you ar elooking for a way to practice your action photography panning technique, try shooting RC cars. You'll either quit in disgust or get better!


I have a simple gallery of someof my work at http://www.geocities.com/kcactionphoto

[Mike Werner]

My name is Kevin Camp and I am 38 years old. I live in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I am single with no children. Got interested in photography in 98. Purchased my Olympus C2100UZ in 2001 after owning a Canon Rebel. My passion is action photography, particularly motorsports. I also love doing nature and landscapes as well. I've spent the last two summers as a crew chief for a friend's drag boat team. We race in the Southern Drag Boat Association and International Hot Boat Association events in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kansas. Last summer I started taking my camera and laptop with the express purpose of shooting the boats in action. I have also shot the USAC Tulsa 100 Silver Crown sprint car race and some local drag race and road course events. I also shot and made up sports cards for a friend's son and his soccer team. I also race RC cars when time permits and do some phtography at the races. If you ar elooking for a way to practice your action photography panning technique, try shooting RC cars. You'll either quit in disgust or get better!


I have a simple gallery of someof my work at http://www.geocities.com/kcactionphoto
Nice action pics !!

[motojedi]

I'm a 35 year old from Indiana. Love motorcycling, bicycling, God, and digital photography. I work as the manager of a detail/reconditioning center for a BMW, Mini, Infiniti, and VW dealer and also service the local Mercedes Benz, Porsche, Audi, Jag and Land Rover dealers. So I spend my days working on stuff like this.

[wxwax]

We race in the Southern Drag Boat Association and International Hot Boat Association events in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kansas.


Cool shot, KC! :bow

http://www.geocities.com/kcactionphoto/smitc/p9270044.jpg

[wxwax]

I'm a 35 year old from Indiana. Love motorcycling, bicycling, God, and digital photography. I work as the manager of a detail/reconditioning center for a BMW, Mini, Infiniti, and VW dealer and also service the local Mercedes Benz, Porsche, Audi, Jag and Land Rover dealers. So I spend my days working on stuff like this.


You ever take them out to "warm them up"? :lol3

[wxwax]

Hey KC, what kind of boat is this? :scratch :D

http://www.geocities.com/kcactionphoto/shelby/p6210017.jpg

[ian408]

I've been into photography for a few years. Even some darkroom stuff but
not much. My film experience started with a Nikkormat and a couple of bodies,
FM and an FE (which I still have). A few years ago, I bought my first digital.
Been hooked ever since. I somehow managed to get published in a national
magazine, National Pest Control, and a couple of local papers many years
ago. Otherwise, I just do it for the fun of it. Shooting with a 10d now and
a S50 for point and shoot. As far as photography goes, I still have a lot to
learn.

I work in the IT field and as a hobby (and stress relief), I am a referee for
youth and adult ice hockey. Beside work, I enjoy motorcycling (hmmm....so
many familiar faces here). Especially trips to nowhere. Single and 44.

Look forward to meeting some of you in the future.

Ian

[motojedi]

You ever take them out to "warm them up"? :lol3


Well, you know it wouldn't be a thorough detail job if you didn't blow out the exhaust system. :wink

[cmr164]

Born in England, my father was an advanced amatuer with pictures in magazines and shows. First camera was a Brownie and when I was 10 my Dad gave me a Retina 35mm and a handheld meter. We moved to Turkey at that time and I used the camera as much as I could. Dad taught me about focus and light and f-stops and hyperfocal distance. When we moved back to the US in '64 my parents got divorced and life became 'interesting' Probably Mom sold the Retina, I don't remember but we were very very poor. We will skip the knife fights in ghetto schools and the picking tobacco at 12 with migrant workers times and jump forward to my getting a scholarship to Tabor Academy at 15. My Dad gave me a Miranda Sensorex SLR. What an innovative camera that was, with its built in spotmeter. I loved that camera. About that time, Dad started to teach me B&W darkroom work. In later years I would do a little in the darkroom but only once did I really have a place to set one up. I did process my own E4 (and later E6) slide film including 6x6 for a YashicamatG that I picked up. During this time I played with unusual films like Kodak Recording film push processed to ASA 6400. The Sensorex was purchased by the friend who dropped it off Mt Katahdin and my next camera was a Canon Ftb, I added lenses and stuff over time and found my prejudice against flash growing. I was/am always pushing the limit on hanholding and probably have more blurred, grainy, or noisy pictures than anyone you will meet. :puke1

The Ftb got an A1 added to it and I gave the Yashicamat to a very sexy ex-GF who now has a gallery in Carmel. I miss the Yashicamat :(: The entire Ftb/A1 outfit was given to a Brazilian ex-fiancee (its not a pattern honest) when I bought my EOS-10. The cycle started to turn when I gave my son an EOS-650 while we were living in Ireland in 1991 and he was 12. Somewhere along the way I got into imaging and grahics. First at Lexidata and then with the Air Force Geophysics Lab and Aerodyne Research. Later I was part of the design team for a 5.5k x 5.5k x 48 bit "camera" (really scanner) at Eikonics. I did the display S/W, the SCSI driver and minor change to the H/W (with a 4x speed improvement) Then I got involved in a robotic vision startup as the Vp of Eng (Total Systems - purchased by Infodata) and drifted from imaging s/w to systems and o/s internals. Picked up my first digital SLR in Japan in 1998 an Olympus (D600L in the US) This was a very cool camera and the price I got in Akihabara was so good that I broke even when I sold it for $300 2.5 years later. I came into a bunch of $$ in 1999 and picked up the DCS520 SLR (based on the EOS 1N) for the astounding price of $7k (list was $14k body only) and after adding 2 batteries, 2 340M microdrives and the 100-400 IS lens was out a huge amount but was shooting like mad. Years have gone by and I have added the 17-35 f2.8L, the 85 f1.2L and the 28-70 f2.8L as well as the 550EX flash. Two days ago I sold the 550EX and today the 28-70 is being sold so I will be pulling the old 50mm f1.8 out of retirement and looking to convert to a more fixed lens outfit. (Anyone want a 100-400L ?)

My photo work is ok... could use a lot of improvement. I have sold some shots for use in a magazine article on miniture carving and some for advertisements as well as a video of a fire to Boston's channel 7 but it all adds up to less that 1/2 th $$ of one 'L' lens. http://www.dgrin.com./images/smilies/bncry.gif

[gopher78]

So what's YOUR story? :ear
I'm 48, married with 2 children, one a soph in HS and one a freshman in college. I really started photography BK (before kids). Of course when the kids were born we took lots of photo's but the "other" photography got lost in the whirlwind. It's just been in the last year that I've actively started shooting again. Prompted by the kids activities, I wanted to put together a DVD of their accomplishment in school/sports/activities. I bought a Olympus point and shoot. As much as I loved that, I saw I would need something a little different so I got a cannon 10D. I've never looked back. All in the family have become interested in "getting our shots". I'm still a complete rookie but learning fast. Fortunately, there are forums like this that I can help ramp up the learning curve. My wife likes the hobby so much she now went out an bought her own camera. More importantly, she even sat down to learn all the finer points of the camera! We are just having fun capturing what will be the past for all of us someday.

[samwise]

I'm 32 physically (mentally, :ha :rofl ), single currently living on the Isle of Man, - a big rock in the middle of the Irish Sea about halfway between north-west England and Northern Ireland. Born and bred in Somerset in south-west England, so yes, I do have a yokels accent, hence the nice avatar I've chosen (if you want to know what I sound like, cider is prnounced zoiderrr :D )
Just bought a digital camera last year to muck about with, and going to try and get a good friend to give me some basic photography tips (he's got to use his Licentiate of the Royal Photographic Society qualification for something :D ) - maybe even drag my old Praktica film SLR out of retirement to play around with.

[BMWRider]

Howdy. Dan here from Hilliard, Ohio, just northwest of Columbus. I passed the magic 50 mark last May and work in a small in-plant print shop affiliated with Ohio State. Because of my printing expertise (well, 28 years experience anyway) I've been exposed to darkrooms, chemicals, cameras, etc., for years. And I considered taking up photography as a hobby many times but never quite got around to it. I owned a number of 35mm pocket cams, most of which took acceptable but hardly terrific pictures of trips, etc.
With the advent of digital technology, however, I began to look at photography differently. Now I could afford to shoot as many pics as I wanted, experiment, learn and hopefully occasionally turn out something okay. Being connected with the Adventure Rider motorcycle site (http://www.advrider.com), I saw so many spectacular motorcycle and travel photos being posted, I could no longer sit idly by and not get a camera for myself. I bought a Sony DSC-S85 4MP digicam a year ago and absolutely love it, although I confess I still know next to nothing about the "art" of photography. Watching some of the "pros" around here is a most humbling experience. But at least I've picked up a few tips and will undoubtedly learn a lot more. And I now have some decent pictures of the places I've been in the past year.

[cletus]

I'm Eric from Raytown Missouri. I'm 30 years old, single, and I work for my father as a computer engineer. I took an interest in photography while I was in college. After playing around with photograpy for a month or two I started working for the student newspaper. Working for that paper was one the best times of my life. Got to shoot everything from BMWRider's hero Bill Clinton to Faith Hill (who opened for Billy Ray Cyrus :D). Now days I just shoot for fun. I currently own two cameras: a Nikon F5 and a CoolPix 950.

Although I picked up the technical aspects of photography pretty quick, I've never been happy with the quality of my work from an artistic point of view. I guess that's something I'll always be working on.

[DarkRubiTJ]

I'm Bruce from Virginia Beach. Happily married to the most wonderful woman on Earth. My interests are Photography (duh) and Jeeps. I'm in the 50 something age group.

I got my first camera in 1969, a Nikon F Photomic TN, since then I used just about every 35 MM system out there. Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Minolta. In 1973 I went to work in the retail Photo industry for a mainly pro supplier and set up my own darkroom and did custom B/W processing on the side. I did a short stint as a pro doing mostly events, action (motorsports), and portfolio stuff. I started shooting digital in 97 with a Casio. It lasted about a month before I traded it back for an HP. I went to Olympus with a D360L about a year later. I traded it for a 20MM lens for my Canon flim stuff 2 years ago and bought a C3000 Olympus that I still own. Santa came early last Christmas and brought me a Digital Rebel.

I use the Rebel and the Olympus mostly for landscapes and closeups of the world we encounter in our off road adventures in one of our Jeeps. We purchased a new Wrangler Rubicon in the summer of 03 and our adventures are taking us farther and farther off the beaten path.

[gus]

My name is Gus & im an alc....shit wrong group.

Born & raised in the middle of nowhere on a huge dirt farm in australia. We got electricity the year i left... not a lot out there but had plenty of time to dream about travelling & actually earning money. Just watched crop failure after crop failure & told myself i will have a different life to my parents.

Joined the military at 17. Travelled a lot & eventually left to settle down....still cant stay put. Kicked about doing any job that came my way from jackaroo/debt collector/truck driver/security guard through to importer as i moved about.

Converted & lived on my old trawler for a few years....I like my own company...bit of a recluse actually.

[Mr Rush]

This is strange when you have to think about who you are !!!
My name is Les Ward Age 52 Live in North Wales UK Father of 2 girls 22/32 and 2 boys 21/34
Left home at 16 to make my fortune, lived on the streets for 2 years and nearly starved to death (so much for the fortune)
Several jobs including fairground, brickyards, mechanic and linesman on overhead powerlines (strange as I had a phobia of heights and electricity). Overcoming fear of heights opened up whole new world of rock climbing, hang-gliding and microlight flying, which in turn led to aerial photography in a very cheap way. Retired (redundant) two years ago, now amuse myself (steady) on my GS1150 trundling around North Wales - I know, lifes a beach, and playing on my laptop. My wife rides a GPZ 500 (little legs). Just joined the UKGSERS where I found this site. I also teach Yoga a couple of times a week. I have a little Olympus thats fits nicely in my pocket and gives me a 5mp return, which I tend to use more on my country walks than on my bike rides. I always take the camera with me on my bike but keep forgetting to stop, I think its an age thing. I use PS7 at the moment. I think I am am better with Photoshop than with the camera although I am trying hard to learn both - thats why sites like this are brilliant.


This is one of those "Tell us about yourself" threads.

Some starter questions:

How old are you?
Where do you live?
Family?
How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital?
What's your favorite subject?
What do you do for money?
What other hobbies do you have?

.~.~.~.~.~.~. okay...me first .~.~.~.~.~.~.

I'm 43, married to a Georgia peach for 13 years. Two kids...boy 10, girl 5. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and have been playing with cameras since I was about 14. I currently own several Nikon film cameras (FM, FE, FG, N6006) and three digital cameras (Nikon CP990, Canon S400, and Canon 10D). I learned photography on my dad's old twin-lens reflex camera and continued shooting black and white with my SLRs. One of my neighbors had a darkroom and we spent many MANY hours in there...developing film, making prints, and sniffing chemicals. Funnily, he went on to become a pro photographer, and I went to college to become an engineer. Now he hates cameras and I love them. Funny how that worked out, huh? I work as a program manager in the services division of a relatively large computer company based here in Silicon Valley.

I've been riding motorcycles almost as long as I've been taking photos. I put the camera hobby on the back burner for many years, due to various other hobbies and work. For a couple of years before I set my N6006 on the shelf, I really enjoyed macrophotography and landscapes. It wasn't until I joined Adventure Rider (http://www.advrider.com/) in the Summer of 2001, when I bought my first serious digicam and married the two hobbies together. Now I love to go out riding and shooting. Oh, yeah...I'm also into guns...so shooting, riding, and shooting, I guess. I've really enjoyed shooting candids (is there a better candid camera than an S400?) at the various rallies and get-togethers.

I'm not exactly sure what or who triggered it, but I recently bought the Canon 10D and a couple of lenses and I'm back in the saddle, trying to relearn everything I've forgotten. I'm also trying to learn Photoshop Elements...the digital darkroom is a lot less stinky and messy than the physical darkroom. I've got a wide angle zoom and a normal tele zoom, and I've been chomping at the bit for a 70-210/2.8 IS. Now that I've seen what the 100-400 IS can do, it's on my list too.

Now that I've got the BIG digicam, I'm shooting everything in sight. One of these days I'll actually come up with a good shot.
:lol3



So what's YOUR story? :ear

[wxwax]

:clap Welcome Mr. Rush. Do try to remember to stop and shoot so we can see what your part of the world looks like.:wink Parts of Wales are beautiful (and others not!)

[Mr Rush]

:clap Welcome Mr. Rush. Do try to remember to stop and shoot so we can see what your part of the world looks like.:wink Parts of Wales are beautiful (and others not!)
Thanks Sid
We do have a lot of these things dotted about the place, and remember, everything is beautiful, it just depends whose eyes you are looking through at the time.

[wxwax]

Very sweet shot! That's one thing we don't have enough of over here. :D

[lynnma]

Hi All,
I'm Lynn - I'm fifty something years old but I keep forgetting and making a comlete arse of myself. I originated from England from a Farm in the fens. My mother was a war bride and my dad was an American serviceman so I have family both side of the Atlantic. Met my husband Clive when I was 10 (he was 11) and we've been together eversince. We lived in Australia for five years and then here for 27. In Aussie we ran motels all over, the bush, the city anywhere we were sent.. fun fun. Here in Massachusetts we've owned and operated a home for elders FOR 27 YEARS...oh god. I do web design to keep sane and am the worst photographer in the universe. I bought myself a Canon Rebel with my web money and am obsessed with it... I intend to take a good photo one day... once I get the camera working... My husband and I are both now entering into our second childhood now our son who is 33 is financially and emotionally independent.. my husband is out snowmobiling as we speak, an old man screaming around the mountain tops on a bright red skidoo. Seeing all my old folks get really old? I've decided not to go there. cheers all. Lynn

[wxwax]

That's a cool action shot, Lynn. The snowmachine dude (hubby?) looks great. Trees are a wee bit dark... have you played with them in Photoshop to see if lightening them makes a difference? Maybe a little cropping too?

[lynnma]

That's a cool action shot, Lynn. The snowmachine dude (hubby?) looks great. Trees are a wee bit dark... have you played with them in Photoshop to see if lightening them makes a difference? Maybe a little cropping too?You improved that Sid.. what did you do in ps... I did mess with it a bit but it looks much better now. Did you just "lighten" it? or use levels, curves?? what what??
Enquiring minds want to know.
p.s. this one was the same day, critique please Sid.

Lynn :)

[lynnma]

That's a cool action shot, Lynn. The snowmachine dude (hubby?) looks great. Trees are a wee bit dark... have you played with them in Photoshop to see if lightening them makes a difference? Maybe a little cropping too?I messed with the original again to see if I could improve it... Too much????

[wxwax]

Hi Lynn.... careful about asking me for critiques... could be the blind leading the blind! I'm full of opinions, they're just not necessarily right!

To lighten the trees I clicked on my paintbrush. At the top of the screen I hit the dropdown menu and changed the setting from "Normal" to "Overlay" and lowered the opacity to around 30% (this softens anything I'm doing.) I make sure the paint palette at the bottom of the toolbar has white as the foreground color.

Then I wipe the brush carefully over the dark areas. This has the effect of burning in the image, or lightening it. Even at 30% opacity, it's easy to go too far. If I make a mistake, I go to the History menu and click backwards a step or two.

I suppose I could do the same thing with the Burn tool. :D

I think your new crop is pretty good, you have him in the right part of the screen. Maybe he wants a bit more space around him to breathe... I guess that's a matter of taste. The big unresolved problem is the burned-in white to the right of the snowmachine. Nothing can be done about that, I'm afraid. Any attempts to darken it will make it an ugly gray. I'm learning (thanks Patch! :wave) that digital cameras are very sensitive to excess light and will easily overexpose highlights.

The shot of the couple is cute. You captured a nice moment. Maybe some more headroom.... and again, some overexposed highlights to the left. But you're shooting in very bright conditions, with the snow and the sun. Hard to balance the light and the shadows. If you think of it, protect against overexposure, you can usually bring out the details from the shadows in Photoshop.

OK, I've gone way beyond my level of experience! I love how you work at it.

[fish]

This has the effect of burning in the image, or lightening it.
psst...waxy. burning means darkening. dodging lightens the image. (think darkroom).

[lynnma]

psst...waxy. burning means darkening. dodging lightens the image. (think darkroom).
you guys are all so cute... thanks to both for input... You all just reinforce what I should have listened to in the first place.. my own instinct.

Great forum.

Lynn
p.s. if this is a bit slushy... it's cos I just came home from huge quantities of Chinese food and wine.. I'm swimming in MSG.

hic

[lynnma]

[The big unresolved problem is the burned-in white to the right of the snowmachine. Nothing can be done about that, I'm afraid. Any attempts to darken it will make it an ugly gray. I'm learning (thanks Patch! :wave) that digital cameras are very sensitive to excess light and will easily overexpose highlights.]

Sid! I fixed the burned in white to the right.... ha ha

[wxwax]

psst...waxy. burning means darkening. dodging lightens the image. (think darkroom).
Thanks. That's why I always post my ignoramus rating at the top of my posts. :wink

[Seamaiden]

Hhmm.. alright. DWF, with one HELLUVA a significant other. (Humun, his boy's joined the Navy, and will be training as a diver, too. Already has significant dive time.) When the cabin in Tahoe's built, I'll be moving up there with him. Just turned 40 2/20.. mother of two teen boys, 17 and soon-to-be 15. Click on my profile and you'll see one of my favorite 'fake-outs', good laughs. Plus, out here, you can catch all KINDS of people doing it for real.

I still haven't exactly decided what I want to do when I grow up, was a stay-at-home mom for a while there. Did work aquatic import/export for some while there, and currently working with a couple of different websites advising/learning more an subjects aquatic. My nick is the Greek/Latin meaning of my first name (also, where one parks a boat). Went back to working part-time a couple of years ago, and after almost a year got a pretty good thump that crunched my back - fortunately it's not so serious as to have permanently immobilized me (thank God for the needlestickers!).

So, I need to learn something other than that which requires substantial use of my back. :dunno Considering several options, all that have to do with (hopefully) working from home/online. In the meantime I helped with editing/proofing of a very good book on reefing, The Natural Marine Aquarium-Reef Invertebrates, by Anthony Calfo and Bob Fenner. Also learning many things Linux, built my own computer last June (only three years ago I practically a Luddite when it came to puters). A monster has since been created.. so, I thought that I'd post one of my first shots with my nifty, entirely frivolous purchase.

[GREAPER]

nice shot Seamaiden welcome. Seen this thread a few times but never got around to posting in it. Dont much like talking about my self.

I am a 39.8 year old married man with 3 teenage boys (13, 15, 18). My wife is a beautiful intelligent funny lady who still married me, go figure.

I am a construction electrician by trade. Commercial and industrial.

I bought my first camera about 2 years ago on e-bay as a bit of a lark ( it was a lot of stuff and it was cheap). It was an old Pentax Me super 35mm camera with 6 lenses and other stuff to boot. I was not even sure I was really interested, but as soon as I got it the bug bit hard.

I bought my first Nikon 4 months later and my second soon after. Recently I added a d100 to the arsonal which I LOVE.

I joined a camera club soon after gettig the first camera and it was my main source of learning. I fell in love with the club early and became the Vice President durring my first year. I am running for president now (unopposed) and think I have a good chance at getting the job.

I love taking photos and talking about them, and sharing them, and trying to help other people become as fanatic about it as i am.

[special kid]

I'm 23 and in San Diego for now. Raised in plymouth Ma then moved to VA when i was 18. Then to San Diego when i was 20. Always loved cameras ever since i got my hand me down slr from my father when i was 14. Played with some of the first digitals for a while. Mainly like to do sports (Biking, Skateboarding, Surfing) but i also enjoy walking around the park or the city and taking pictures. Just got my first digital SLR last week. I had some issues with my Rebel 35mm that i was shotting(It just didn't have the fps). So i played some poker for a while and used my tax return and bought a Nikon D2H(I love it). I took over 1000 pics since last thurs. Ohh yeah i am really good with numbers but not that good with the gramar. I will have my site up buy the end of the week with some of the pics i just took. I'm in the Navy and getting ready to go on deployment so i look forward to posting some pics from around the world. Also i'm on a carrier so i get some nice Jet shots.. Look Forward to talking and learning from all of you..

[wxwax]

Specialkid, we're gonna enjoy having you around! :nod Look forward to yer shots. Bigtime.

Seamaiden, that's a terrific shot. I'm getting the feeling that you're a very talented person.

Some nice folks are elbowing their way in. Cool.

[bikehiker]

I Hate talking about myself but here goes, My name is Mike. I'm 32 and Currently live in NE Tennessee, but have famiy in SW FL, thats where the Florida photos come from. I've spent most of my working life as a lineman/splicer who was also afraid of heights when started. The first pole was an interesting one! Currently, I've decided to stay at home a little more and attend some schooling, so I've been working nights at a local factory and going to school days for computer applied science. Photography is fairly new to me. I've always liked to take pictures during hikes(my other hobby is hiking by the way) but just recently started getting serious about photography.

[Deacon]

This sure makes for interesting reading! Well here goes, I am 54 and live in Portland, Or. I have been doing photography since I was in my early teens. Yearbook, hs and college photo ed etc. Had to leave school for a stint in the army and was a photg for Criminal Investigation. A great time that has kept food on the table. Too long of a story, but I have been designing, building and developing real estate for 26 years. If you want to take a look: Shelburne Homes (http://www.shelburnehomes.com)

I am passionate about many things, family, mc riding, fishing, traveling etc. There are not enough hours in the day to do all the things I want to do, but I keep trying. Surrounded by great friends and employees, we really try to have fun! Dgrin is a great site Baldy, keeps me pushing and exploring. Thanks
:clap

Deacon

[Seamaiden]

Specialkid, we're gonna enjoy having you around! :nod Look forward to yer shots. Bigtime.

Indeed! What carrier? I was married to a Navy guy, Dad was Navy (flight sturgeon, flew a Skyhawk.. GAWD I loved playing with his flight helmet when I was a kid), and dated another Navy guy for 8 years (they both served on the same carrier, the Ranger). My boyfriend's son is joined, and intends to train as a diver (he's already scuba certified). I used to live in San Diego for some years, too. There is nothing like the bay on a weeknight, you have it practically all to yourself - I have my particular favorite fishin' spots around there, too.. ;) You going on a full WesPac tour? And.. heh.. still a pollywog? Hope you enjoy crossing the equator, be SURE to use your camera as much as possible for that. http://www.mutantswarm.org/eye/images/smilies/smilegrin.gif


Seamaiden, that's a terrific shot. I'm getting the feeling that you're a very talented person.

Some nice folks are elbowing their way in. Cool.

Thank you wax. But it's not my doing, it's nature. Ya kinda can't go wrong with that, now can you? I've linked your site to some friends of mine on our ttth site, they're the ones who have been helping me thus far, and one in particular helped me figure out search words for Google, which is how I found you folks here. We even have one guy who's legally blind who takes, in my opinion at least, some pretty outrageous shots. He's resistant to change, though, so it'll take a couple of weeks with a crowbar and a stick to beat him with to get him to visit.

I feel the need to comment here on a couple of things, and I've mentioned once before my impulse control issues.. so here goes.

- First, this site loads up HELLAFAST! Puts me in the diggable mode. Ours is phpnuke, this place is (?) wysiwig? In any event, I really like the interface and load time.
- Second, I have found through my search that there is truly a dearth of well-set up sites dedicated to digital photography. And not only that, most seem to be geared towards professionals. Very intimidating for someone like myself, who is only just getting straight the dif's between aperture-f/stop, ISO, and shutter speed, but still can't get 'em quite right for the indoor family shots. I'll reduce some piccies later today that I took Sunday evening in hopes of suggestions.

Last, but hardly least, I am having a great time getting the feel of this place, and I love reading people's "stories". :thumb

[TJAmy]

Hello, to everyone! My name is Tammy Jo. My closest friends call me TJ (TEEJ)! I am 32, married, with one 6 year old boy. I live in Michigan, burr. My story is not very exciting. Picked up my first camera in the 7th grade. Put it back down and picked up a Volleyball. Played volleyball for local college for a year and started playing in tournaments all over Michigan. Made some really great friends and for about two whole years I worked during the day, played volleyball in the evenings and went to the bar after that dancing the night away. Then I met my husband, got married, got pregnant, and picked up the camera again. We just bought our first digital last week and I found this web site three days ago. I did the weekend assignment of "Triangles" but found that I am having problems getting my pictures uploaded. But I think I can figure it out given a little more time.

I love this sight. I don't play any volleyball anymore. I had to grow up! But since I have become a member of this web sight, I have felt excited about something again. I love reading your posts and seeing your pictures. I just hope I can hang with you all!

I love taking pictures of kids. I love it when they don't know you are there. I did take some College course in photography and I learned a lot. But for me...I can take 3 rolls of film and only get one shot that worth showing anyone. I can't wait to get some of my pictures on here so I can get some feedback from all of the colorful people.

Well, I could go on and on...but I am at work and the boss is on the way!:puke1
THanks for letting my talk.

[special kid]

Indeed! What carrier? I was married to a Navy guy, Dad was Navy (flight sturgeon, flew a Skyhawk.. GAWD I loved playing with his flight helmet when I was a kid), and dated another Navy guy for 8 years (they both served on the same carrier, the Ranger). My boyfriend's son is joined, and intends to train as a diver (he's already scuba certified). I used to live in San Diego for some years, too. There is nothing like the bay on a weeknight, you have it practically all to yourself - I have my particular favorite fishin' spots around there, too.. ;) You going on a full WesPac tour? And.. heh.. still a pollywog? Hope you enjoy crossing the equator, be SURE to use your camera as much as possible for that. http://www.mutantswarm.org/eye/images/smilies/smilegrin.gif
i
i work on the Uss John C. Stennis, been there for almost 4 years.I work with communications gear all over the ship. I joined under the SEAL program but then changed my mind. I've been to Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Middle east, Austriala and Tazmaniz. ohh yeah i'm already a golden shell back. I crossed the equator at the international date line. Iv'e been across the equator 3 or 4 times now..

[Seamaiden]

i
i work on the Uss John C. Stennis, been there for almost 4 years.I work with communications gear all over the ship. I joined under the SEAL program but then changed my mind. I've been to Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Middle east, Austriala and Tazmaniz. ohh yeah i'm already a golden shell back. I crossed the equator at the international date line. Iv'e been across the equator 3 or 4 times now..

Wow! Then you've got to scan and post your certificate. I love those things. :wink

[gotta]

My name is Eric, and Seamaiden suggested I come in and look around. I liked the site immediately. I have been taking pictures for 30 years, most of them with a 35mm SLR. I've had my digital for less than two years, but I've taken a few thousand pictures. Because I live in the foothills of the Eastern Cascades in Washington State, there is much beauty to photograph. Most of my pictures are of the surrounding countryside. I live on a snow melt fed lake 55 miles long and on the average a mile wide. The upper reaches of the lake reach the center of the Cascade Mts. We have spectacular sunsets all spring and summer, many which I've posted. I also like close up work on my fish tanks and flowers. Last summer I got into astrophotography, and I've just scratched the surface. I have gotten some pretty decent pictures of the moon, some which I've posted. I enjoy looking at others' pictures, and seeing other places. I think this site is great and I find myself spending time here every day.

Regards, Eric

[JohnR]

I just joined today.

How old are you?
I'm 39
Where do you live?
Louisville, KY
Family?
currently single but am seeing a wonderful woman
How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital?
I have a Canon PowerShot S30 for about 2 years. Just bought the Nikon D70. So about 2 years with digital. Film...eh...just snapshots.
What other hobbies do you have?
I'm a mac user...enough said
:thumb

[wxwax]

Cool camera, John, and welcome aboard. :thumb

[PerezDesignGroup]

How old are you? 28.

Where do you live? North Miami Beach, FL

How long have you been shooting? About 2 years in digital. Started with an Olympus D460 and now I'm using a Canon A70.
What's your favorite subject? Spy shots. Taking pictures of people when they least expect it.
What do you do for money? Freelance Artist and Network Engineer.
What other hobbies do you have? Art, Airbrushing, Photoshop and Illustrator.

And on a separate note, just wanted to send a huge thank-you to smugmug for their amazing site.

[wxwax]

:nod Smugmug rocks.

[gubbs]

Well, I'm 40, live near Reading, UK (about 40 miles SW of London). Married with 4 Children and 1 grandson.
I've been interested in Photography on and off since about 84 when I bought a Nikon FG20 (which I still have). I joined the digital age with a Casio QV4000 about 18 months ago, this really renewed my interest and goes down as one of my best purchases.
I tend to use my Camera like a diary, taking quantity rather than quality. I'm trying to change all that (by improving hopefully!) and have found the advice, the pictures, the assignments and the encouragement in DG fantastic.
Looking at my photos I guess my favourite pictures are candid shots but I really enjoy nature and action shots.
Other main interests include cars, the Dax (see below) occupies a lot of my time, and food (cooking and eating!).

http://gubbs.smugmug.com/photos/522382-S-2.jpg

Cheers

Jon

[nikon90]

Well, I guess I must be the newbie here, just joined last night. My name is Terri and I'm 32 years old. I am married to a wonderful man for going on 3 years, (been together going on 8). We live in Indianapolis, IN. I started with photography when I was 16. I took what I thought would be an easy class to pass and instead had a teacher that really got me going. I finally convinced my parents to buy me a Pentax K-1000 and its been my love ever since. I took one year in college but they had me doing to many other things to really keep my interest in school (I hate math and numbers!!). I quit joined the real world and started shooting my favorite pasttime... musicians! I worked in several one hour labs and even a custom lab during this time. I learned more by trial and error than anything but I did pick the brains of those around me who knew what they were doing. I love doing live concerts but have very little access to them anymore the way I used to. I have several promo shots and even two cd covers to my credit.
My hubby, who is an over the road truck driver, took me out to see the country. I really didn't know much about landscapes seeing as how I only focused on shooting concerts so that was a good learning experience for me. I put the camera down for a few years because we thought my Pentax had died and we couldn't get it fixed or buy a new one :cry . So I went probably 3 or 4 years without shooting except with a cheap point and shoot I hated. Then Xmas 3 years ago my honey hands me this box he was so proud of and when I opened it, there was my dream camera... Nkion N90s. I was so happy I cried!!! I became a truck driver myself 5 years ago and I take my camera everywhere with me. We team drive mostly Mid-west to California, Oregon or Washington. I don't use my camera all the time but I go in spurts really. I'm trying to get more serious about it so that everything doesn't look like vacation snapshots. I also like to shoot NASCAR races when we go. Its fun trying to catch cars moving that fast.
I recently bought a Nikon N6006 that I truely love. I'm really still learning this digital stuff and not really sure on it yet. I have a Kodak 4800 that still has my honeymoon pics on from '01, ( i just recently figured out how to get them off there). I have a cheesy Gateway point and shoot digital that I love to use while I drive, ( its so small and easy to manuver with one hand). I also have an Olympus 170 that is great for sneaking into concerts. I have a small gallery on smugmug and I'm getting ready to expand it. I love what I can do on there.
As for any other hobbies, I really don't have any. I enjoy music (of course) and my hubby plays bass so that entertains me. I like to read alot and play on my computer. I'm really into learning this computer/digital thing, (then maybe I'll like it more). We're only home 5-7 days a month so my learning time is limited but I'm still at it. Well, that's all for me. I've enjoyed my time here so far can't wait for more. Nice meeting everyone.:D

[wxwax]

Other main interests include cars, the Dax (see below) occupies a lot of my time, and food (cooking and eating!).

http://gubbs.smugmug.com/photos/522382-S-2.jpg

Cheers

Jon

Nice car, Jon. How's it drive?

And what's for dinner?

[wxwax]

Well, that's all for me. I've enjoyed my time here so far can't wait for more. Nice meeting everyone.:D


Great first post, Nikon! :thumb I think we'd love to see your pictures from the road. Digital's costly upfront, but can pay for itself in saved film costs over time (unless you get bitten by the bug and keep upgrading your equipment!)

Good to have you here!

[gubbs]

Nice car, Jon. How's it drive?
And what's for dinner?
It's pretty "raw", a cross between fear and fun (i'm talking car)! The acceleration is awsome with lots of grip from the 4wd. Fantastic!!

Shanks of Lamb

[wxwax]

Sounds like fun... and please invite me over!

[MainFragger]

First I'll give you my handle's story, then I'll give you mine.

My handle is actually a bastardization. In 1990 there was a comicbook mini-series that revamped a nearly forgettable Omega Men character from DC Comics. Lobo. His original hair looked like someone dropped a diamond block on his head, and his costume was a really loud orange and maroon/red suit. He was suppose to be one of the best hitmen in the universe, but the Omega Men pretty much slapped him around like he was Raggedy Andy.
I don't know WHY someone decided to revamp such a forgettable character, but I haven't regretted it since. The new Lobo is more like a permanently pissed off Randy "The Macho Man" Savage in biker duds. He destroyed his entire planet to keep others of his species from using their abilities to become the ultimate intergalactic Bounty Hunter/Hitman/Assasin. Thats why he is the Main Man! Immortal because neither heaven or hell wants him, he kills casually, cooly, and with great humor. He calls killing Fraggin', and uses FRAG! as a curse. Every once in a while..he when he wants to refer to himself as a killing machine, he calls himself a fragger. His series and mini-series are usually tongue in cheek, because, well, in a serious comic, he could kill abou 90% of the DC super heros and villains without breaking a sweat. He's stomped on Superman a few times already.

My Info:

I have been into BBS'ing (Calling local Bulletin Board Systems) since 1990. I started with a 1200 baud modem, and promptly got addicted enough to BBS's that I used it to flush my first year of Drexel down the tubes.

At the time, it was fashion to pick a BBS name that sounded Rad, Gnarly, and made you sound like a general bad @ss. I wanted to pick Lobo, but even back then, most sites wanted 6 leggers for a login. So I decided to go with Fragger. I was Fragger free and clear until about 1997. Quake and Doom had started to make their mark, and nexthing you know, every new site wanted to add a number to Fragger. I took Fragger69 when I could. Yes, I know, I'm a bit of a perv..sue me!

That worked ok for about a year. Then I couldn't get anything below Fragger9403022943. So I thought...Like Lobo, I needed to distinguish myself. How? Well, Lobo is The Main Main? I'll be the MainFragger.

OK..enough about the handle, more about me.

I've lived in 3 states in my life. PA, NJ, and FLA. But FLA was for about a year when I was 4-5. PA has been most of my life. NJ was during the summers in my early formative years. Having a job kind of put a kabosh on me going down the shore for the summer.

I have traveled from PA to Cali, GA, Canada, New York, Aruba, and Israel.

I love movies. Movies in the Theater, movies on DVD. I'll watch anything from G to XXX, from Mainstream to Sub b-grade. If its a movie, sooner or later, I'll see it. I have over 400 DVD's, not including video clips from my computer and image albums from my camera.

I do tech support and new hire training for one of the largest manufacturers of electronics in the world. I won't drop their name here because it can actually come back to bite me if I do. Sorry.

It is through trying to improve my knowlege base for my customers that I have gotten thoroughly hooked on digital photography. I have become the go to guy for any issues that involve image quality. Not so much that I am an expert, but my understanding of what I have read and learned through experimenting at least allows me to explain why automatic cameras would choose certain settings in various shots and to suggest methods of getting the best out of what may not always be the best circumstances for a picture to be taken properly. It also allows me to offer more suggestions on cameras with a/s/m.

I've had my current digital camera since last November and have taken over 11,000 images on it. Some of those images are on my site. If you have comments about my images, I'd love to hear them. E-mail me at fragger@verizon.net . Sorry if they are not captioned. I just don't have the patience to do that when I am making them publicly viewable and free. And there are literally thousands of images up.

[wxwax]

Deja vu, Frag. I feel as though some of this has been posted somewhere before. :scratch

http://www.geocities.com/clarksdcanimations/lobo_stance.gif

[MainFragger]

Deja vu, Frag. I feel as though some of this has been posted somewhere before. :scratch

http://www.geocities.com/clarksdcanimations/lobo_stance.gif
A little bit of it might be in my bio. But I elaborated some. To be honest, I've posted it in more than one location, so its also possible I forgot I posted it here somewhere, and reposted it. My memory gets a little dicey sometimes.

MainFragger

[digismile]

Hi, my name is Brad. I'm 46 and live on a golf course in Edmonton, Alberta with my wife and one 4 legged kid (Buddy the Wonder Dog). And like many on this site, I have "the bug". I've had it a very long time ...

It started when I was a kid carrying the battery pack for my dad's flash that had a guide number of about a bazillion. Ok, maybe not a bazillion, but it could fill a big hall and had a 700 pound lead acid battery pack. Ok, maybe it wasn't 700 pounds, but remember, I was just a little kid! I got my first camera at age six and started snapping. I still have many of the very first B/W photos that I took. As I grew up, I sat through many a saturday night slide show as my dad pulled out tray after tray of newly developed slides .

The bug bit me again when I was in High School. I enrolled in a journalism course and before you knew it, I was the photographer/layout/production guy for the school newspaper. The very first time I put my first exposed piece of paper in the developer tray was MAGIC ... not sure why, but it just was. Those were the days that I always smelled of fixer. My mom hated it, but to me, it was heaven.

One would have thought that the protagonist of our story would have left school, camera in hand and ventured into a budding career in photojournalism. I had actually wanted for years to be a marine biologist. Somehow I ended up getting a degree in music instead. Go figure ...

Well, the years have gone by, I made a career change, got another degree (MBA), and today I'm the Manager of Corporate Planning for a billion dollar Canadian retailer. Then the bug REALLY bit a couple of years ago. The V.P. Franchising got himself a little 2 megapixel Canon Elph and I made the "mistake" of borrowing it for the weekend. I took some pictures of BTWD (Buddy the Wonder Dog) and it was one of those life changing moments ... really. Soon after, I purchased a Canon G2 and Photoshop 6 and I've hardly exposed a roll of film since. Yes, the camera has several limitations compared to my Canon SLR, but digital is SO ....(you fill in YOUR favorite word). But the limitations are soon to be a thing of the past ... my "new baby" is expected any week now ...

I have to say that digital has really improved photography. Sorry film guys. Part of becoming better at any craft is practice. Not too long ago I recently read the acticle for the first fully digital National Geographic pictorial. What blew me away was that the average 2-3 week assignment required the photographer to expose 600-700 ROLLS of 36 exposure film. Now they ONLY shoot the equivalent of 200 rolls. Taking that many pictures, even a guy like me should be able to get ONE good photo in his lifetime! I know from my days of teaching music that very few people are truly blessed with with pure natural ability. If you want to be good, you have to work, and work hard. Shooting digital lets us try and fail, over and over again, with very little cost except our time.

I love this site. It has it all. Technoweenies, professional photographers, and lots of people that just appreciate seeing someone else's photos. It lets us connect as a world.

Thanks for the opportunity to share.

Long live dgrin, long live smugmug.


Brad

[wxwax]

:clap Great post, Digi! You summed it up perfectly, I think. Lots of practice, no incremental cost... and a nice place to show off the good ones. Thanks for such an eloquent intro!

[Andy]

I got into photography at an early age, about 7 years old. Ever since then,
I can recall always always taking photographs. When I was 12 i started
working for the local camera store. I stocked the shelves and swept the joint.
In a year, I was opening up the store on my own on saturday mornings, and
it was just me and those Kodak Instamatics and about 90 kinds of Kodak film
behind the counter :lol3

The owner had one of the only commercial b&w darkrooms in the area,
and he taught me how to develop film, and make prints. A giggle:
I remember often developing rolls of film from one particular guy -
he shot "nudies" (not nudes, in the artistic sense) :lol3 whenever
I'd get this film developed, the owner would always send me down
the street off on "errands" and "important deliveries" for the
store. Riiiight. as i got wiser, I remembered the guy who brought
in the "special" film. Once, i pocketed it, and developed it the
next morning and made the prints. Hoo-boy did I get an eyeful ;)
and also, the owner was none too pleased, but since I did such a
good job with the prints (even fixed a few) he said he'd forget
about it. :thumb

Soon I set up my own darkroom at home, comandeering the basement
bathroom. Mom wasn't too happy about it, but she gave in and even
bought me the expensive Kodak paper and all the chemicals I ever
needed.

I continued there for several years, and then got into other types
of jobs, but i always had my camera with me. I'll never forget
working there.

So, how did you get started with photography? tell us your story,
and share a photo or two if you've got them!

Here's an early self-portrait, with a voigtlander rangefinder 35mm
and a timer. (I was 8 yrs old):

http://williams.smugmug.com/photos/325153-M-1.jpg

Here's a photo i took in 1971 of my brother after he wrecked his
car.. This one made it into the local newspaper ;)
http://williams.smugmug.com/photos/325188-S-1.jpg

Here's a portrait of my folks and our dog, taken in 1973 with a
Pentax k1000 35mm slr:
http://williams.smugmug.com/photos/325220-M-1.jpg

My dad flyfishing in 1975, taken with the same pentax
http://williams.smugmug.com/photos/325227-S-1.jpg

A river scene, near where i'd go fishing in the adirondacks of ny,
taken with a canon a-1:
http://williams.smugmug.com/photos/325273-M-1.jpg

[Bryan]

Let's see, my name is Bryan and I take pictures.



I am 31 and live in what Money Magazine considers the best city in the west, Rancho Santa Margarita, California (between LA and San Diego). That means it is manicured, planned and perfect for raising my 2 sons (3 and 10 weeks) with my wife of 6 years.



I started shooting with Dad's A-1 in High school, then took several B&W classes in Jr College. I bought my first Camera then, Canon Rebel. I shot a lot, then the camera got put away. Several years later my sister borrowed and dropped the camera. I fixed the body when our first son was born, and the bug was refound.



My first Digi was a freebie a vendor gave me, Olympus D-520zoom. I was convinced Digital was it, wife was not. Then the Digital Rebel cam out, I bought it, pissed her off. She wanted piles of pics surrounding her, so I bought a printer, she is hooked. Yesterday I ordered a 75-300 lens, to replace the one sister broke years ago.



I work in IT, so I have the computers, now I need to learn Photoshop and get this hobby rolling! If I could only find a business reason to take Photoshop classes, then they would pay for the classes. Hummmm....



That is my story, My boys get most of my exposures right now.

http://gifford-family.smugmug.com/photos/2785863-M.jpg

[wxwax]

Beautiful color and detail and the soft baby skin, Bryan. Nice shot.

If you're looking for good books for your version of Photoshop, check out anything by Scott Kelby. Great tips, easy to follow, a picture for every step - and at least one book for every 'modern' upgrade of PS.

[wxwax]

here's how i started out (http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1009&message=7413752)


Wow Andy, youre experience goes waaay back. Even as a kid you had really good skills. Nice story. :nod

But honestly, and with all due respect to your father, someone should have had a word with him about those pants! :evil

[Andy]

http://williams.smugmug.com/photos/325190-L-1.jpg

[wxwax]

My, what a colorful family!

[damonff]

Finally got around to this...I'm Damon...the ff is Francis Fernandes, my other two names. I'm from Washington, D.C. I'm a teacher by trade. I teach literature. My favorite writers are Faulkner, Joyce, and Morrison. I also love looking at paintings; my favorite artists are Picasso, Pollock, and anyone who painted that Italian stuff in the 14th and 15th centuries. I dabble in religion, though I subscribe to none. My favorite religion is Hinduism because it has a balance of freedom, art, and spirituality that I find appealing. Siva is a pretty cool art subject. I live in China; I teach here. I stopped teaching in the States because the testing system (no child left behind) is stifling to a teacher's creativity. Teaching for the test is not education in my opinion. Thought I'd check out China and found the same thing going on here...oh well. I'm married to a beautiful person named Lida. We have no children. We plan on seeing the world for a while, but we'll probably go back to D.C. to make some money first. We're going to buy a Vespa with a sidecar when we get back...we used to have a new Beetle but gas prices are way too high now...going for the scooter. Photography is my hobby. I have film and digital cameras. I use my Sony 828 most of the time but my Canon AE1 Program is also never idle for long. I speak English, Portuguese, Farsi, and Putonghua (Mandarin Chinese). I can read and write Sanskrit. I learned that when I was studying under a yoga master about 10 years back. I taught yoga for a while outside of Detroit but it's hard making a living in full lotus pose (padmasana). I want to buy a Nikon D1X. Can't afford it...have to save. Can't think of anything else. I love smugmug and digital grin.

[wxwax]

Great story, Damonff. I always wondered what you were doing over there, assumed you worked for a corporation of some kind. Turns out you're a bit of the anti-corporate type, eh? Maybe teaching in the English private school system would suit you? 30 years ago they didn't seem quite as focused on teaching for the test - dunno about now, though.

[lynnma]

Finally got around to this...I'm Damon...the ff is Francis Fernandes, my other two names. I'm from Washington, D.C. I'm a teacher by trade. I teach literature. My favorite writers are Faulkner, Joyce, and Morrison. I also love looking at paintings; my favorite artists are Picasso, Pollock, and anyone who painted that Italian stuff in the 14th and 15th centuries. I dabble in religion, though I subscribe to none. My favorite religion is Hinduism because it has a balance of freedom, art, and spirituality that I find appealing. Siva is a pretty cool art subject. I live in China; I teach here. I stopped teaching in the States because the testing system (no child left behind) is stifling to a teacher's creativity. Teaching for the test is not education in my opinion. Thought I'd check out China and found the same thing going on here...oh well. I'm married to a beautiful person named Lida. We have no children. We plan on seeing the world for a while, but we'll probably go back to D.C. to make some money first. We're going to buy a Vespa with a sidecar when we get back...we used to have a new Beetle but gas prices are way too high now...going for the scooter. Photography is my hobby. I have film and digital cameras. I use my Sony 828 most of the time but my Canon AE1 Program is also never idle for long. I speak English, Portuguese, Farsi, and Putonghua (Mandarin Chinese). I can read and write Sanskrit. I learned that when I was studying under a yoga master about 10 years back. I taught yoga for a while outside of Detroit but it's hard making a living in full lotus pose (padmasana). I want to buy a Nikon D1X. Can't afford it...have to save. Can't think of anything else. I love smugmug and digital grin.Damanoff? looking at you through your pictures you are exactly who I thought you were. (maybe much smarter) your qualities shine through your shots. We are glad you love smugmug and digital grin cos' we love you too.. and I know I can speak for all when I say that.:clap
Lynn

[damonff]

Thanks Lynn, thanks Sid. I feel like a member of a really cool family here...

[BylLuvaul]

Hello everyone ! My name is Nick Luvaul , but most know me as Byl . I live in boring Ocala Florida .I am 15 years old and i got my first camera this past Christmas , ever since i got it i have not been able to put it down . I started to mostly take skateboarding pictures of my friends , untill i got my macro lens ... so now i my favorite thing to is taking macro pics of bugs and flowers . My other hobbies are skateboarding ,surfing ,mountain-biking ,and painting .

[Wolf]

Hello everyone ! My name is Nick Luvaul , but most know me as Byl . I live in boring Ocala Florida .I am 15 years old and i got my first camera this past Christmas , ever since i got it i have not been able to put it down . I started to mostly take skateboarding pictures of my friends , untill i got my macro lens ... so now i my favorite thing to is taking macro pics of bugs and flowers . My other hobbies are skateboarding ,surfing ,mountain-biking ,and painting .
I'm from Central Florida also, never found Ocala boring. But, I am not 15 anymore... However, you have a treasure trove of areas around you for some fabulous wildlife and nature photography.

My personal favorites are photographing gators. That's an adrenaline rush! My last trip up to Paynes Prarie, not too far from you, filled me with enough adrenaline to float me for about a month! Keep shooting, and keep posting.

[lynnma]

Hello everyone ! My name is Nick Luvaul , but most know me as Byl . I live in boring Ocala Florida .I am 15 years old and i got my first camera this past Christmas , ever since i got it i have not been able to put it down . I started to mostly take skateboarding pictures of my friends , untill i got my macro lens ... so now i my favorite thing to is taking macro pics of bugs and flowers . My other hobbies are skateboarding ,surfing ,mountain-biking ,and painting .Hi Nick, welcome to the forum! we are looking forward to seeing some of your bug pictures.
:D Lynn

[lynnma]

I'm from Central Florida also, never found Ocala boring. But, I am not 15 anymore... However, you have a treasure trove of areas around you for some fabulous wildlife and nature photography.

My personal favorites are photographing gators. That's an adrenaline rush! My last trip up to Paynes Prarie, not too far from you, filled me with enough adrenaline to float me for about a month! Keep shooting, and keep posting.Hi Wolf, yes you do have some fabulous wildlife to shoot down there. I was in Florida not long back and took some gator shots, not too good tho.. lets see some of yours..:D Lynn

[Andy]

My, what a colorful family!

i'm not going to pollute the board here with some of the outlandish 70s and 80s outfits my family actually wore!

[wxwax]

i'm not going to pollute the board here with some of the outlandish 70s and 80s outfits my family actually wore!
:rofl :rofl

[wxwax]

Hello everyone ! My name is Nick Luvaul , but most know me as Byl . I live in boring Ocala Florida .I am 15 years old and i got my first camera this past Christmas


:wave Hi Byl, great to have you here. Please note you're getting an early start in Photography, sort of like Andy did - and look how good he is! Shoots lots and post 'em, love to see your work and your growth.

And why do most people call you Byl? Is there a story there?

[ginger_55]

Hey, you all know me, I am ginger, 64 yrs old, live outside of Charleston, SC, married to a school photographer, 4 grown children, with children. Besides, my husband, I live with a Yorkshire Terrier, two Welsh Corgis, and a cat.
They are my unpaid models.
I am sure I have been avidly taking pictures longer than Andy, since I am older. I got my first camera, a Brownie, when I was 8 yrs old. With $1.00 a week allowance, I could buy a roll of film and have it developed, or buy ten comic books. It was probably a 50/50 decision with weather a factor.

I have had a progressive hearing loss all my life. It was undiagnosed until I was 21, but it was probably a contributing factor to my interest in photography. I was born in 1939, it was the late sixties/early seventies that I got a Nikon, a darkroom and started to roll with obsession. I took classes, workshops, was a mother by day, a photographer, also, by day, by night I was a darkroom technician. Love the smell of those chemicals.
Like many artists, I got a college degree in biology, a science. They seem to go together, the arts and the sciences. I didn't get my degree until I was 45, I still had marvelous camera equipment, but no darkroom, and I had let the compulsion go. At one point I worked part time at a small town newspaper as a photographer. My time became theirs, and when I was told I would be working on my daughter's sixteenth birthday, we parted ways.

Can't remember your other questions. I sold my Nikon equipment about 5 yrs ago to pay the mortgage, but my eye was on digital. As soon as possible I got a Canon Elph. This year I bought a dRebel with our tax return. I bought the lenses I wanted and could afford, so I feel back in the groove of photography: real zoom lenses, interchangeable. I believed in digital photography from the beginning. That is important to me, as I was talking up digital, and the company my husband works for still uses film.

I think all photography is a miracle. The first time I developed a black and white print, I likened it to having a baby.........and I knew. My child bearing days were over, but my years of creativity had not ended.

My interests were always in the area of photojournalism. I was really a bit narrow minded about that. I do not use a tripod, not that I won't. I have owned them and rarely used one. I like to hand hold my camera without messing with a lot of equipment. So far I still have not used the flash I bought to use with the Rebel. I have not needed to. It is in my camera bag.

My hearing loss has reached the edges of the profound range. Without my hearing aids, I hear nothing. Using the phone is becoming very difficult. Photography is a pursuit I can still follow, be around people without the emphasis on conversations. With a camera, I will go anywhere, do anything, they are magical machines, don't you think?

ginger

[BylLuvaul]

:wave Hi Byl, great to have you here. Please note you're getting an early start in Photography, sort of like Andy did - and look how good he is! Shoots lots and post 'em, love to see your work and your growth.

And why do most people call you Byl? Is there a story there?
The reason people call me Byl is because one day at school we got a new teacher and i told him my name was Bill and to confuse him i spelled it as wierd as i could , and the name kinda stuck with me so now most people call me Byl .

[DewrGleision]

I dont think anyone really cares, but Im just gonna do this to clear some things up...

Im 18. Ok then, I thought I was the youngest here, but Byl beat me out in that one. 3/3/86. Yes, Im a Pisces! 3s rule.
I was born here in Napa Valley, moved to Washington (state) when I was like 2 or 3, stayed there for 9 years, moved back down to central CA (next o Moneterey, one of my favorite areas of all...) for about 5 years, and now Im back in Napa, for craps sake! Nobody ever go to the Columbia Valley in WA!!! It is mental and even physical death, I kid you not.
My mother is Brazilian, from Sao Paulo, so Ive been back and forth to Brazil all my life; her whole side of the family is there. My dad, as he likes to put it, is just plain ole' white bread (English/Scottish descent). Besides Brazil, the only other place Ive ever traveled to was Italy, about a few weeks ago!
I started shooting my mom's old Minolta SLR (XC900 I believe...?), and I got pretty good at it with the help of my high-school photo-teacher. The last three semesters of my high-school years (last semester of Junior year and all of Senior year) I did in a home-schooling program here in Napa. I am a crappy, ADD-ridden student. Trust me, its not what you think it is.
Ive been shooting around now for about a year (when I like/obsess over something, I tend to learn really fast and reminiscent of a derailing train), and I pick stuff up pretty quick, but crash just as quickly all the time.
I just got a Sony f828 for a graduation present from a guy Im not related to but has known me since I was born (family friend). I love this thing! But, sadly, I still long for the versatility of interchangable lenses (I had wished--almost secretly and to myself, actually--for a dRebel or a 10D or some other dSLR...). I love the format and its inherent versatility of the SLR body, and thats what I still consier to be the pinnacle of photographic design and function.
My interests are mostly in the photographic realm, and I just cant find it in my mind to be too enthusiastic about computer-editing/manipulation.
I built my own computer about 2 years ago and it was designed for LAN-party usage, but sadly, as soon as it was complete, the LAN parties vanished and the computer crashed out of spite for me. I love aquaira and the different levels of biology inherent in aquatic systems and subsystems, Im a car enthusiast (tuner cars, mostly, but I dont count out the racer stuff or the big-dollar guys, and I love the classics [pre-smog here in the States!]), Im something of a literature-guy, but one thing Ive always been told is that I dont expose myself to enough works or genres and whatnot, so my experience is always lacking. Im a huge fan of everything Celtic, and Im just now getting into everything Japanese (island cultures rock your socks)
I speak Portuguese and a little Spanish...
Anywho, sorry for boring you all; now back to your regular programming.

Oh yeah, incase anyone's wondering, the name means "brave blue" in Irish Gaelic, because Ireland is easily the coolest place in Europe!

[berhimwich]

I've been a photographer since I was sixteen (1998). Basically, I'm self-taught: I taught myself manual exposure and how to develop film and prints. When I lived in Cincinnati, I had a fanbase made up of my dad's middle school students, who were very intelligent for their age. Then I moved to San Antonio and had some trouble finding people who were interested in my work. But I eventually found a place where people love what I do. And now I have a Smugmug site, which believe it or not, I plan to make my income from. I have dealth with both the highs of praise and the lows of criticism when it comes to my work. That is why I want to do everything on my terms and just have people buy my prints online. I believe I've been hurt by some people (even family members) who think photography can only been done in certain ways.

[DewrGleision]

I've been a photographer since I was sixteen (1998). Basically, I'm self-taught: I taught myself manual exposure and how to develop film and prints. When I lived in Cincinnati, I had a fanbase made up of my dad's middle school students, who were very intelligent for their age. Then I moved to San Antonio and had some trouble finding people who were interested in my work. But I eventually found a place where people love what I do. And now I have a Smugmug site, which believe it or not, I plan to make my income from. I have dealth with both the highs of praise and the lows of criticism when it comes to my work. That is why I want to do everything on my terms and just have people buy my prints online. I believe I've been hurt by some people (even family members) who think photography can only been done in certain ways. Man, I hear ya on that last part! That seems to be my personal battle with everything I do; fate would have it that I become interested in industries or topics that are so highly subjective, people just cant help but argue. Ive gotten alot of the same stuff from people around me, and sometimes it gets to me, but otherwise I tune them out with my powers of ADD and short attention spans!
Well, I was also wondering about the whole smugmug-profiting scheme/thing, so Ill let you ask the questions; my name around here has become synonymous with "poisoning the well"!
Welcome to Dgrin; heres your helmet!

[Andy]

thanks for sharing your story.

andy

Hey, you all know me, I am ginger, 64 yrs old, live outside of Charleston, SC, married to a school photographer, 4 grown children, with children. Besides, my husband, I live with a Yorkshire Terrier, two Welsh Corgis, and a cat.
They are my unpaid models.
I am sure I have been avidly taking pictures longer than Andy, since I am older. I got my first camera, a Brownie, when I was 8 yrs old. With $1.00 a week allowance, I could buy a roll of film and have it developed, or buy ten comic books. It was probably a 50/50 decision with weather a factor.

I have had a progressive hearing loss all my life. It was undiagnosed until I was 21, but it was probably a contributing factor to my interest in photography. I was born in 1939, it was the late sixties/early seventies that I got a Nikon, a darkroom and started to roll with obsession. I took classes, workshops, was a mother by day, a photographer, also, by day, by night I was a darkroom technician. Love the smell of those chemicals.
Like many artists, I got a college degree in biology, a science. They seem to go together, the arts and the sciences. I didn't get my degree until I was 45, I still had marvelous camera equipment, but no darkroom, and I had let the compulsion go. At one point I worked part time at a small town newspaper as a photographer. My time became theirs, and when I was told I would be working on my daughter's sixteenth birthday, we parted ways.

Can't remember your other questions. I sold my Nikon equipment about 5 yrs ago to pay the mortgage, but my eye was on digital. As soon as possible I got a Canon Elph. This year I bought a dRebel with our tax return. I bought the lenses I wanted and could afford, so I feel back in the groove of photography: real zoom lenses, interchangeable. I believed in digital photography from the beginning. That is important to me, as I was talking up digital, and the company my husband works for still uses film.

I think all photography is a miracle. The first time I developed a black and white print, I likened it to having a baby.........and I knew. My child bearing days were over, but my years of creativity had not ended.

My interests were always in the area of photojournalism. I was really a bit narrow minded about that. I do not use a tripod, not that I won't. I have owned them and rarely used one. I like to hand hold my camera without messing with a lot of equipment. So far I still have not used the flash I bought to use with the Rebel. I have not needed to. It is in my camera bag.

My hearing loss has reached the edges of the profound range. Without my hearing aids, I hear nothing. Using the phone is becoming very difficult. Photography is a pursuit I can still follow, be around people without the emphasis on conversations. With a camera, I will go anywhere, do anything, they are magical machines, don't you think?

ginger

[ginger_55]

DewrGleason, repeat after me:

I Don't Make Trouble, Trouble Makes Me

hehe, I made that up after being called, affectionately I insist on believing, a trouble maker. Gosh, I would hate to think Bush and I each said something similar, we don't have the same speechwriters, smile. Enough said, there.

I have had no problems here, yet, don't know when I joined, over a month ago, I am sure. The hard drive available space has physically disappeared with the additions of new photographs, and many attempts at bettering same. I think I have been in 3 Challenges, maybe 4, don't know.

I never thought about a helmet, didn't read the biographies for awhile, when I did, I went YIKES, sure glad I didn't know how good everyone else had been when I joined, never would have entered anything, or said a peep.

I will say that I have had more fun experiences, actually just more experiences, in the short time I have been a member here, then in the last 20 years. And I am 64.

Felt like a young person of 35 again, standing in the rain, watching a rainbow form over the marsh of the low country, calling it down to reflect for me, I shouted, begged and said, "Come to mother". It did. Dripping wet, I shot my first rainbow in that 20 yrs at about the same spot I shot my last one. The power I felt, I called a Rainbow, and the Rainbow came. Am still excited.

ginger

I don't make trouble, trouble makes me.

[snapapple]

My name is snappy. I am over 50+. I work as a paralegal. My hobbies are gardening, crafts and photography.

I've always been a creative person. I had a number of my water colors displayed in the "display case" when I was in grade school. My favorite class in highschool was art. I wanted to go to art school after highschool, but my parents said it was frivolous. So, I got a job with the phone company and then got married after a year. (Amazingly, my husband and I are still married after all these years. And, happily, I might add.) I continued working for the phone company as a service rep until I had my first child. I have three kids now, all grown, and my son has twin boys, age 7.

I've always been a snapshot taker since I got my first camera for christmas at age 10. Hence the name (plus my last name). But I got my first "real" camera in the '80s - a Canon AE-1 Program. My daughter was taking a photography class in school and gave me a few pointers. I was selling real estate at the time and I got a wide angle (24mm) lens to take interior shots. After a while I bought a Tamron 35-135mm TeleMacroZoom for it. Macros became my favorite thing (especially flowers). I used the zoom for travel shots when my daughter and I took a trip to England and Paris in 1989. (I dropped my camera on the marble steps of the Louvre in Paris and it survived unscathed.) I love that Tamron lens. It's so versitile. No distortion on the edges when shooting tall buildings etc. either.

I sort of put my camera away after that. The recesion of the early 90"s hit. Real estate was in the tank. Developing film was too expensive. Money was scarce. I couldn't find a job. Law firms were closing all over town, husband wasn't making any money. Bad times. We sold our house and rented for a few years. Economy recovered. I went to college and got a degree in "Health Information Technology". We bought our current house. I worked for a few years in long term care settings. I was director of medical records at a long term care facility for a while. When my husband's office got very busy, he trained me as a paralegal and I went to work for him.

I became pretty good with computers (my creative side again). I researched and installed all the new legal software. We got lots of new tech stuff including a great scanner. BING! I can scan photos. Enter Photoshop Elements. Just started small. No big investment yet. Took out the old camera also bought a small (point & shoot) Pentax IQzoom with a 38-140mm zoom. It's small enough to carry in my pocket. I use the zoom to blur background. I refused to buy a digital camera because the 2 megapixel meant poor quality and the better cameras were too expensive. (my dog knocked over my tripod and jammed my Tamron lens, so I had to pay $350 for a new one in 1995.) I had to keep using what I had. Scanned a lot.

Cleaning dust specks off of scans got really old after a while so I broke down and got a digital last fall. I wanted "small" to take on a 2 week European Cruise. (The Canon and lense was a back breaker on trips.) Got an Olympus C5050z. I'm not real happy with it. Zoom is totally inadequate; view screen is too small and I can't see it in daylight; menus are hard to figure. I can't use it on manual at all. I just take lots of shots and try everything. Haven't really had time to find a place to learn. Users manual is not helpful. :scratch My old SLR was so easy on manual. Turn dial, push button.

I took over 400 pictures on our Mediterranean trip, found Smugmug in January, led to Digital Grinn in May. Am now hooked again on photography. I forgot everything I knew about cameras, so I'm starting over. I"m sure I'll end up getting Photoshop one day soon. I am also researching digital SLRs. I'll just have to find the money somewhere. Looking forward to learning lots from all of you more experienced folks. Snapapple (http://www.snapapple.smugmug.com)

[snapapple]

http://gingerSnap.smugmug.com/photos/6127831-S.jpg

"Felt like a young person of 35 again, standing in the rain, watching a rainbow form over the marsh of the low country, calling it down to reflect for me, I shouted, begged and said, "Come to mother". It did. Dripping wet, I shot my first rainbow in that 20 yrs at about the same spot I shot my last one. The power I felt, I called a Rainbow, and the Rainbow came. Am still excited."
[Quote]


I just love the way you phrased this. It conveys your feelings so well. The image is lovely and the story is great too. Very very nice. :D

[mercphoto]

Hi, I'm Bill Jurasz. I recently started Mercury Photography as a means of trying out the waters of commercial photography. I got the name from the god of speed, Mercury, and because I like things that move fast. Being an ex Corvette and shifter kart racer, I think the name fits. :)

I'm 37, I live in Austin, Texas. I work for AMD, but have also worked for Motorola and Texas Instruments. Always in engineering, and my degree is a BS in Computer Science from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

My dad always played around with cameras as I was growing up. I had a 110 cartridge camera as a youth. My dad explained to me what an SLR was, how it worked, why they were useful. Through college I took pictures of friends and such, but usually with a point-and-shoot 35mm camera. I didn't have the money for anything better.

I got my first SLR, a Canon EOS Elan, when I started working for Motorola. My income took a big boost, I always wanted one, and I was going to the Motorola 300 on the employee package. So I took that as an "excuse" to get a better camera. I took 9 rolls of film of that race. I started using it more, including shots of my Corvette, shots of others racing, etc. For whatever reason the hobby waned on me for a few years. I was even dating a girl once who managed a shop that could print directly from slide (positive paper and chemicals), and I had her do two prints, but still the hobby was dormant. I did learn a lot from her, and she tells me I have a good artistic eye and good composition.

About 9 months ago a friend bought a D10 and the bug hit me again. Finally, an SLR digital camera with enough pixels to make enlargements a possibility. I had a point and shoot Fuji. Nice camera, but I really, really wanted an SLR again. I just don't like point and shoots. So six months ago I bought a Digital Rebel. Since I've bought two other lenses.

I'm back into the sports photography. My site has pictures from the Austin Grand Prix (shifter karts, some of the drivers ex-competitors of mine), and motocross racing. I'm one of two track photographers for advmxpark.com. The track owner is really happy with my work. Trying to get a second track to sign me up. Also did my first commissioned work last night for a custom glass blower who does jewelry. Tough session!

Thanks for listening.

[ginger_55]

http://gingersnap.smugmug.com/photos/6127831-S.jpg

"Felt like a young person of 35 again, standing in the rain, watching a rainbow form over the marsh of the low country, calling it down to reflect for me, I shouted, begged and said, "Come to mother". It did. Dripping wet, I shot my first rainbow in that 20 yrs at about the same spot I shot my last one. The power I felt, I called a Rainbow, and the Rainbow came. Am still excited."
[Quote]


I just love the way you phrased this. It conveys your feelings so well. The image is lovely and the story is great too. Very very nice. :D__________________________________________

Thanks Snappy. My daughter majored in English at college, mostly poetry.
Before she became a compulsive mother she was a compulsive poet. She lived on the island with me for her last 3 yrs of school. She said that she
really liked the photograph, with many superlatives, but she said the experience of seeing the rainbow, being there, taking the picture must have been something she could not even imagine. She knows the area well, is in the DC area right now. She doesn't write poetry anymore that I know of, but she understood about the picture.

Someone asked if I had all these places to take pictures, or something. Actually, I have used up two, the marsh being a favored spot, I like it better than the ocean. I really do live in "heaven". I have a love/hate relationship with it. It is home now. Taking these pictures helps me "bond" with my low country life, after growing up in very different surroundings in Michigan and Colorado. I have lived here since 1984, longer than anywhere else in my life. I was so miserable the first year, but I did love the marsh and the Sullivan's Island. I went to school at the Medical University for eight hours a day or more. That was in Charleston and was very stressful. Crossing that marsh meant a lot to me.

It was heaven then, unfortunately in my opinion, this area has grown considerably and has the problems associated with rapid growth beyond the infrastructure. Condominiums have been built on marsh land. All the things one reads about in novels, it is happening here. Heaven has changed a bit, but that picture would have been the same 20 years ago. I photograph what I love, so I am photographing things, areas I have been familiar with since I moved here. They are taken out of context, are somewhat deceptive of how this area looks, but it is how it looks to me. As my other daughter said of the fourth of July pictures, they are so Southern. They are, and I fear it will be gone all too soon.

I did not plan that picture. There were others I planned that I have not taken, and I still might. I was waiting to see some of the ones I planned on here. In another form, of course. One of them was a nature shot, Cypress trees make great reflections. Problem is that they are at a park with a closing time. I have gotten great pictures there, but I don't usually go in the summer. I planned to try that.

Then I planned to go to an antique shop with lots of windows, a huge porch with antiques outside that reflect in the windows, that was my impression when I was there on the fourth of July.

Or I could go downtown to some of the more upscale antique stores, I really like that one photo that Andy posted, as an example, it had a book, or a movie score and a bldg, I think. We do not have large modern buildings, heaven forbid suggesting it to the powers who keep Charleston historic, but I was going to try that to see what I could get, keeping Andy's photo in mind.

I am rambling, and I am not sure what forum I am on, but someone could pick up on the ideas that I might play with, but dare not use, I have an entry. It is of a special place to me. The evening I took it was magical, so it will stay.

I am kind of throwing this stuff out, I might play with doing some of it, but someone else could, too. I like the way Andy's examples played to a central image, or focus point.

Thanks for your kind thoughts conveyed to me about my writing.

ginger

No trouble tonight....... yet.

[ginger_55]

[QUOTE=snapapple]My name is snappy. I'm married to a lawyer and I work as a paralegal. My hobbies are gardening, crafts and photography.

I've always been an artistic person. I had a number of my water colors displayed in the "display case" when I was in grade school. My favorite class in highschool was art. I wanted to go to art school after highschool, but my parents said it was frivolous. So, I got a job with the phone company and then got married after a year. (Amazingly, my husband and I are still married after all these years. And, happily, I might add.) I continued working for the phone company as a service rep until I had my first child. I have three kids now, all grown, and my son has twin boys, age 7.

I've always been a snapshot taker. Hence the name (plus my last name). But

______________________________________________

That name thing is interesting. I, for a few years, have signed things, Photography by ginger. That was taken at smugmug, so I finally came up with gingerSnap. An old boy friend used to call me "snap", for gingersnap, so the name means something to me. I don't like using a last name, I have my legal name, Mary, after my mother, I use it for legal type things, I am proud of it. but I have been "ginger" all of my life. I have been married more than once, I say that my name, ginger, has been the constant with all the last names coming and going. I don't use one now if I can help it.

ginger

I never made trouble, trouble made me.

[snapapple]

[QUOTE=snapapple]My name is snappy. I'm married to a lawyer and I work as a paralegal. My hobbies are gardening, crafts and photography.

I've always been a snapshot taker. Hence the name (plus my last name). But

______________________________________________

That name thing is interesting. I, for a few years, have signed things, Photography by ginger. That was taken at smugmug, so I finally came up with gingerSnap. An old boy friend used to call me "snap", for gingersnap, so the name means something to me. I don't like using a last name, I have my legal name, Mary, after my mother, I use it for legal type things, I am proud of it. but I have been "ginger" all of my life. I have been married more than once, I say that my name, ginger, has been the constant with all the last names coming and going. I don't use one now if I can help it.

ginger

I never made trouble, trouble made me.

Ginger,
About the name, my last name is actually appel. It means apple in Dutch. I used apple with the snap because people often call me apple. I guess we both have been "snapshot" takers. So we are both snappy. My first name is actually Susan.

My daughter majored in Literature and Art in college. I guess you and I are both "right brained" people who passed the gene on to our kids. My husband is a "left brained" person. Majored in Math and Science. Numbers and I do not get along well. I am happiest in a creative environment.

I was born in California. Have lived here all my life. I do love to travel though. I love to see the photos of the different locales on this site.

I grew up in Los Angeles. We lived, for a few years, in the high dessert. We had 11 acres and some chickens, ducks, sheep, & several dogs and cats. I rode the horses of my friends even though I didn't have my own horse. I always wanted one.

My husband and I started out in Northern California. He was going to college there. We moved to San Diego in 1973 because he took a new job. We moved out here to the country in 1999 to decompress. We wanted space and peace and quiet.

This is more like the place where I lived as a kid. Lots of people have horses. Some even have a few chickens. We have 4 acres, fruit trees, a big vegetable garden, and two large dogs. The coyotes howl at night and the crickets sing outside the bedroom window. I have a bird feeder outside the breakfast room window and several hummingbird feeders in the garden. I can't get pictures of the hummingbirds because I don't have a big enough zoom on my camera. I guess I could get out the film camera with the Tamron lens. But, I don't want to scan pictures.

Enough rambling... I'll have to post some more pictures of my yard and view. Good to know you, ginger.

[snapapple]

Ginger,
Speaking of heaven, we live in heaven too. We have peace, quiet, and open space. Our kitchen windows have a view that looks across the valley to the ocean. We are so high that we often look down on the fog. Here's one of my favorite pictures of the view from our deck. Taken after a rain in March.

http://snapapple.smugmug.com/photos/1234373-M.jpg

Here's one of a foggy morning in January. I took this from the hill above the house where I used to hike every day with the dogs. I will be hiking up there again soon. I am almost completely recovered from my heart attack.

http://snapapple.smugmug.com/photos/2003212-M.jpg

[Seamaiden]

You must be in the East county then, Snappy, yes? Or north? I sort of miss San Diego, but am so very much looking forward to my impending move up to Tahoe.
WAIT! That wasn't taken up on Cowles Mountain, was it? If so, I used to live off Lake Murray, and my apartment had a view of the peak of Cowles. I wish you the best in your recovery. I miss the hikes I would take with my dog (and all the neighbor's dogs), I'll never again be able to do such hiking. A shame considering what there is up in Tahoe, but you have to roll with the punches, don't you? (I wouldn't be very nice to be around were I to have worse handicaps, I'm afraid.)

Ginger, the words, with the picture, are incredibly evocative. Truly the artist, it seems to permeate everything you do and say.

[ginger_55]

I answered you, Seamaiden, and Snappy, a long heartfelt correspondence. When I tried to send it I lost my server......lost my post........

I will try to send something later.

Snappy, you do live in heaven.

Seamaiden, why won't you be able to hike?

ginger

(Where are all the people? I mean like Lynnma, Rutt and can't think who else.)

[snapapple]

[QUOTE=Seamaiden]You must be in the East county then, Snappy, yes? Or north? I sort of miss San Diego, but am so very much looking forward to my impending move up to Tahoe.
WAIT! That wasn't taken up on Cowles Mountain, was it? If so, I used to live off Lake Murray, and my apartment had a view of the peak of Cowles. /QUOTE]

Seamaiden,
If you look closely in the first picture you will see, just to the left of center, Mt. Helix; just to the right of center is Cowles Mountain. We follow the seasons by the sun's transit between Mt. Miguel and Cowles Mountain. Right now it sets just a hair south of Cowles Mt. At the solstice, on June 22, it set directly behind Cowles Mt. In December it will be behind Mt. Miguel. I take lots of pictures of sunsets, but the best are in the winter. It's too hazy now. Smog on the horizon, I think. On a clear day in Winter we can see San Clemente Island. We can also see the big flag at the Tijuana border crossing, with binoculars of course. It's just a red speck without them.

We were just in Lake Tahoe for my neice's wedding in June. It's so beautiful. I'm sure you"ll love it. You can take lots of great pictures to share with us.

[happysnapper]

I have just read through this thread, and what a great idea....
Its been good to read all about the different people on this site and put somewhat of a 'face' to the names.

Well heres me...

I am 33 years old and married (for 2 1/2 years). We have no children to date and both Anthony and I work full time. Anthony is a youth worker and I work for the Australia Government. By the way, my name is Yvette! (pronounced E-vet). We live in Adelaide, South Australia, which I think is the most beautiful state in Australia. We have so much in this state.... national parks, deserts, prestine coastlines, amazing beaches, parklands galore, vineyards (x many) blah, blah, blah... I love South Australia. My family all live on the East Coast (near Sydney and Canberra), and my husbands family all live here in South Australia.

I have always had a keen interest in photography and bought my first camera when I was 14 y/o (it was bright red and I even had a name for it). About 4 years ago I lashed out and boughht an SLR Minolta with 2 lenses and later that year bought a macro lens too. This is where I really started to experiement. I have completed a few short courses at the local TAFE where I have picked up some very useful tools/tips. I only bought my digital camera approx 4 months ago... and I only found the digital zoom last weekend!!! I am learning heaps from theis website (so thanks to all everyone for making this web site the best)... I love shooting people (thats really my thing) and I loooooove close ups, although today I viewed the blur thread and I can see this fast becoming a favorite. I also life shooting still life, but again close ups... I love MACRO.

My favorite hobby is photography (without a doubt) and after spending a few weeks skanking through this web site realise I want to learn so much more... a dream would be to one day sell some of my photos. Im so inspired by the people on this web site... thank you!
Im looking into studying next year (just part time) something in Arts (majoring on photography) or something along these lines anyway..

Other favorite things to do for me.... walking along the beach (we live approx 5 mins from the beach), going on big drives in the country and movies.... lurve movies.

well thats me.... look forward to getting to know you all better and seeing some great drive by shootings!!!

Cheers
Yvette

[nadi]

Thought I may as well introduce myself too...

My real name's Corina ("nadi" has evolved over the last 7 years from my first email addy). I'm 24, but having a birthday in just over a week to commemorate a quarter-century inhabiting this body of mine. I live in Perth, Western Australia.

Like happysnapper's man, I am a youth worker. I am also one of those seemingly dying breeds of people who just love their jobs. I work in a youth detox centre, helping young people coming off drugs. Its hard work but a lot of fun and very rewarding. Next year I plan to try my luck getting into postgrad study in counselling, and do that while working at the same time.

I haven't been into photography that long, though I've always been interested in it. I went to high school in a small town where only a few students got the chance to learn photography, and I always had a chip on my shoulder about missing out. Later I just didn't have the money to get hold of the resources. My first big purchase when I got my first "real" job 18 months ago was my Canon EOS 300D (think its called a "rebel" in the US), and a photo printer. My housemate gave me his copy of photoshop, and I was all set. The only thing I had to do was learn! And so here I am....

Some people may not like this, but my favourite part of digital photography is the computer work. This may be because its the fastest part to learn, so I'm better at it than the technical camera work. But I love to get an image and really mess with it creatively, changing it to something really different from the original. I love the freedom of knowing if something I do just doesn't work, I can always undo it or just start again. A lot of the time I don't alter my photos much at all, but my favourite images are always the extreme photoshop makeovers.

My other major interest is tarot, which I've been doing since I was 12. After I finished uni I worked in a new age shop doing readings for a while (and loved it, it just wasn't a career), but now that I have other mean$ I read the cards for free, via word of mouth. One of my dreams is to use digital photographs to make my own deck of cards and have them published.

Other than that, I'm also into yoga and sailing, and I love live music more than almost anything.

Looking forward to learning more from you all, and sharing what I can...
http://nadi.smugmug.com/photos/9697001-S.jpg

[Head in the Clouds]

ok, ok, ok, my turn!!

mmmm where to start.....

i'm 26 years old, married to a wonderful man called Tim and have a gorgeous little girl called Morgan (that's her in my avatar) she's 8 1/2 months old and is (as we speak) pulling washing off the clothes horse (this has kept her entertained long enough for me to read most of this thread!!!)

I live in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia. I agree with Yvette, Adelaide is, without a doubt, the best State in Australia (sorry Nari! - i have heard Perth is very pretty though!:D )

I actually work with Yvette, so we get to talk about the wonderful happenings on 'dgrin' at work! Its really nice to be able to share the photography passion ! Before working for the Goverment, I was a Para Legal/Legal Secretary in a Family Law Firm. That was way to draining and didn't pay well..... so here I am - a public servant! :rofl

I am an only child and was raised by two hippy arty farty parents (both the most wonderful people on the planet). They both regularly sell their own art, have exhibited, and worked in the industry for about 30 odd years. BUT somehow I came out with only a vague ability to draw/paint etc. Needless to say i'm a little anoyed about that, i mean - what are the odds!.

But, that is what got me into photography. My inability to create a beautiful image with my hands meant that i had no choice but to use this wonderful medium called photography to do it for me!

My parents bought me a minolta slr after they thought i was going to trash their's, and it was probably cheaper for them to get me my own!. All they really told me about photography was to make sure the little arrow in that line thing was in the middle of the line, do that by moving this things at the front around, and i should be able to get some good photos. Amazingly enough it worked. :scratch

But when I bought my digital camera, I realised just how little i knew about photography ie: apature, shutter speed, f stops, ISO, lenses etc etc. Soooooo, I have promised myself that I won't take my camera out of 'manual' setting until I understand exactly what it all does!

So, that's me. Thanks to those to who take the time to read.
I love this site and it is really inspiring and gets me out learning and having fun!:clap :clap :clap

Enjoying (online) photography!

[miketaylor01]

Alright im normally pretty long winded here so I will try to keep this short.. Im sure some of you are saying good luck right now:rofl

You all already know my name and I am 24 and single. I was born just outside of DC and lived outside of annapolis until I went off to college. Funny I lived in the same town for the first 17 years of my life and in the last 7 years I have lived in 3 states and 3 different countries. I went to college at West Point in New York and after graduation in 2001 I went straight into flight school in southern Alabama. I fly Uh-60 Blackhawks now. That was a long but fun year and a half after which I was assigned to a unit in Ansbach, Germany just west of Nurnberg. Traveled all over Europe to include Spain, Italy, Czech, Croatia, Switzerland and Austria in the first year I was in Germany. At the end of that year my unit was deployed and i am now currently living in one of Saddam's old palaces in Tikrit.

How I got into Photography: It all started with a B&W photography class in HS where I bought my first SLR, a Minolta X-700. I From the first shots I took for that class I have never looked back and have an attachment to B&W images. This might also be fueled by the Ansel Adams calanders my mother always bought for my father every christmas and have adorned our kitchen since I can remember. Anyways.. I still own the X-700 and have been taking photos with it off and on for the last 10 years, but for some stupid reason thought it would be dumb to bring my whole SLR setup to the desert with me. Well I didnt miss not having it until after spending my first 6 months in Iraq flying I was sent to work as a liason officer in a headquarters where I spend 12 hours a day every day without ever having a day off sitting behind a desk with no entertainment besides the internet doing a job that is nowhere near as much fun as what I was doing previously. This is all leading somewhere dont worry.. lol. Well I bought a Sony DSC-T1 a couple months back as an easy way to take photos of here for family and friends back home but never really had the time to send that many of them back home. So when I got this job my father bought me a smugmug account so I would have a reason to share these pictures with them, hence my really lame username. So I uploaded all my pics to smugmug, which I love BTW, and then saw the link for the Dgrin challenges and decided to take a look. Lets just say I have gotten addicted. After looking at all the wonderful work that is done here I longed to take better images than my little T1 was capable of and this led to me looking into a DSLR. Once again my father to the rescue, when I told him this he get really excited and told me I should get the Sigma SD10. I did my research and found an auction offering 2 SD9 bodies and some lenses and now both of us are Sigma users who paid a fraction of what the equipment is worth. Lets just say after seeing what this camera is capable of in my untrained hands I am very very very happy with the decision.

Ok all you who snikered when they read the first line in this post turned out to be right. Sorry this was so long but I couldnt stop typing once I got started and I thought alot of you might have been a little curious as to where I was coming from with my work. This site is by far the best forum I have encountered and am glad I found it when I did. Thanks for taking the time to read this if you stuck through to this point.

[luckyrwe]

Hello there everyone! I just found these forums tonight and I felt right at home when I read the posts. I plan to plant myself here more often.

My name is Robert and I live in Angelus Oaks, California. The town only has 190 people in it so you can stop by our little country store, ask for me, and they will point you my way. I am 42 years old but don't feel it at all.

As for family, I married Amy in 1998, who also enjoys photography. In fact when I first met her (online) we talked about cameras and she mentioned that she had a Nikon FM (which is a manual camera). I asked who gave it to her, she said she picked it out herself to shoot black and white. We have been together since.

No kids of my own, I spent too much time traveling the world in the Army to even think of putting a kid or kids through that mess.

I got into photography when I was about 8. I was watching a "Tennessee Tuxedo" cartoon where he wanted to learn photography, and I was hooked. My big break came in 1980 in high school. Silver hit $50 an ounce and I had amassed a coin collection that was worth a pretty good Nikon setup after I cashed it in. I shot for my school paper and yearbook, and managed to get some shots published in the local paper.

I have about 1500 rolls of film catalogued of all my shots. Then I went digital and really went crazy. My 6 month old Canon 1D Mark II has over 16,000 activations. I have owned Nikon, Canon, Leica, Minolta and Contax.

My favorite subject is anything to do with fast action. Hummingbirds, people in stop action moments. Because of that my favorite lenses would be anything over 300mm and a 20mm with reverse lens adapter.
Right now I do maritime photography. Here is a picture of me "at work." Best job I could ever love.

Nice to meet everyone!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/astcell/Work/shipshoot.jpg

[ginger_55]

That is a very cool photo of you, Robert. Did your wife take it? Welcome to dgrin. It is a great place.

ginger:wave

[luckyrwe]

Actually that photo was sort of an "initiation." I shoot from a car, boat, or helicopter. At this time I shot from a boat, and my driver "dared" me to step out onto the ship. I did and he pulled away and took this picture! Thankfully he came back and got me.

Thanks for the welcome, Ginger. I hope I can contribute here!

[chuckh]

I was born in 1959 and live in Spokane, Washington. I am married to a beautiful woman and we have 6 wonderful children. The children range in age from 9 to 22 years old, with 2 in college right now. We are truly the Brady bunch and are always on the look-out for Alice the housekeeper! I am employed as the Enterprise Technology Architect for the MatrixOne group at Agilent Technologies.

I completed a Basic Mountaineering course with the Mazama climbing club when I was 14 years old and I wanted to take pictures of my climbing activities. My first photos were snapped with a simple range finder. They were grainy but I really enjoyed sharing my pictures with my friends and family. I started spending time at a small photography equipment retail store in Gresham, Oregon and I had my eyes on a black body Canon FTb.

I worked all Summer at a plant nursery where I earned enough money for my new Canon camera, climbing gear and a few school clothes. My parents still have a photo that I took when I was 15 while climbing the Reid glacier on Mt. Hood hanging on their wall.

My Senior year of High School, I was the photography editor of our yearbook. I enjoyed taking action, group and candid photos of my schoolmates. I spent a fair amount of time in the darkroom learning how to develop film and making prints for page layouts.

I went to college for one year on an academic scholarship before climbing mountains and drinking beer became a higher priority for me. :dunno After my freshman year in college I purchased my first motorcycle. It was a brand new 1978 Kawasaki KZ650. I loved that bike and rode it to many climbs in the North Cascades.

After 2 years off, I regained my senses, :clap returned to college and completed coursework for a Bachelor of Science Computer Science degree from the college of Electrical Engineering at the University of Idaho.

I purchased a Canon EOS 10S several years later as my wife was finding it difficult to focus the Canon FTb camera manually. My renewed interest in motorcycling piqued my interest in digital photography. Our first digital camera was an Olympus C2040 . I purchased a 1996 R1100GS BMW located in San Diego, CA. I flew down and rode 1500 miles home in 2 days to Spokane, WA. I now ride a 2003 Yamaha FJR 1300 and participate in Iron Butt Association and MERA long distance riding events when possible.

Because of the time to record an image (and other attributes) of the digicam I now enjoy taking pictures with my Canon 10D DSLR. I have much to learn about photography and Photoshop digital work flow. This forum has been a great learning resource. I enjoy the photos and knowledge of all the talented members who share their photography and their "world" with us here on dgrin.

[wxwax]

Lucky, that's an awesome photo! It's great to have you here, buddy. I really look forward to seeing your work. Do you have a site we can browse?

Chuckie baby, glad to see you introduce yourself! Hey everybody, Chuck's a great citizen and a refugee from Baldy's other site, that scurrilous motorcycle place.

[wxwax]

Uh, Lucky, I have a feeling there's something you're not telling us!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/astcell/Work/?action=view&current=fasta2.jpg

:yikes

[fish]

I just reread this thread from the beginning for the first time in months. What a blast! It's a pleasure to meet all you fine people. Welcome to da grin.

:clap

[chuckh]

Chuckie baby, glad to see you introduce yourself! Hey everybody, Chuck's a great citizen and a refugee from Baldy's other site, that scurrilous motorcycle place.
Thanks Waxie. :thumb

[Red]

My name is Rachel, I have red hair and I am called by the nickname Red. I was born in Salt Lake City but grew up in Western Kentucky. As a child I hated my hair color and often wished it was different, not red. Growing up I often was called carrot top, but I retored with a carrot top is not red it is green and a carrot is orange.:D Ha! Ha! Now as I am now at the age of twenty-five I am learning that my hair, being red, has made me the person I am today. Now I can laugh at carrot top and even bought a shirt that said carrot top, also I now just hear the dirty jokes about redheads, but they make me laugh and I don't mind. I guess growing up I had to come up with something a bit more cleaver, but on the same maturity level so for people with brown hair I would call them potatoe heads, at least I had my colors right!!!!!!!!!!!!!:clap
That was my childhood but as an adult I learned to appreciate the different, the unusual point of veiw, and up until recently. I discovered I inherited my mothers artistic perception and eye for art. Ansel Adams is also someone that inspired me to start taking pictures, but now I would have to say my friend Bobby has been a great inspiration for me. I have taken three years of black and white photography and learned also how to develope my own pictures, also we had to use cameras that would allow you to mannual set your camera. I have a fully mannual minolta camera that I learned on, it was very hard and I had a lot of blank rolls of film. Now I also have a minolta Dimage1, and by using this camera on mannual I have learned a great deal more on the settings of my f-stop and shutter speed. I hope to one day open my own studio and call it Studio RED!!!!!!!!!!!
It was very nice to read about everyone and I hope to enjoy more of everyone's past, present and future in photography.
RED:rofl

[blackwaterstudio]

Well lets see where to start.

My name is Jeremy, I have lived in Western North Carolina for 25 years. I live in a town called Maggie Valley. I've had many hobby's growing up, shooting, hunting, fishing, etc. I got into photography about a year ago, started reading reviews on camera, etc. Photography has become my many hobby.

When I'm not taking pictures I'm a full time police officer. I love my job, worked very hard to get where I am now. I'm also on the S.W.A.T. team. That has been one of the largest most hardest things to accomplish. I have also set a goal of becoming a K-9 officer, I have always loved working with dogs and thats one of the main reason's I wanted to get into law enforcement.

Here's a photo of me after a raid on 5 meth houses, found 2 working meth labs, 6 arrested, 1 dead.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/ncbluewrx03/jerswat.jpg

[Kbike]

Hi All, I’m Clif in Boulder, Co. I’m 60 and a retired Television Engineer. I started riding British bikes in the 60’s and bought my first camera, a Minolta SRT-101 in Vietnam in 1968. Ever since, I’ve been riding and taking pictures. My problem is that I can’t seem to sell anything after I buy a new toy, so I have all of my film cameras including a Nikon N2002 and a couple of point and shoots. Digital cameras are a Nikon 885, Pentax S40, and a Canon Digital Rebel. I also have 10 motorcycles in the garage and the basement.

I just joined this group, although I’ve been viewing it off and on for the last year. Photography is just a hobby for me, but I’ve learned a lot from all of the discussions on this list, and hope to learn a lot more.

Most of my pictures are from vacations and motorcycle trips. Now that I have free time on my hands I hope to travel with my SO to more exotic places.

You can some of my pictures at http://www.kbike.smugmug.com (http://www.kbike.smugmug.com/)

Clif

[purified]

My name is Kelly and I am young at the age of 16. I have a feeling I am the youngest member here.

I live in Rochester, MN with my family, of course. I've been a photographer for almost a year now. I take a photographer's course and I currently take pictures for a local newspaper and for Helpingteens.org, a teen forum. Photography is not a fling for me, I am seriously considering it as a profession in a few years. If not, I am at least going to get a major in it. I spent 6 months using a very very cheap, 1.0mp camera and recently bought a very nice 6.0mp canon. Although, I am now saving for a much more expensive one. After taking pictures a few weeks, I knew I had something and sought out every opportunity I could to gain more experience.

I love doing portraits and still life. Since I have many limits because of my age, most are self-portraits, so I do not spend much time on portraits anymore. Color is so important to me in a photograph, so I rarely use black and white unless it fits the photograph perfectly.

For money, I work at a theatre box office. Not much, but it's what I need to save up for a better camera. :)

My other hobbies include charcoal drawing, creative writing, digital art, and music composition (piano and viola).

I love it here and hope to learn a lot from others.

[GerryDavid]

This is one of those "Tell us about yourself" threads.

Some starter questions:

How old are you?
Where do you live?
Family?
How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital?
What's your favorite subject?
What do you do for money?
What other hobbies do you have?
I am 26 years old, ive been told I look around 20 years old, but I feel around 30 years old, hehe.

I live in Eastern Ontario, Canada.

Im currently engaged to a beautiful southern belle.

Ive been shooting film for quite a while, but most of that was with a p&s film camera. Starting around 2000 I started to get more intersted in photography and took as many pictures as I could afford at the time. Then a couple years ago I got my first/only digital camera, Fuji 3800. Since getting that camera, I think ive taken over 15,000 pictures but im not sure, it resets the counter each time I download the pictures, and I erase the ones I dont like right away. It did what I needed at the time but its time to upgrade.

I would love to get the Canon 20d. Well Id love to get the Canon 1Ds Mark II but thats not realistic any time soon. But due to finances I may have to go for the Rebel 300d for the time being, then use it for a backup when I get a better one. And also the lenses I would like to get for it would be something like the Sigma 28-105mm F2.8-4 for weddings/portraits/scenery, and a Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 for wildlife. Thier both around the $200us mark.

Ive taken some photography and photoshop college classes so out of that I got a canon rebel film slr, Vivitar 285hv flash, and alot of b&w negatives and slides. Ive learned how to use a slr manually which I prefer to do now, at least in aperature/shutter priorities depending on the situation. And ive learned how to use an off camera flash. Im pretty familiar with PS 7 and CS as well.

My favourite subject for now is scenery and wildlife. I was able to take alot of pictures of some Canada geese last spring, so hopefully Ill be able to do the same thing this spring before I move down south. I havent really taken any pictures lately. Its been way to cold here, or ive been to busy or tired when we had warmish weather.

Last summer I worked as a wedding photographer assistant and I really enjoyed myself. I know itll probably be more stressful when I do it on my own since the responsabilities will be on my shoulder but I look forward to doing it. Ive also sold some prints at a craft show, but not nearly as much as I had hoped. I printed off twenty-four 8x10's, and I came out even by the end of the show, thanks to a woman that bought two framed prints, and a 3rd for 50% off, within half an hour of the show ending. Ive also sold some stock on istockphoto, and im near the $50us mark. Just gotta double that before I can cash out. And before anyone comments, I know istock isnt a great stock site, but until I get a dslr, and a few thousand top quality pictures, I cant aproach the stock sites that pay well/reasonable. So istock is a good learning site for 2nd takes. :0)

Other hobbies of mine are drawing, web designing *only html and limited css/java* for myself, and I enjoy the odd game of backgammon, checkers *as of lately*, dominoes, etc. I use to mostly play on yahoo games but my fiancee told me about www.pogo.com where you earn tokens from the games, that you can redeem for tickets to win money.

[GREAPER]

Good to see you here Gerry, It's a fun forum.

[Andy]

welcome to all the new folks. thanks for sharing your stories :D

[Mitchell]

This is one of those "Tell us about yourself" threads.

Some starter questions:

How old are you?
Where do you live?
Family?
How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital?
What's your favorite subject?
What do you do for money?
What other hobbies do you have?


I have been here for 2 months and just noticed the wide angle forum! I'll bite at this one.

I am 40 years old and live in Clearwater, Florida. I am an Ear, Nose, and throat doctor (booger picker). I first got into photography shooting medical photos during medical school and residency. I shot film and slides with several Nikon cameras until I purchased a D70 6 months ago. Right now my favorite subject is my new daughter (2 weeks old yesterday). My other hobbies include tennis and fine wines.

This web site has become addictive. The challenges have been great. I've been forced to take pictures and think out of the box!

mitch

[Cosmic]

Hi everyone.

My name is Heidi. I'm 24 years old, and live in Moncton, New Brunsick, Canada. I was born and raised here. It does get cold here in the Maritimes during the winter, but I love the changing of the seasons, and being so close to the ocean. :):

I live with my future hubby, Calvin and step son, Tyler (12). I have a 3 year old Great Dane/Lab mix named Jetta. She's a big baby! :P

I enjoy reading, writing, horses and horseback riding, fishing, swimming, hiking, movies and of course photography.

I work P/T as a sales clerk and full time home maker.

I've always held an interest in photography, but could never afford it what with the developing and film ect. I was happy when digital became big, and prices on digi cams started dropping.

My hubs got me an HP Photosmart R607 and a 256 MB mem card for Christmas! :lust I'm really enjoying it! It's a great little camera! I love all its various features, and the pictures seem to come out fab! Its a 4.1 MP with 3x optical/7x digital zoom, audio/video clip and 32 internal mem. With my 256 card, I can take 98 full quality pics and 20 minute vid clips.

I love to capture animals and nature most.

I hope to get a camera with better optical zoom someday, but for now, this cam suits me fine.

~Heidi~

[4labs]

I have been a member here for a few weeks now and just discovered this thread. It's been a pleasure seeing all the wonderful photographers on here.

My name is Eric I recently moved to Long Island from Manhattan)4 dogs in a two bedroom apt was a bit difficult.
I never was really into photgraphy until 9/11 and now it is my biggest passion bordering on obsession. I was a money manager and while I was lucky enough to have not been downtown at the time many of my friends/colleagues were.
You realize quickly how precious life is and I want to capture every moment. My camera is always in hand and hopefully everyone here won't mind all my questions and I'll be able to develope a bit of skill with it.

[wxwax]

Lots of great new members! 4labs, Cosmic, Mitchell, welcome! :clap 4labs, I'm sorry that the tragedy of 9/11 got you into photography, but glad that you're into the hobby. Our Andy's in your neck of the woods, maybe someday you guys can hook up.

[4labs]

Lots of great new members! 4labs, Cosmic, Mitchell, welcome! :clap 4labs, I'm sorry that the tragedy of 9/11 got you into photography, but glad that you're into the hobby. Our Andy's in your neck of the woods, maybe someday you guys can hook up.
Thnxs Sid .. there is a bright side to everything I guess..I am hoping to take a workshop/private lesson with Andy which will be very cool...

[lr1811]

How old are you?
I stopped counting after 30 but that wasn't that long ago

Where do you live?
Little Rock, AR

Family?
yes, a very beautiful wife and 3 absolutley amazing kids

How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital?
most of my life, but now shoot a Nikon D70 (purchased in Dec 04)

What's your favorite subject?
I have no idea. I look at what you guys post and I'm like, wow, I want to do that!

What do you do for money?
The picture should explain what I do for our federal government

What other hobbies do you have?
no time for other hobbies, I'm obsessed with my camera!

[ian408]

What do you do for money?
The picture should explain what I do for our federal government

Damn. That's a lot of junk. But that photo makes it look more like
"hahahaha...it's mine. all mine" :D :D

Welcome aboard and we look forward to seeing some of the things you
like to shoot!

Ian

[Kalamata]

Howdy. Dan here from Hilliard, Ohio,

I've always pictured you with dark hair and two horns
:rofl
Ed

[SteveLongPhoto]

I started taking pictures back when Bob Gibson was the most intimidating man alive with a Kodak 127 reflex viewer brownie. In high school and college I shot for the school newspaper and yearbooks. My parents got me a Vivtar SLR for graduation. I used that camera till it died, replacing it in turn with a Pentax K1000, and later a Pentax Pz70.

I've been in the printing business for a very long thirty years. I am pretty good at prepress and have used Photoshop since version 1. In 2000 I added a in-house photo studio to my printing business doing product shots, portraits and corporate events with a Fuji S1 Pro.

I own a couple P&S digitals, a Kodak 260 and a Fuji S7000 and last year I bought a used S1 for my own personal use.

My main subjects are my motorcycle friends and my granddaughter. Last year I went dirt bike riding in Moab, Utah and took the S7000 everywhere I went. I am going back next month and I'm taking my new Nikon D70. I'm really looking forward to the photo opportunities as much as the riding.

I've decided to emphasize the photo part of the business this year, which is why I bought the D70. I signed up for the pro smugmug account and I shot my first high school event last weekend. I gave my 19 year-old son one of the S1s and he helped as my assistant and 2nd shooter. The D70 is so much faster than my S1, it's really unbelievable. I was there to shoot 2 four minute performances (plus warm-ups) and I filled up 2 1 gig cards. I took over 700 shots and ended up with about 200 keepers after culling dupes and bad expressions and OOF. I'm not sure if the burst shooting mode is for me, I'm used to taking a picture and waiting a while before the next with the S1, but the D70 is an amazing camera.

Anyway my site is stevelongphoto.smugmug.com if you're interested.

--
Steve
--I really believe self-delusion is the only true happiness. Please don't spoil my happiness by telling me the truth. :D

[Khaos]

I'm 40. Six feet tall. 225 lbs, 20 of it bacon.

I played with 35mm a bit with a Pentax K1000 back in the late eighties and early nineties. I bought my first digital, a Kodak DC4800, about 5 years ago and decided since my back no longer allows me to play basketball or golf, that I needed to find a new hobby, so I bought myself a 20D.

I'm a self taught computer guy. My degree is in Food and Nutrition, but I grew bored and decided to hop on the internet wave and teach myself Information Technology. I've been in the field for the last 8 years. Currently I'm in the third year of a 3 year contract as a LAN administrator for a company in Brecksville, Ohio (about 13 miles south of Cleveland).

I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes last year and I'm finally getting it under control after switching doctors. I used to be a body builder back in the early eighties so I started lifting again to help control this disease. It's amazing that I can move a ton of weight with my back, because it is a controlled exercise but I have trouble swinging a golf club. Back problems deal with range of motion not strength to move heavy objects in a controlled environment.

I used to be an avid golfer, until my back said no. I broke it in a car wreck 24 years ago and it has finally started to limit my activity. I also used to throw darts for fun and money. Now it's just poker and photography. I've been playing poker long before it became the new fad.

I love my 20D and wish I had enough money to buy all L primes and retire and do nothing but travel, take pictures, play poker and spend time with my wife.

This new addiction is even more expensive than my last addiction, computers. I've built a ton of them and I always "had" to upgrade everything.

Now I'm really enjoying learning photography and look forward to putting together a gallery of photos that cover a myriad of styles that I can be proud of and that will give others pleasure and joy to view.

Thanks for reading my little Bio. The rights for the mini-series are still in discussion.:D

[bfjr]

Age: 53
Live: Southern Calif. for now
Do for Money: Work very hard
Hobbies: Can't afford any
Family: Yes, small. I am owned by a good woman, 2 dogs and 2 parrots.
Favorite Subjects: I know I should specialize, but I almost like everything I see

Story: Take Harry Chapin song "Mr. Tanner" remove singer insert photographer. That's my story, well 30 yrs ago.
Returned to photography, really don't know why just always nagged at me. I do know that Smugmug and this forum played a huge role, Thank you all

[behr655]

My name is Steve Behrens, call me Bear (or Behr). I'll hit the Big 5-0 in a couple of months (no need to send gifts). I have two beautiful teenage daughters, 16 & 19 (please send money). My wife recently left me for another woman. Not really, I just like saying that. Actually she did leave to care for her ailing sister and hopefuly she'll be back soon.
I've been in the custom kitchen business for 28 years now but enough about that.
Anyways... my main hobby is exploring the Pine Barrens of South Jersey, it's history and wilderness. I belong to an informal group of explorers that likes to hike and explore the Pine without the benefit of roads or trails. Our excursions are usually about 5 to 6 miles long and take 5 to 6 hours. It's not easy hiking through bogs and swamps and briars but it sure is fun (except for the ticks and chiggers). We get to see places in the Pines that most people will never see and possibly no one has seen in decades. I've been to the Rocky Mountains and up and down the East Coast but some of the most beautiful places I've seen are in the Pines.
I've also recently gotten into birding with a friend of mine. This takes me to the Jersey coastal areas and along the Delaware. Some really great spots. Some of my best sightings have been along the Delaware only a few miles from my home.
I am very much a novice photographer. I got my first digi about 5 or 6 years ago. An HP C-30. One whole megapixel, Yee Haa!!!
A couple of years ago I upgraded to a Minolta Dimage S404, 4megs with lots of features but I was just a point & shooter (still am really). I recently purchased a Panasonic DCM-FZ20 because I was tired of missing all the wildlife I was seeing in the Pines. And have you ever tried to shoot birds with a 4x zoom? HA! Ain't gonna happen. So now I have a great camera (for me, anyhow) and it's time to really learn photography but this f/Stop, aperture, iso stuff is enough to make a grown man cry. Well almost grown. Like I said, I won't be 50 for a couple more months.
So anyways.....thats why I'm here. To learn from all you great people here.

Bear

[luckyrwe]

Hi Bear! My post form joining here is 4 or 5 pages back, and in that short time I have made many friends here. You will really enjoy this place. Welcome!

[Andy]

Story: Take Harry Chapin song "Mr. Tanner" remove singer insert photographer. That's my story, well 30 yrs ago.
Returned to photography, really don't know why just always nagged at me. I do know that Smugmug and this forum played a huge role, Thank you all

i love that song. just love it. thanks for sharing your story :D

[behr655]

Hi Bear! My post form joining here is 4 or 5 pages back, and in that short time I have made many friends here. You will really enjoy this place. Welcome!
Thanks for the welcome luckyrwe, I think I'm going to like it here.
How the heck did you get on the bow of that ship without getting wet? That's a neat shot.

Bear

[luckyrwe]

Thanks for the welcome luckyrwe, I think I'm going to like it here.
How the heck did you get on the bow of that ship without getting wet? That's a neat shot.

Bear
That was sort of an initiation. I was on a 22' craft and we pulled closer, I jusmped on the bow and the guys backed up to take my picture. Then they left. :pissed Of course they came back, it was part of my initiation. :D -Robert (lucky-r-we)

[Sandy]

I just came across this thread. My name is Sandra Arison. I was raised in Los Angeles CA and currently live in West Hollywood. I have two grown children. I recently lost my beautiful dog, Helix to old age. I live with Catherine, my siamese cat who I adopted about a year and a half ago from the pound. She is 11 years old. My age is 62. I ride a mountain bike and do a lot of hiking in the hills to stay in shape. I get tremendous pleasure from photography, not only for the creativity, but in the sharing photos with my family, friends and associates. I been shooting with a Nikon ( P & S) digital camera for about a year and have now upgraded to the Canon 20d. Professionally I am a real estate sale agent and active in community affairs through the local chamber of commerce. I am pleased to be part of this website and have learned sooooo much.

[VAPHoTOoOo]

This is one of those "Tell us about yourself" threads.

Some starter questions:

How old are you?
Where do you live?
Family?
How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital?
What's your favorite subject?
What do you do for money?
What other hobbies do you have?

Shouldn't you start with your name. Well mine is Dar, I'm 20 years old and from Hampton, Virginia. My family lives close by and I'm residing with my fiancee Ken and our MinPinDaughter MiMi. I've been shooting ever since I could pick a camera up. I love film and digital and its a toss up between them. there are just so much you can do with either one of them that the pros and cons, well actually to me there are no cons to either of em!

[gsgary]

Hi my name is Gary you can call me Gaz
I am 44 years old
I live in a small town called Chesterfield that is well known for it's crooked spire it is situated in the center of the UK in the peak District
http://gsgary.smugmug.com/photos/19141991-S.jpg
I was married but now i have lived with Jane for the past 5 years
My first camera was a Zorki 4 about 30 years ago but have not picked up a camera again until about 4 months ago
My main passion for the last 26 years is motorbikes i have 2 a Fazer 1000 in the US it is called a FZ1 and a BMW 1100 GS on Monday the 13 June we are off on a trip to Norway all the way up the Swedish coast to the Russian boarder down the Pasvic valley where we hope to see Black bears running wild and wolves then we will work are way back down Norway
I have 2 children a girl Sophie 19 years old and Daniel 15 years old
And i work as a Carpenter/Joiner
My other hobbies are drinking beer and sex

[florindo]

Greetings! :wave My name is Florindo Gallicchio and I'm 39 years old (as of June 2005). I live in New Jersey, in the northeast United States. I am a married dad with four children - 18, 16, 10 and 8.

I began shooting at an early age with Polaroid One-Step cameras and 110 instamatics. I went to a Minolta 35mm around 18 years ago and shot film until 1997, when I bought a 2.1MP digital camera. Since then I shot a Sony 707, Canon Digital Rebel, and now the Canon 20D.

My day job is in information security. I run the information security consulting line of business for a consulting company. I started my career with the U.S. Navy in the intelligence field, and after 10 years entered the civilian workforce. Hopefully someday I will do something else, especially after 20 years of doing this stuff. As much as I want to be a professional photographer (moreso than the small photoshoot jobs I do now), I don't want to pollute my passion with the need to make money from it.

My primary hobby is photography. I do lots of other stuff, most importantly spending quality time with my family, and I combine photography and family as much as I can. My 16-year-old daughter has caught the bug and is now the primary user of my Digital Rebel. I'm also a voracious reader, which proves to be expensive because I buy everything I read from a bookstore (libraries don't carry paperbacks where I live).

I am a Sunday school teacher at my church and am involved in various ways with my church. I'm even an event photographer there.

My God keeps me at peace, my photography keeps me excited, my job keeps me (and my family) fed, and my family keeps me happy.

[tlittleton]

My name's Thomas Littleton. I'll be 33 on 7-4. I currently live in San Antonio, TX. I say currently because I work for a computer company that has moved me to a different city five times in the last eight years. While my hours can be horrible, my job offers me the chance to travel to places I otherwise probably wouldn't see.

I've just recently gotten back into photography. Back in the late 80's when I was in high school, I took a photography class and fell in love with it. I had an old Yashica FX-2 with a 50mm and 135mm lens, and that thing went everywhere with me. And then after a couple of years out of school, between work and everything else, I slowly stopped picking up the camera.

Well back in March of this year, I finally broke down and bought my first digital camera, a Fuji S5100. After the first picture, I was hooked. I had forgotten how much I loved getting out and taking pictures. Almost immediately I wished I had an SLR again, and after a month or so, I bought a 10D from Shay Stephens.

I've got the basic gear, now I'm learning again how to use it. If I hadn't seen a review of SmugMug in Maximum PC, I'd never have gotten a SM account and thus never gotten on DGrin.

So my old habit of sitting on my but playing games and wondering what video card I'm going to buy next has been replaced with a new habit. Getting out, taking pictures as often as I can, and wondering what lens I'm going to by next. My MaximumPC subscription has been transferred to Pop. Photography.

I thank all of the people on this site for helping me with my new pasttime. I've met some of the friendliest people here who give great advice.

[nzmacro]

Well I'm 21 and I'm a male model ....... better make that a super model :D , yeah right :rofl

Heck, ahhh, started macro in 1970 with a Canon FTB. Since then its been Canon and Nikon macro systems, bellows, flash units, microscopes, etc. Other than that I like to take macro, macro, macro and when I get bored, I simply take more macro shots. :wink Digital has made it more fun and also more challenging all at the same time.

Married with a daughter who's 15 ........... going on 25 :rolleyes but our treasure.

Thats about it, boring huh. Its ok, you can wake up now.

Danny.

[4iedBandit]

How old are you?
Where do you live?
Family?
How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital?
What's your favorite subject?
What do you do for money?
What other hobbies do you have?
I'm older than I want to be, but not old enough to qualify as wise or for retirement. :rofl

I live on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains in the Denver Metropolitan area.

I have one very gracious wife, who has encouraged me to pick up photography again after a very long absence, and two fury children.

I've always had an interest in photography and loved taking pictures. As a kid I had your normal instamatic type cameras, but my family at the time didn't have a lot of disposable income. So I'd shoot a roll or two that I'd get for Christmas/Birthday and that would be about it for the year.

Later on my folks did wind up with a Canon AE-1, which I think was a pretty decent camera, although I never quite understood all the capabilities and we didn't have a manual for it. In high school I wanted to take a photography course, but there was only one section offered and it was so popular I never made it in. So photography for me was simply admiring the images others made.

In college I had the opportunity to go to Europe for a semester, and took with me a little Olympus XA I picked up used at a shop near home. I have to say some of the best pictures I took came out of that little camera. It was small like a point and shoot, but with manual aperature and focus. Although it no longer functions I still have it and someday I'll get it fixed for the occasional film shoot.

Fast forward a bit, I join the rat race and become a corporate wage slave. I start paying closer attention to the digital world. Cameras without the cost of developing film! It was too good to be true at that point. The one thing I absolutely hated about every camera I looked at was the shutter lag. You press the release and a second or more later the shutter would actually fire. It just wasn't good enough for me.

Still I kept my eye on the reviews and eventually the shutter lag for some models gets down to nothing. So I jump in with a Cannon Powershot G2. It's a bit bulky, but man it's helped me make some great pictures! (and a whole lot of duds too, but practice makes perfect) The G2 is still going several thousand pictures later, but now I'm thinking about getting serious about this stuff. I want to improve my ratio of keepers to deleters, so I'm lurking around the photo sites, learning from others experiences and trying to decide how serious I want to get about this.

My favorite photos are landscapes, which to me also seem to be the hardest to make compelling. I also love jounalistic photography and what I've seen people do with low/ambient light photography.

In the real world I'm in IT. Unix is what I love to work with, windows is what I tolerate when I have to, and Macintosh is what I buy for myself. I love the geek factor, but my career is stagnent at the moment. The bad thing about working for small company; someone has to die before you can move up. :D So I'm now, with my wife's blessing, looking at getting back to photography with a little more deliberate intent.

As for other hobbies, well I'm still a hopeless geek. For fun I down loaded Postgresql and PHP so I could play around with database driven web concepts. Yeah, I do that for fun. Don't worry if you don't know what that means, you're probably better off for it. I'm also a member of that other Smug Mug hosted motorcycling site, but I don't consider that a hobby, it's a way of life. Now I just need to get the final drive on the bike fixed....:cry

I have to admit I lurk most of the time, but every now and then hopefully I'll have something to add to the group here.

-Bill

[Angelo]

a small snapshot into my life (my job actually) for anyone who's interested.


http://www.pier-2-peer.com/HTML9/Page10.htm

[Sandy]

Very impressive Angelo, I assume you are located at the PDC.

[Angelo]

Very impressive Angelo, I assume you are located at the PDC.
Thanks Sandy, glad you enjoyed the article. It makes me blush.
My office is in Culver City.

[Commando Botanist]

This is one of those "Tell us about yourself" threads.

Some starter questions:

How old are you?
Where do you live?
Family?
How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital?
What's your favorite subject?
What do you do for money?
What other hobbies do you have?
Greetings, all! I'm Michelle. I'm 30mumble years old, and I live in San Diego, California with my husband Matthew, my dogs Jack and Maisy, my cats Mira, Storm, Ariel, and Iris, my rats Danny and Nancy, and my boa constrictor S.C.

I've been shooting pretty regularly for about 3 years now, and less regularly for a couple of years before that. I started with a Nikon CoolPix 990 and recently moved up in the world to a Nikon D70. I'm basically clueless but trying to learn.

I mainly shoot plants. I contribute heavily to Calphotos (http://elib.cs.berkeley.edu/photos/) -- U.C. Berkeley's photo library. I also shoot animals when I'm lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. One good thing about plants -- they stay put for you! I shoot lots of my pets, family, and friends. Nobody else in my social circle or family is really into photography at all, so I've become the default photographer for our various events.

I graduated with a degree in Biology, with an emphasis in Ecology from San Diego State in 1998. I was in a joint Ph.D. program for Ecology from San Diego State and U.C. Davis for two years but quit for a variety of reasons that all basically boil down to the fact that I was down to my last tiny shred of sanity.

For love AND money, I'm a restoration ecologist and botanist. It's not very easy to explain what I do for a living. I work for a research group in the biology department of San Diego State University. We do native habitat restoration and erosion control projects and research mainly on military bases around southern California but also on other government lands and a bit here and there on non-government lands. I'm the project manager for our biggest and most long-term set of contracts, which is at Fort Irwin National Training Center in the central Mojave desert. It's an extremely interesting job, often in good ways, sometimes in bad ways. There's always some chaos and very little in the way of routine, so it fits my personality well. I love my job and can't imagine doing anything else I'd like half so well.

Other than plants, plants, and more plants, I read voraciously. I hestitate to call it a hobby because that would be like calling breathing a hobby. I'm a desert rat and would rather be in the desert than just about anywhere else. I goof around online a whole lot. I garden when I get the time and inclination simultaneously, which doesn't happen nearly as much as it used to. But then, most of my job is like large-scale gardening. I like to hike, I do a little beading here and there, and I spend lots of time cavorting with my cats and dogs. I'm not particularly social, but I do enjoy spending time with a few close friends. They're all having babies now, though, which certainly reduces the number of spontaneous weekend get-togethers. :scratch

Oh, and I don't own a television or a microwave. For some reason, people find that really weird. Also, I haven't seen any movie that has come out in the last five or six years. And not too many before that, either. To say I'm ignorant of popular American culture is an extreme understatement. From what I hear about it from my collegues and friends, I somehow don't feel like I'm missing much. I do, in fact, own a cell phone, but I only turn it on when I'm in the field.

That's more than enough for now, I think. I think this is an awesome forum, and I look forward to spending plenty of time here in the future! :):

Cheers!

[Commando Botanist]

I'm older than I want to be, but not old enough to qualify as wise or for retirement. :rofl

I like this. :D I like to say, "I'm old enough to know better and too young to care!"

Cheers!

[bhyde]

Hello everyone, I'm Brian, and I currently reside just outside Atlanta GA. Married and have two children ages 12 and 2 (same birthday...:dunno ) and one more set to join us 8:00AM in the morning :clap . I work for your local neighborhood phone company and have been in the telecom industry for a little more than 10 years. Well, I got hooked on photography while in college in need of a elective. Signed up for a photography class, purchased myself a canon 7e and got to snapping. I do not take as many pictures as I would like, but I make due to keep my sanity. That's it for now because I need to go get some sleep because with the newborn coming in a few hours. :D

Goodnight........

[lpswimmer003]

Hi! I'm a 20 year old college student. I live in Florida, but go to school in Georgia. I've been shooting for a while, but I'm taking my first real class next semester. I've always been partial to taking pictures of people, especially sports shots. I'm also a film girl, but I've been 'borrowing' my mom's digital this summer.:cool What do I do for money... uhh... I'm in college... I don't have money. Hobbies... yeah... I'm in college... I don't have time for hobbies. Hehe... j/k! I like video games and movies and photography and studying (well, I don't really like it, but I do it a lot)

[murakoz]

How old are you? 17......
Where do you live? Toronto Ontario Canada
Family? I am the youngest out of 4. I live with my mother (I am only 17).
How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital? Not to long I have always been into just taking pictures then I really started getting into it last year in my photography class. I like using my old SLR which has been passed down, then I brought my frist digtal SLR about 6 months ago.
What's your favorite subject? Gym class, Oh you mean my favorite thing to shoot lol, I love shooting people mostly I go to alot of concerts and have alot of friends that are in bands.
What do you do for money? I don't have a job I did but then I got lazy so I don't do anything but go to school.
What other hobbies do you have? Music I am crazy about it, other then that I am into horse back riding, I have been riding english for 5 years or 6 can't remember, then I started western about 2 years ago.

I am also very into envorimental politics around my commenty I love to plant trees and volnteer.
Spelling is not one of my hobbies

[gus]

Welcome to D/grin Murakoz. Post a shot & please join in.

Gus

[SnapHappy]

Hi grinners....

My name is Darren & this year I am 34. Things are starting to move a little faster. I am a UK grinner, living in South London, but am originally from the North East of England. A place called Darlington. (It's where railways were invented). I currently live with my long term partner in crime J', she's a little younger, fairer and has far more intelligence than my good self. No children as yet, but time is ticking away and have been informed it's two years more and no more wasting!!!
I am a complete novice with the camera, having just received my first 'real' (ish) camera last christmas, a fujifilm finepix s7000. I have often thought about buying one and looking into photography but always ended up partying too hard throughout the late teens and twenties. So here i am today, armed with a prosumer and trying to rekindle the creative sole inside me that i last saw around 1988.
I can't really pin down a favourite subject as yet, like very much landscapes, architecture and people. There's lots of the latter two but landscapes are a little thin on the ground in my neck of the woods.
I currently work for a large UK bank in the insurance market. Mainly a sales role, very dull but pays the bills. My other half works in TV/advertising and we are both starting to think about change, hopefully looking to emigrate to sunnier shores and find a finer style of 'rat race'.
Apart from my new found hobby (which seems to be taking over everything else!) I am a self confessed golf nut with a passion for cooking, eating and the odd classic car or two. Enjoy the countryside, sitting in the sun with the odd cold beer and love anything with fur and four legs :uhoh (I tend to prefer the company of animals!!) :scratch

Came across this site a short while ago, having already picked up some good tips and everyone seems to sooooooo nice i thought I'de plant myself amongst you all. :beer

Great site :thumb

[Markjay]

I grew up in NYC, mostly Queens but later years Manhattan.
Originally, my artisitic expression was acquired through rapidograph pen drawing but once I learned how to use a camera, the pen started collecting dust and the camera became my "first love". My very first camera if you want to call it a camera, was a Polaroid Swinger. Anyone here old enough to remember those? he he. Pathetic little thing but fun. I graduated to a 35 MM cam... a Pentax K1000, then a Yashica who's model number I forget, then a Canon AE1-P (my fav). When I first came across digital, it was a pathetic 640K Sony Mavica and we can then fast forward to Canon EOS system cameras... including my current 20D.

I currently reside in Florida, I'm a "40 something", I work in marketing and do all the photography for the company, along with photography for other corporations, and I tried the "wedding thing" but decided against continuing in that direction. My first wedding shoot was a beach wedding and I watched as the wedding cake started to tilt like the leaning tower or Pisa.... oh no!! he he
It was fun but, trying to gather all the relatives, few of which could not even walk (drunk) by the time I found them, was a bit discouraging. LOL

Can't remember all your original post questions but, I'm confident I've answered a few of the important ones.

[Blurmore]

How old are you? I am 29, no really I am, I turn 30 for the first time next year.

Where do you live? I live just inside The County north east of Mobtown, B'more, whatever you want to call it. Baltimore MD, a Catholic Colony in the mid-Atlanic region of the US for non natives.
Family? I am married to my high school sweetheart, and I have 2 boys ages 4 and 6 months.
How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital? Short story long. My mother owned a Pentax Spotmatic, it was stolen in 1984. My father replaced it with a Minolta Maxxum 5000, she never really dug it, they divorced. I liberated it at age 19. I got a job managing a Lifetouch studio in 1999. My first son was born May of 2000, I quit to stay home with him after the Christmas season. Spring of 2001 I got a job assisting a wedding photographer. Bought a Minolta Autocord that summer. October 2004 I started assisting and shooting with one of the most popular and talented social photographers in the mid-Atlantic. Purchased a 20D this February, and have spent 6000 dollars on equipment this year. Shooting my first 'it is all my baby' wedding this weekend.
What's your favorite subject? Science...OH photographic...ahh.. kids and adults who respond well to physical comedy.
What do you do for money? I am a social photographer/stay at home dad
What other hobbies do you have? photo equipment geekdom? www.worth1000.com (http://www.worth1000.com)

[Thusie]

Born in 54 in central Ohio, still here. Only child of an only child which can make life interesting. Disfunctional was not in play back then you just sucked it up.
Wanted a horse from the time I was knee high to a short sheep. At 14 that happened and spent many (wonderful) years raising and showing Quarter Horses. Other passion, cars. First car was a 67 Chevelle and after mods, sum fun, did a picture perfect hole shot:D Hung around with the guys wreching on motors always getting a different car. Worked for Gloria Marshall figure salons in the mid to late 70's, making way too much money. Spent way too much money on clothes and Corvetts. Still love the old muscle cars, still love to drive them when I get the chance.
Married the first time for a 1-1/2 years, knew it was a mistake from the get go. Then came Don and for soon to be 26 years my best friend, love of my life. For almost all of that time we have been working on an historic home, the Money Pit about sums it up. Wildlife Rehab, been doing that about 9 years, very emotional profession. With rehab as come travel and PLANES! Still not thrilled with flying but doesn't take a double Jack and a valium to get me on one anymore:wxwax Through the good and bad, no regrets, things I would/should have done or not done, sure.

Cameras have always been a part of my life. Have taken tons of pictures over the years, but never really learned how to. The old better camera will take better pictures thing. It wasn't till the 717, DPP that it all sunk in, it's the idiot behind the camera. Most times I don't think I'll ever get it figured out, but with the help here some progress is being made:thumb maybe

[Art Scott]

How old are you? 49

Where do you live? currently Wichita ks......in the very near future Prague Czech Republic.

Family? 1brother and 2 sisters

How long have you been shooting? a looooong time...over 40 yrs off and on Film? over 40 yrs Digital? about 3yrs

What's your favorite subject? wildlife, landscapes
What do you do for money? Work for Wichta State University as the Performance FAcilites Manager...a support group of 6 staff and about 25 student employees taht do staging, boxoffice, sound and lights for various events on / off campus.

What other hobbies do you have? hunting, fishing, travel (not as much as I'd like).............

I currently have 2 kiev 88 and 1 kiev 66, nikon f70, yashica electro 35, minolta a2 and 7d....and adobe cs.....get very frustrated with post and have almost ditched the digital to return totally to film....but got backinto right mind and will be posting all film cameras for sale. :):

[Frog Lady]

After lurking for 3 mos and then being a member for a couple more, I just found this thread - thanks to Art for the bump.

I'm sort of a "Dr. Jeckle/Mrs. Hyde" kind of a person and almost feel like I lead two distinct lives.

On the Dr. Jeckle side, I'm a biologist, teaching and attempting to do research at a Masters level university in So Cal. We get every one from the best of the best and those that really shouldn't be there. My favorites are the ones that "find themselves" while in school and really come to believe that they are truly capable of succeeding in our field. That they really can do this stuff is a real eye opener for a lot of the 1st generation/low socio-economic group of college kids.

I got tenure a few years ago :clap, so now things are not so pressured, allowing me to indulge in the Mrs. Hyde side of me. We started our family late in life (after grad school) and have two boys, 12 and 9, and I am truly the epitomy of a soccer mom. I/my family would have cameras laying around and occassionally I would take pictures, but I would never take the time to take them to be developed :dunno I got my husband a p&s digicam for his birthday about 5 yrs ago and then promptly took it over to start shooting pictures of the kids playing soccer their 1st season. The 5x optical zoom was sufficient at that time due to the small sized fields they played on. It was fun being able to go home and down load the pictures right after I took them - I finally got to see what I took pictures of :D That 1st year, I got the crazy idea that it would be fun to put together a "players program" of each kid on their teams, complete with individual pictures and action shots. I had enough bkgd in computers/Word/PowerPoint and the parents were thrilled at the end of the season, particularly when I gave them a CD w/ all the pictures! So now my kids expect me to do it every year. Within a couple of seasons, the p&s limitations became obvious and my great guy of a husband saw that I was really getting into the sports shots and got me a Canon Rebel for the fall 04 season. Even with the increase in pixels, we realized the zoom on the kit lens wasn't enough and that Christmas he got me a Promaster (Tameron) 28-200 zoom. I've had a lot of fun with that, but, still the fields are getting bigger as the kids do and since my oldest will be on close to a full sized field this coming year and since Canon was kind enough to offer their rebates and since we sold a cabin in the local mtns, I very recently got a 20d and the Canon 100-400 L IS USM ultra zoom and its been hard since it came between seasons and I really want to try it out and their next games aren't for another month :uhoh [So, yes, I've been infected w/ the 'gotta get more/better lenses' bug!]

I have definately enjoyed my association w/ dgrin and have to thank Ann McRae for her inadvertently hooking me up. I turned up her smug mug site and a link to dgrin on a google search for youth soccer pictures and have been looking/learning ever since.

Colleen

PS - my older son (in yellow) this fall - he's really blossomed from the gangly kid who was just kind of there to one who really contributes and it's been really fun to watch!

[Spagbag]

How old are you? Where do you live? Family? What do you do for money?
Hi, I’m Bella, aged 36, single, from south west London – yes, another Brit! I’ve been a smugmugger for a couple of years, but only discovered this site a few days ago. I wish I could tell you I had a glamorous job, but I work as a project manager in a HR consultancy (yawn!).

How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital?
I started in my early teens with an old SLR. I had fun with it all through my college years, but no idea what any of the functions were for. I really gave that camera some abuse! Later I moved on to point and shoots. At some point I got the travel bug and started taking increasing amounts of photos as holiday mementos. The more photos I took, the more interested I grew in the visuals, the whole idea of what’s the best angle to shoot from, etc and I wanted more control over the shots. I realised I needed an SLR, but I didn’t buy one for ages.
Two years ago I bought a Canon EOS100 from a friend who had just gone digital, and I love it. As far as technical ability goes, I’ve done a couple of courses, but I still consider myself a beginner. When I’m shooting pictures I can do the basics, but there’s a lot of technical stuff I forget or just never got! I hope to find time to progress with more photo courses in future (and time to read all the great tips on this forum!).

What other hobbies do you have?
I get a huge kick out of live music. I try to make the most of living in the big city by seeing as many gigs, cinema, photo exhibitions, etc. as I can. There is so much on offer here, I am always spoiled for choice.
My love of gigs was one of the reasons for my first digital purchase last year – a Canon Powershot A95 with the dinky little flip screen. I was sceptical at first, but now I use it to take pictures of my favourite bands in action, and it’s also a handy second camera for when I tire of schlepping the heavy EOS around. Suddenly having all these digital photos to store and manipulate has also got me interested in Photoshop, which I’m currently learning.

What's your favorite subject?
Well if I look back on the majority of my photos, I’d say I specialize in out of focus travel photography, and blurry rock photography! Travel is what drives my interest in photography generally. I love how new places make me look at things in a different way. I’m particularly interested in Asia, and have just come back from a holiday in Laos, where I spent a lot of time stalking monks and their wonderful orange robes!
http://bella.smugmug.com/photos/49356159-S.jpg

As for other subjects, I’d like to have a go at proper macro one day. My photo attempts on the flowers in my garden using a modest macro filter have been, erm, mixed!
Now I’m at the stage where I find myself hungry for more knowledge, and increasingly tempted to buy a digital SLR, despite my initial misgivings about digital. The heavy ad campaign we’re getting for the Canon EOS 350D is killing me right now! My friends did warn me this would be an addictive and expensive hobby, and they were right.
Oh boy, this has got lengthy so. I will stop now. Thanks for reading!

[darluow]

How old are you? 31

Where do you live? Illinois
Family? Wife and mother of 4
How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital? For about 5 yrs, digital and film
What's your favorite subject? Kids!
What do you do for money? I am a photographer
What other hobbies do you have? None really... does shopping count? :rofl

[BlueSoul]

Hello Grinners :): I'm a humble newbie at Dgrin. My name is Christy, currently 26 years old. I live near the Rocky Mountains in Canada. I first became interested in photography as a teenager. Back then I had a (rather cheap) film camera, I can't remember now what kind it was. I enjoyed taking casual snapshots during family holidays, but being quite young, I was unsure of how to pursue this interest more seriously.

A few years later my family began visiting the Rocky Mountains regularly, and I fell in love with the beautiful scenery and nature there. In 2003 I had a pleasant surprise when I received my first digital camera, a Canon Powershot A200. It was wonderful fun to re-discover my interest in photography, and to combine it with another wonderful hobby, the computer! :):

Currently I use a Kodak Dx7630 digital camera. My favorite photography subjects are landscapes, nature, and trains. I'm only an amatuer, but hoping to learn more at Dgrin.

Other hobbies/interests include reading and web design/customization (amateur).

[Oakley]

How old are you?
27
Where do you live?
Nelson BC
Family?
Lovely Wife and 2 cats
How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital?
Film - really never. Digital - first digital camera Canon Powershot A95 in May 2005.
What's your favorite subject?
Shadow my cat
What do you do for money?
Civil Engineer
What other hobbies do you have?
Guitar, photography, and lots of travel.

I'm saving up for my first dSLR - Canon Digital Rebel XT and about 3 peices of glass. But other family priorities frist. Just got into photography and am loving it. Hoping to get my first sell by the end of the year - I know, it's January - I've got time.

Glad to be here...and thanks for checking out my site!

[DirtyRat]

My name's JD Brandenburg, J for James, D for Drew; my son of 20 years.
My handle "DirtyRat" raises eyebrows from some, and smiles from others. When you tell people you take photographs and they see the name DirtyRat; automatically their minds fall into the gutter of porn. Shame but thats the world today.

Actually I got the name from a fellow chess player named Quick Cat. Before computers (internet) we played chess via snail-mail. He anticipated my next move and when I played something else he played back stating I was a dirty rat! The name stuck.
DirtyRatJim became my smugmug name.

I grew up in Southern California, often taking my film camera for walks on the beaches and skimboarding when not shooting.
I've lived in eight states and some 30 cities before settling down in West Virginia. Unemployment kept me hopping. No work here, let's try here! Sadly my history was left behind in photos. Though I do have some lingering snap-shots, most are in my mind. Hard to show those off! :rofl

Though I enjoyed the transformation of film to digital I wasn't happy with the P&S's. So I invested in the SLR's by getting the Canon 20D. A friend who's into horses suggested I go shoot the local horse show and I haven't quit since. I travel the state with some ventures into Kentucky and Ohio to capture those beautiful animals and their trainers. People, "victims" have said I have "the gift". I feel good with the joy of photography hoping my camera will (correctly) capture what it is I see. To record history through photography, I'm glad to be a part and to be able to compete with the best!
http://dirtyratjim.smugmug.com

[Poindexter]

How old are you?
26 - I'll be 27 this March

Where do you live?
Virginia Beach

Family?
Too Expensive - ha ha......maybe one day. I have been living with my girlfriend for 2 years, but we're far from making any moves further.

How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital?
My grandmother got me into photography when I was around the age of 6 (she still shoots with a Canon A1). I got into digital P&S about 4 years ago, and moved to DSLR in 2005.

What's your favorite subject?
Anything I can get Quality out of. I used to only shoot cars, but am branching out to portraits, birds, and scenary. Lately Macro has been a blast!

What do you do for money?
Director of e-Commerce for a large automotive Dealer Group in Southern Virginia. I also do some side work with a local race prep shop and do numerous things with computers for folks.

What other hobbies do you have?
Surfing, Cars, Spec E30 Racing, Computers, Women :D (not always in that order ;) ).

What equipment do you currently use?
Canon 20D, Sony DSC-F717 with Hoya 72
Canon 18-55mm kit lens, 50mm f1.8 II, 35mm f2, EF-S 60mm Macro, Eyepeice extender (best buy yet!), EX550 Flash
Sigma 70-200mm f2.8, 1.4x TC
Tamron 28-75mm f2.8
Tokina 12-24mm f4
Zenitar 16mm f2.8 fisheye
Adobe CS2 Suite, SmugMug ;) , Shutterfly (for freebies)
AMD, SLi, Raptor - all the latest and greatest

Wants?
Canon 1Ds Mark II, but will settle for a 5D :D
Sigma Bigma 50-500mm
Sigma 150mm Macro
Sigma 300-800mm


I must say that the Digital Grin has been a much more comfortable home as a photography forum than any other I've joined. Everyone here comes off as kind and courteous :thumb

[Awais Yaqub]

:rolleyes I am Awais Yaqub 21 years old , Pakistani living in capital Islamabad shooting since end of 2004 about 1 and 1/2 years 1st digicamera never shot with SLRs DSLRs actually dad had an old SLR T50(1980's) with Albinar lens and Flash which i sold for Minolta point and shoot small camera :cry which my elder bro threw into water in 2001 i didn't knew anything about cameras etc thats why i sold SLR then when internet got popular here i saw digital photos and cams but were way to expensive for Dad afterall prices came down in 2004 and dad bought me a digital camera sony W1 it is 1st digi i ever touched i chose w1 after joining dpreview STF forum where i learnt everything........i loved photos since i was littel kid but never thought to get into it reels were expensive for dad everything became possible with digital and internet
about past and my Life : After dad got Scholorship for Phd me and family went to USA colorodo Fort collins year was 1988 dad bought Slr T50 and shot a lot of photos in USA.......and also went to Canada for few days.
returned in 1991 and still here dad usually go to USA Mexico Turkey but not me
Elder bro is Geo scientist 24 and littel is in 7th grade 14 year old and i am Bcom student i hate commerce but my only option was commerce :rolleyes seriously wanted to join photography institute but no one bothered to build it here :cry
Had a fiance but i refused childhood engagements living peaceful life lol
dont like crazy things of girl friends and this and that just straight simple life

Dream camera

Rebel XT with 28-200 lens and a macro 105 mm lens or DSC R1 sony
Love CARL ZIESS (name and design got me 1st dont know about quality)

About type of photography : i am undecided :scratch

any other thing which i missed ?

:clap

[Andy]

Had a fiance but i refused childhood engagements living peaceful life lol
dont like crazy things of girl friends and this and that just straight simple life


:lol3 :wave Hiya Awais!

[cwphotos]

How old are you?
I am of the ripe young age of 23

Where do you live?
I live on the border of Wisconsin and Illinois in a town called Kenosha...commonly called around here as Kenowhere

Family?
Someday soon. No girlfriend or anything but hey, the right one hasnt come my way yet.

How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital?
About 3 years ago I bought I very cheap 2mp camera and had some great shots, or so I thought until I actually looked at them. Frustrated by crappy pics I bought the Olympus c4000 Zoom camera and had it for 10 days before one of my friends drop it and destroyed it. Thankfully my credit card had 30 days insurance. So I got my money back and then bought an Olympus c50. Had that till last november when I bought the Rebel. It totally revolutionized my photo life. Then about 20 days ago I bought the rebel XT.

What's your favorite subject?
I really love landscape photography and people photography.

What do you do for money?
I am an IT technician for a laminate wood flooring company called Alloc Inc. We sponsor Lance Armstrong and have a parent company in Norway.

What other hobbies do you have?
I am very involved with my church/faith and also like to do freelance computer work, read a good novel, hang out with my friends, and occasionally do some writing.

My Gear:
Canon Rebel Xt
18-55mm Kit Lens
28-105mm USM Lens
Canon 430ex Speedlite

[rallymaniac]

How old are you?

I'm 24
Where do you live?
Des Plaines, Illinois, Suburb of Chiago
Family?
Wife, no kids yet, at least for another 2-3 years
How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital?
Since i was a kid i always had something for photography. Finally over 3 years ago i got myself Canon Rebel 2000 and began real shooting. I was working mostly with slides sometimes regular film. I had really hard time getting my pix right after scanning so decided that i need to become the convert and got myself used Digital Rebell instead of Slide Scanner. What's your favorite subject?

Landscapes are primary focus but i love shoting cars in action (rally) and pretty much anything that looks interesting
What do you do for money?

I'm an Ocean Import Coordinator for one of Logistics companies
What other hobbies do you have?
I love racing cars (rally cross and autoX), i'm also involved in local autoklub. I love to travel and see new places. I hike sometimes and ride a bike.

My Gear:
Canon Digital Rebel
28-80 EF Canon Lense
75-300 Tamron Tele/Makro
Sunpak Flash
Circular Polarizer
Half Gray filter
Tripod

[gus]

:rolleyes I am Awais Yaqub 21 years old , Pakistani living in capital Islamabad
:clap

I would love to visit & photograph in pakistan Awais. I will do it one day & get you to show me around a bit.

[saurora]

How old are you?
Where do you live?
Family?
How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital?
What's your favorite subject?
What do you do for money?
What other hobbies do you have?


Hello everyone! I was born in 1949 (egads!) you figure it out! I am a native of California. Born in Fullerton, grew up in Santa Ana, spent my married years in Huntington Beach and currently live in Orange. So you can see I haven't traveled far! I am single, having divorced 10 years ago. I have a son who lives near by in Seal Beach and I am fortunate to have a brother and sister and numerous nieces and great nieces and one great nephew involved in my life.

I have always been drawn to photography as a hobby as far back as I can remember. I still remember my little Kodak Instamatic that went everywhere with me. In my teens I was our "family photographer". I recorded our family history for years. In 1977 or so, I studied photography at the Newport School of Photography in Newport Beach, California under master photographer Al Belson. Al was a charming old Englishman who was a croney of Ansel Adams. Al also worked in black and white. I took many classes under Al and went on one shootout in Yosemite which was a blast. It was in the print-making class that I fell in love with the dark room and quickly turned my master bathroom into my own private lab!! So obviously, I have been around since the "film" age...long before digital and Photoshop. Eventually my life turned to other things. A divorce and lack of funds caused me to give up my darkroom and equipment, and my Fuji SLR and lenses spent more and more time in the closet.

The digital age came along and I couldn't resist just like everyone else. I seriously doubted (and still can't believe) that film is really dead. But I get pretty much the same kick out of working in Photoshop that I did working in the darkroom...not quite...but almost. There is nothing to compare to seeing that image appear in a tray of developer!!! I sure don't miss the chemicals, however. Right now I am shopping for a DSLR, in fact I was out tonight trying to find some Nikons to "try on for size". I have looked at the Canon line. I am currently shooting with a little Canon S80 (8 megapixel). I can't stand not having lenses though, and can hardly wait to make a decision and a purchase. I had given myself "permission" to buy a pretty decent camera, as I feel this will probably be my last as well as my first DSLR (You're probably laughing by now!) I was looking at the D20 even considering the soon to be released D30, but surprisingly I was not impressed with the way it felt in my hands. The Rebel XT was more comfortable for me. Still, I would like to see the Nikon D200 and can't find one anywhere to hold. Amazing how few camera shops there are these days. I went to Ritz camera and they have a waiting list of over a hundred, but not even one in their shop to look at....what a way to do business, Ritz!!!

My favorite subjects right now are varied. I used to shoot people a lot, but now it's more landscape. After seeing all the great bird photography on Dgrin, I am tempted to buy a long lens!!! Currently I am working on the Daily photo idea and finding it lots of fun. It makes me come up with ideas for photos I wouldn't ordinarily take, since I don't always have time to get out and shoot much except on weekends. One of my other hobbies is trying to learn to play guitar....notice I said "trying". The other night for my Daily picture I took the photos below. Not great....kinda blurry. But i kind of like them anyway.

I work in a small company that provides accounting services for escrow companies. I'm basically a number-cruncher and customer service person. Been doing that for way too long and wish I could retire, but I'm not in a position to do that for quite a while!

I joined Dgrin to inspire myself to get out and take photos again. I am always bemoaning the fact that I don't have anything "new" to work on in Photoshop. All of you have inspired me greatly with your excellent work and the comraderie amongst you in critiquing work is great. I even subitted an entry into Challenge 59, which was the first contest I ever entered. Did not expect to win, but just was pleased with myself for doing the assignment. Thanks to all for your inspiration! :D ~Saurora
http://saurora.smugmug.com/photos/59273722-L.jpg

http://saurora.smugmug.com/photos/59271531-L.jpg

[DanielB]

Whats your name? Daniel Bauer
How old are you? 14
Where do you live? Lenexa, Kansas. A suburb of Kansas City.
Family? parents and an 18 yr old brother.
How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital? about 14 years film, and 4 months digital.
What's your favorite subject?Landscapes
What do you do for money? does mowing lawns and doing yard work count?
What other hobbies do you have?Guitar, and Painting/Drawing.

http://StandOutphoto.smugmug.com/photos/55086246-M.jpg

*don't have a picture of it finished.... and i fixed the wing feathers*

[dancinkate]

.

[digitalpins]

How old are you?
28 years old

Where do you live?
Brooklyn, NY

Family?
lol like said before Too Expensive - I want a family someday . I live alone right now and loving it.

How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital?
Wow since I was about 6, my dad had an old 35mm minolta and that got me into photography he taught me how to use the camera and been taking pictures ever since, then I was introduced to the computer & digital cameras came along a little later and that really added to my addiction

What's your favorite subject?
Basically anything I can get good photo from. Right now I have a little niece that loves the camera so I am always taking pictures of her or my family, I love taking pictures of NYC landmarks, cars, airplanes

What do you do for money?
[FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=Orange]Right now I just got a new job that I love, as a graphic designer/production coordinator I design books catalogs, advertisements and do/or help out with photoshoots.

What other hobbies do you have?

Drawing, bowling, my car (always adding something), football, biking

What equipment do you currently use?

Canon Rebel XT
Canon 50mm 1.8
Sigma 70-300mm
Sigma 28-80mm
Sigma 105mm 2.8.


Wants?

Canon 30D, Sigma 500mm, Canon 200mm 2.8, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS


Last thing is thanks to everyone who has helped me with my site so far, lots of nice people here....

[ChrisJ]

How old are you? 14
How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital? about 14 years film, and 4 months digital.


Hey Daniel, lets see some of those pictures from when you were 0-8 months old! :rofl

[Awais Yaqub]

I would love to visit & photograph in pakistan Awais. I will do it one day & get you to show me around a bit.

ya sure why not be my guest all of you :lust camera in hand saves a day from radicals:): what i have seen here. I live about 2 mint walk from Afghan rafugee strong hold mostly kids and women i am very shy to photograph them Afghani Burgur is great meal talking about to much of them because they live all around my area :dunno will visit some cultural areas where no one has gine before :clap

Sorry for late reply

[Awais Yaqub]

Hey Daniel, lets see some of those pictures from when you were 0-8 months old! :rofl

:scratch :huh :rofl

[liquidsquid]

Since I have no new photos for the past two weeks other than my destruction project in the bathroom, I will join in:

Some starter questions:
How old are you?
36 and counting

Where do you live?
East Bloomfield, NY Beautiful and rural. Can shoot guns here without killing your neighbor.

Family?
Just the wife and I in this house, but I have a LOT of extended family in the area, holidays can be rough.

How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital?
Now this is a fun question. When I grew up my dad was a chemical engineer fo Eastman Kodak in Rochester. He worked with very thin slices of film and an electron microscope to diagnose problems, and help develop new processes. He brought home GOBS of free film. It was so prevalent in our house that I had no interest in it, besides I had ants to collect and fires to build. I dabbled with pinhole cameras, and played in development chemicals for a few school projects, but never got overly involved.

My dad shot occasionally, mostly on slide film. We still come over to watch slides, and nothing really compares to it. Digital has a ways to go to catch up to a 100" projection IMHO.

I picked up a Pentax P&S camera for a trip to the mountains one summer, as an upgrade to my P&S people cam (did nothing fancy with it), and took some panoramic images, but wasn't all that enthused. A big SLR was out of the question since I was already toting a 100lb pack, or riding a mountain bike.

Then along came digital, and I started to get the itch. I am a gadget nut, and a digital camera really appealed to me. However I waited until 5Mp was common so my pickiness would match my expectations. I went and bought a Sony V1 since it had fantastic output and a manual setting so I could learn.

I have learned a LOT since that camera, but I am still only a casual photographer. I still have the V1 and its battery munching abilities, but now I have the R1, and that is really a challenging camera for me to use. DOF? Something you couldn't play with much on the V1 and its tiny aperture. The R1's aperture by comparison is a monster, and I had to learn DOF really fast. Now I shoot about 50 pics a week, and only manage to delete about 20, when I should really delete 48. Hard drive full...

What's your favorite subject?
My cat. He is a real cutie. Actually my favorite subject is lightning, as I am a high voltage experimenter when I have the time. Lightning fascinates me immensely, but storms seem so few that are favorable for this type of work. WNY is just a bad place for severe storms, in the sense we have very few.

What do you do for money?
As much as I can. During the day I work as an sr. electrical engineer for Vanteon ( www.vanteon.com (http://www.vanteon.com/) ) and in the evening I am a home contractor to earn a couple extra $$$s

What other hobbies do you have?
Gardening/landscaping, shooting, high voltage experimentation (doesn't mix so well with digital), camping, hiking, biking, weather, and flying RC planes.

What do you shoot with?
I am currently using the Sony R1, and have the V1 for pocket work. Also shoot with my SS .22 magnum rifle, but don't kill anything, yet.


-LiquidSquid

[Justiceiro]

How old are you?

33 Next Week

Where do you live?
Downtown Jersey City, 6 minutes by Path from the WTC and olny a 2 minute walk from Ibby's Falafel. Look upon my neighborhood, ye mighty, and despair.

Family?
One Portuguese wife. A bunch of strange Latin relatives by marriage. Even stranger Alabama/Tennessee relatives by birth. Very very distant cousins to the Presleys, but I got neither the Talent, nor the money.

How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital?
Strange, looking at the previouis post. My Dad was a chemical engineer for Eastman Chemical in Kingsport, Tennessee. He worked with acetates. So we couldn't even THINK about letting a roll of Fuji film into the house.

I don't remember the model of my first camera. I was around 9. A disposable kodak with the flash cubes and the 135 canister. My first "real" camera was a Minolta I borrowed occasionally fom my Dad. I then moved up in the early 90s to my favorite set of Cameras ever. A Praktica fully manual for 35mm, and a Flexaret VI for medium format. A Zenit TTL for backup. I got both for under $10 each, and they worked great. A crackhead (I assume) broke into my house in 2001 and stole all my gear, so I went back to an old Konica that my Uncle was getting rid of.

Now I shoot a 20d for Digital (I got into digital purely due to cost, but found that the high volumes possible have made me a much better photographer.) and a venerable Pentacon Six TL for film.

What's your favorite subject?
Abandoned and wierd places, people doing strange stuff. I like to feel that, with my photos, I am showing people things that they wouldn't normally see. Those are the kinds of photos I like to see from other people as well.

What do you do for money?
Chemical Industry. Specifically- chemicals prodcued from Cashew Nutshell Liquid. Yes, Industrial nuts.

What other hobbies do you have?
Learning Foreign Languages. Reading bad SciFi and detective novels. Visiting places on vacation that make my mother very nervous.


What do you shoot with?
Canon 20d, the queen of mid range cameras. 35-135 USM
Pentacon 6 TL, 80mm 2.8 Zeiss Jena Biometar

[Aloner]

Wow, never noticed this thread before, i guess i'll tell ya about me!

How old are you?
I'm 17 soon to be 18

Where do you live?
I live in East TN, but I was born in Ontario Canada

Family?
I have 2 brothers, 1 sister, 1 dog, 1 cat, 2 parents and 1 family who hides when the camera comes out :dunno

How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital?
I pretty much started with digital, I decided to join the yearbook staff at school last year and got spoiled with a Digital Rebel and various other film SLRs. I bought a Sony W1 soon after that and just recently got my Nikon D50. Now i'm the editor and can use (or talk the advisor into buying) pretty much any camera :wink

What's your favorite subject?
I'll pretty much shoot anything, but my favorite is sports. I love being able to capture the action.

What do you do for money?
Right now I'm working at a K Mart as a cashier (I really really hate retail!!!!) but i'm going to college to become a CPA (exciting to the max!)

What other hobbies do you have?
I'm a Little League umpire and enjoy calling ball games, I also love just messing arround with different computer programs trying to figure out how they work.

[Justiceiro]

Hey Aloner, I was born in Kingsport. What part of East Tennessee are you from?

[Aloner]

I'm in Johnson City, Kingsport isn't all that far :thumb

Only thing I don't like about the area is this weekend! :huh

[Awais Yaqub]

Nice to meet you Aloner happy to hear you used W1 i am still using it

[Aloner]

Oh I loved my W1 such a great camera. I just wanted excuses to get more gear so I had to get an SLR :D

[Vlad Tepes]

Hi everyone

Well for starters my name is David, I'm 30 (going to be 31 in a week give or take). I live in Iowa and I hate the cold. My wife and I bought a digital camera (Kodak C310) a few weeks ago and I just started playing with it. I have some ideas for pictures I would like to take when it gets a little warmer. Have a great day all!

[Justiceiro]

Hi everyone

Well for starters my name is David, I'm 30 (going to be 31 in a week give or take). I live in Iowa and I hate the cold. My wife and I bought a digital camera (Kodak C310) a few weeks ago and I just started playing with it. I have some ideas for pictures I would like to take when it gets a little warmer. Have a great day all!

Welcome to Dgrin Vlad. Nice to finally have a real impaler here!

[xianart]

Well, I've been here a week, should introduce myself, i guess...

How old are you?
36

Where do you live?
Nova Scotia, Canada

Family?
The Man and the Sprog (born Aug. 2003) That's it, both parents died last year. 2005 sucked.

How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital?
I started seriously when i was 15, took a course at the Art College, and fell in love with the whole business. I was a serious candid, street shooter. At my height of productivity in university i was probably shooting about 15 rolls a day (i rolled my own and was always broke). When I finally got to University, i eventually did a BFA, after a year of 'Undecided Arts' (that's what they called it, really). I have a double major in photography and painting, and a minor in drawing.

I used a pentax k1000, and loved it. eventually i got a leica 2 (with a leica meter), o, and really loved that. and also a little pentax point and shoot, the name escapes me. all were stolen in botswana, and then i got a pentax me, as well as the man's canon rebel.


when i finally finished the bfa, i moved to england, and promptly couldn't afford to do any photography. after many horrid jobs that paid almost nothing, i had an epiphany in my friend's loo, while i was painting a mural in it. whether the paint fumes and drugs had anything to do with it, i'm not sure. i was to be an art teacher. so i did my teaching degree in london, and got a permanent job teaching art in botswana.

you'll notice a continuing lack of photo stuff happening...

i taught art in botswana for 6 years, taking many well composed snapshots. i loved it, but then we had the sprog, and decided to come home, regional politics becoming ...interesting.

a good thing we did, as my dad had a year with the Sprog before he died. he loved the sprog to distraction. my mum died 8 months later.

i bought the canon eos d20 with my dad's bequest to me, and have loved it. i think he'd be happy too, as he was a bit concerned i was wasting my education.

so, shooting film for 21 years (o my god) on and off and digital for about 9 months.

What's your favorite subject?
Almost anything. Used to be people, now I don't get to see many, being a stay at home mum, so it's nature and the kid. if i ever get to travel again...

What do you do for money?
As above, a SAHM, but sell kids books, and am trying to start a family portraiture business (the purpose of my smugmug site)

What other hobbies do you have?
As above, i'm a SAHM, so i don't get to have hobbies! I'd love to paint again. travel. read...

things can only get better.

i'd like to say thank you to all those who helped me get my site up and running - the generosity of time and advice on these fora is amazing. thank you thank you thank you! :bow:bow:bow

[Awais Yaqub]

Welcome

[Jeffro]

I've been hanging out here for a little while now, and came across this, and figured I'd give the official introduction....

How old are you?
41
Where do you live?
Rochelle, Illinois (USA)
Family?
Married, w/3 daughters, which includes a set of twins.
How long have you been shooting? Around 20 years. Film? First 16 or so. Digital? Last 3 or so.
What's your favorite subject?
Motocross or Wildlife...can't decide.
What do you do for money?
Serve and Protect. Also take pics at a local MX track, and contribute stories and pics to Cycle USA magazine, and Cycle News on-line. Not getting rich at it, but paid for my 20D last year:D.
What other hobbies do you have?
Attend daughters school functions.

Love Smug, and Dgrin.:clap

[Liza]

How old are you?
Forty-something

Where do you live?
Illinois

Family?
Two sons, ages 14 and 10

How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital?
Film - 18 years
Digital - 2 years

What's your favorite subject?
Sports. Basketball is my favorite with baseball running a close second. In the summer, I also like to shoot macros. With the recent acquisition of the Canon 100mm macro lens, this should be a great summer for me.

What do you do for money?
I teach high school special ed, am the advisor for the yearbook, and also have a photography business. I've been shooting senior portraits for students for a couple of years and have recently added sports action to the mix. This summer, I will be shooting my first wedding as well and am looking forward to adding that to the services offered by my business.

What other hobbies do you have?
With my work schedule I don't have time for much, but I do love to attend high school sporting events. I also enjoy reading and sewing whenever I get the chance.

[ExposeTheMoment]

How old are you?
Will be 35 on June 8th
Where do you live?
Londonderry, New Hampshire "The Live Free Or Die State" (USA)
Family?
Girlfriend and we have a wonderful 6yo.
How long have you been shooting? Around 15 years. Film? First 12 or so. Digital? Last 3 or so.
What's your favorite subject?
News Photography And Weddings
What do you do for money?
Full-Time 3rd Shift Security Supervisor at a Drug Company.
I'm also a Call Firefighter & Department Photgrapher for the Londonderry Fire Department.
All that and running my photography biz.
What other hobbies do you have?
Playing Xbox, Online Games Counter Strike etc.

[ian408]

Welcome Liza and ExposeTheMoment!

Ian

[gluwater]

Hey 2 more Illinoisan. Welcome!:clap It seems there is a growing number of people here from Illinois, in the spring we should get together for a meet. Check out here (http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?p=229999#post229999) for any possible meet ups, or post one you want to have. We don't bite, I promise.

[dancinkate]

I'm in Johnson City, Kingsport isn't all that far :thumbWoo! Another Tennessean! :clap

I hope you all didn't get the HORRIBLE weather we had last night! :eek1

[Aloner]

Woo! Another Tennessean! :clap

I hope you all didn't get the HORRIBLE weather we had last night! :eek1

Not last night, but the night before we had some pretty crazy storms. Gave me a chance to try to shoot lightning though :wink The tornado watch scared me a bit, but i'm so far up in the mountians I doubt it would get to me.

[dancinkate]

The tornado watch scared me a bit, but i'm so far up in the mountians I doubt it would get to me.Maybe I need to move to the mountains.......we had windows broken out from hail and our shed ended up in the neighbor's yard. :rolleyes

[ian408]

Maybe I need to move to the mountains.......we had windows broken out from hail and our shed ended up in the neighbor's yard. :rolleyes

I sure hope you all are safe out there. Let us know if you need anything.

Ian

[Yvette Marie]

I dont have too many toys, but I play nice and have fun! Besides, I brought junk food.

I'm a single mom of 4 (( yeah yeah... joke all you want, I finally figured out what caused it.. no cable tv )) and I currently live in THE catbox section of Wyoming, where antelope and inbreds are about all I see.

I've been running my own portrait business for about 3 years, but lets just not count the first two.. I dont even want to re-live it! Through trial and error, I got to where I am now, which is.. hmmm saleable, but not creative enough! And I have a lot to learn... but I have a lot to share too!

I use all natural light for my photography (( read here: POOR AND CANT AFFORD LIGHTS YET )) and I've learned to do some decent stuff with it.

Im addicted to photoshop (( may be why I'm still single.. I cant pry myself away from it to notice something that actually BREATHES and has a JOB )) and I make extra money designing logos for other photographers.

My website stinks, but Im revamping it as we speak.

Im fun.. I can take critique... and I dont run with scissors, TOO Often. If yall will scoot over in this here sandbox, I'd like to play too!

Yvette

[SpeshulEd]

How old are you?
26

Where do you live?
Lansing, MI at the moment, just bought my first house last summer.

Family?
Well, I have parents and stuff, they live up north, but I'm not married and have no kids if thats what you're asking. :):

How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital?
I got into photography in '98 my first year of college. I shot film for about 4 years...then didn't shoot anything. College burnt me out on photography for awhile, but thats in the past. A couple of years ago I got myself a small digi cam and started goofing around, taking pics at concerts and stuff...now I'm moving up in the world to a 20d.

What's your favorite subject?
Concert photography, once I get back in the swing of things I'd like to get into wedding photography.

What do you do for money?
I'm an assistant librarian at MSU. I love it, but the pay isn't awesome.

What other hobbies do you have?
I'm a taper. I love to record live concerts. Mics, preamps, recorders, anything having to do with audio...I'm a nerd. Besides taping, I'm a bit of a computer geek. I enjoy snowboarding when I get the chance to go. Love to go camping and doing nature type stuff. I enjoy drinking too, but I don't if that counts as a hobby or not.

Anyway, nice board, hopefully I'm not a "newbie" for too long.

[dancinkate]

:lol3

I'm a single mom of 4 (( yeah yeah... joke all you want, I finally figured out what caused it.. no cable tv ))

[Awais Yaqub]

:lust Welcome all :lust

:feelgood

[David Taylor]

How old am I?
39

Where do I live?
Gainesville, FL. Originally from Australia, but transplanted here in 2001. I miss home!

My family?
My wife Jacqui and children Hannah and Ben. All the remaining family are back in Australia.

How long have I been shooting? Film? Digital?
My first contact with cameras was back in 6th grade primary school when we were given one to photograph something that symbolized what school meant to us. Needless to say that I have absolutely no idea what it was I shot that day. From that point I've had a few film cameras, but I got my first and only digital camera (20D) in 2004.

What's my favorite subject?
I don't consider myself to have a favorite subject...yet. However, I get a kick out of sreaming jet aircraft, but don't have enough access here to photograph them. I guess I'd just like to better develop my creative abilities in many situations.

What do I do for money?
I see dead stuff. I'm a veterinary pathologist and clinical assistant professor within the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida.

What other hobbies do I have?
Both my children think I'm a camera and computer geek. True, I do spend many hours behind the viewfinder and in front of the monitor. I also enjoy cycling, swimming, exploring and travelling.

[mpmcleod]

How old am I?
..

Where do I live?
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada until September and then who knows....
I consider myself a Texan having lived all but 5 years of my life there.

My family?
Wife Jennifer, almost 3 yo daughter and another child due at the end of August.

How long have I been shooting? Film? Digital?
I started with a 126 Instamatic camera, moved to 110, then finally to 35mm compact. My wife lost my 35mm compact and bought me my first SLR, a Minolta which I used to take Photography in college (one of the last classes to actually use the darkroom - its now a computer lab). I started working with digital way back in 1997 with a Toshiba PDR-2. Later moved to a Fuji 2600 and in December 2003 starting shooting with a Digital Rebel.

What's my favorite subject?
My daughter. She is a natural beauty and mom has her trained for the camera. Between my wife, my mom and dad and my wife's mom, my daughter has probably had over 20,000 pictures taken of her and she is not quite 3.

What do I do for money?
I am a Computational Biologist. I write software to solve biological problems.
I am working at UBC in Vancouver as a postdoctoral fellow. I am studying one bacteria which breaks down toxic waste (like PCBs, DDT, RDX, etc.) and utilizes it for its own energy. Another project involves a bacteria that produces novel antibiotics which can kill the antibiotic-resistant staph. I was also a team member on the human genome project.

What other hobbies do I have?
One would think that after 50 hours a week on a computer at work I would want to leave it alone. However, after I put my daughter to bed I spend several more hours in front of the screen playing on-line first person shooters, or my new hobby of trying to figure out how to get SM to do what I want.

Greetings all!

[ian408]

Welcome Mike, David and Ed!

[Helen S]

How old are you?
46 (damn time flies)

Where do you live?
Booborowie, South Australia... which for the non-Aussies (and some of the "locals" amongst us) is 33 kilometres (16 miles) northeast of the Clare Valley, where some of Australia's finest wines are produced. We have a modest little house on 28 acres and our nearest neighbour is 2kms (1¼ miles) away.

Family?
Loving husband and 4 children. Daughter 27, son 25, daughter 23 and daughter 18. Also part of the family are 7 horses, 5 dogs, 4 cats, 2 birds and a tortoise.

How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital?
I started my interest in photography at around age 12 with my parent's Box Brownie and went on to have fun for a couple of years with a Kodak instamatic. Then the hormones kicked in and serious photography went by the wayside for a number of years. I did take snapshots throughout the years of my children as they grew up and some holiday snaps with my husband's Canon AE1 + Program as well, certainly no regrets there, but it was the purchase of my first point and shoot digital that really sparked my interest back in photography. After 12 months of playing with my Canon A40, I bought the Canon 300D (Rebel) and have not looked back... nearly up to 10,000 photos with this camera.

What's your favorite subject?
To photograph? There's actually more than one favourite, but sometimes they encompass the same thing... I'm dead-set keen on severe weather photography and also on landscapes... I'm also getting a keen interest in photographing horses.

What do you do for money?
Make my hubby go out and earn it :rofl ...not really, I actually get a small pittance from the government in the form of a carer's allowance for looking after my #2 daughter who's severely intellectually disabled. I love every minute of it and (don't tell the government) I'd happily do it for free. :):

What other hobbies do you have?
I'm a keen Lord of the Rings fan and try to collect anything pertaining to the movies (within budget of course). And when I have a little spare time I like to go horse riding, but that a big luxury these days.

[gus]

How old are you?
46 (damn time flies)

Where do you live?
Booborowie, South Australia... which for the non-Aussies (and some of the "locals" amongst us) is 33 kilometres (16 miles) northeast of the Clare Valley

G'day Helen & welcome to d/grin...we do love more aussies.

That would put you right at Burra 'eh ?. My family came from there 110 years ago. I worked on & off down there a while back building the remote power station hooked up to the moomba gas field. I was installing & testing the transformers there.

Great pub ! You sure have your share of australias fly population thats for sure. I had to wear a fly net over my hat to stop breathing them in !

I will certainly be expecting to see some photos of all those old stone farm houses along your roads..i remember they seemed endless.

[Helen S]

Thanks for the welcome Gus. :wave

Actually we're northwest of Burra... exactly halfway between Burra and Spalding.

Now which pub might that be? Burra has 5 of them... more pubs per capita than anywhere else I'm told.:rofl Little old Booborowie... or Boob as it's affectionately known by the locals also has its own cute little pub. I've had it in my mind to do a pub crawl, not to drink but to photograph... well maybe a couple of schooners along the way might be inspirational. :wink

I must say, I've checked out a lot of photography forums, even subscribed to a few, but this is by far the best I've come across and I've been spreading the word. I'm really looking forward to my continued learning in the wonderful world of photography.

...and I'll get some of those old buildings on CF card, too.:D

Cheers, Helen

[simplykristi]

Hi All,
I am new to the forum. I signed up from SmugMug on January 1, 2006. I was looking for a place on the web to store my thousands and thousands of digital pics. :)

How old are you?
42

Where do you live?
Near Kansas City, Missouri

Family?
I am single. I am Mom to three furkids: Callie, my nearly fourteen year old shorthair domestic cat, Tinkerbell, my four year old smoky blue chihuahua, and Romeo, my four year old white long-haired chihuahua. I am aunt to four awesome nieces.

How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital?
I mever got into photogtaphy until I bought my first digital camera in December 2001 when I bought a Fujifilm FinePix 2600Z. I bight a Canon PowerShot G3 during summer 2003. In July 2005, I bought a Canon PowerShot G6. I am disappointed that Canon has discontunued the G series! I am hooked on photography!

What do you do for money?
Right noow I work for a life insurance company as an underwriting assistant. My future plan is to go back to school and get an associate's in paralegal.

What other hobbies do you have?
I enjoy reading (non-fication)and listening to music. I also enjoy surfing the internet.

Kristi near KCMO

[Jeffro]

Kristi near KCMO


Welcome to the club! :thumb You'll fit right in....we're all addicts here!:photo :D

[almostlighthearted]

Im Jennifer
Jenny.
Jenn.
Whichever.
Im 28 from long island, ny and recently moved to NJ. I live (happily :lust ) w/ my boyfriend Athos who is also a photographer who posts on this forum.

my journey began when i was a young child. Ive always had a fascination with prints and the idea of captured moments. I think i get it from my parents..

It's been about 3 years that ive been shooting as a passionate/obsessed photographer. My skills have developed with digital. First, the canon s50. Now, the canon 30D. In addition i have a serious addiction to photoshop.

I work in the field of graphic design and enjoy the work i do.

Paid work?? photographers get paid???!! lol
I was a part time photographer at the Picture People studio and plan on continuing to do work seasonally there.
Besides that, i've just started the whole shameless self promotion thing and hope to improve my portfolio and make a name for myself.

and thats about it.

Cheers!

[ian408]

Welcome Kristi and Jennifer!

Ian

[Kevin]

How old are you? that's privileged info :huh ONLY reason I wont answer is coz next year, this statement becomes invalid! Are YOU gonna come back and update it eh???? :wink
Where do you live? South Africa HONEST!
Family? does "the MOB" count :rofl
How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital? Do "hits" count too :D
What's your favorite subject? Sniper Rifles ? whad'cha expect ?
What do you do for money? Contractor :scratch
What other hobbies do you have? Shooting things :thumb

sorry, used your suggestions, here I go ...
Kevin, South African, work to buy stuff, grow old, retire, buy newer stuff ::cry

[almostlighthearted]

Welcome Kristi and Jennifer!

Ian

thanks!:clap

[gus]

Bump

[Skippy]

Where do you live?
Booborowie, South Australia... which for the non-Aussies (and some of the "locals" amongst us) is 33 kilometres (16 miles) northeast of the Clare Valley, where some of Australia's finest wines are produced. We have a modest little house on 28 acres and our nearest neighbour is 2kms (1¼ miles) away.



Hi there Helen, I see Gus has already made the Ozzie connection :rofl
The Ozzies on the forum are pretty spread out,
I'm down in Geelong, well further down the coast, but Geelong is where I work.

We're keen to get the Ozzie Population up here on Dgrin,
just cause we can hehehe!

I'm glad you found the Forum, there is plent here to keep your searching for decades, if you get lost just yell and we'll send out a search part to look for ya okay :thumb

Welcome to Dgrin ........... Skippy :D
.

[schmoo]

I have never seen this thread until gus bumped it, but I've spent a shocking amount of time reading it from the beginning. It's wonderful hearing the stories of people I have gotten to "know" here and who have been here from the start.

[CavalierPhoto]

I hadn't seen this either but very interesting reading. I'd have to do some digging to find some colorful family photos like Andy's though.

How old are you? As of this posting, 38
Where do you live? Purcellville, VA (northern VA, somewhere west of Washington DC)
Family? Been married to my wife Liz, also a photographer, for coming up on 3 years as of this post. We'd been dating for about 7 years prior (yes, I know that's a real long time and I have no excuse :dunno ). No kids as of yet.
How long have you been shooting? 20+ years. I say 20+ because I can't really pin point the moment I started taking photos. I had my own camera as a senior in high school which was 20 years ago (a Ricoh KR Super II, which I still own and use occasionally) but had been using whatever camera my parents allowed me to touch when I was old enough to comprehend what I was doing (read - when my parents felt I was old enough not to break one of their cameras and I think the jury is still out on that). Actually ended up with both of my parents cameras as they upgraded to much newer cameras, both 35mm, one is a Voigtlander and the other a Zeiss Ikon, still in working order. Film? I shot predominantly film up until about 3 years ago. 35 mm black and white mostly. Took the plunge with infrared (IR) film about 5 or 6 years ago because I was always fascinated by the images it produced, just couldn't ever afford the film until then. Digital? Probably would have continued to shoot predominantly film if I hadn't seen how quickly my wife's digital honeymoon photos were available compared to my film honeymoon photos. Hers were available within a few days and mine took a few months (developing time, waiting for them to uncurl enough to scan into the computer, etc.) Needless to say I was insanely jealous and it wasn't too long after that that I had a digital camera, a Nikon D50, and then very quickly had it modded to shoot IR.
What's your favorite subject? Mostly landscapes as they lend themselves very well to IR.
What do you do for money? Work for a Govt contractor as a finance weenie
What other interests do you have? I play(?) golf, ski, surf, and bicycle (road) when I can (hasn't been often enough lately). I've also got a decent green thumb and am pretty handy in the kitchen. I'm also doing my part for the environment by riding my motorcycle more than driving my car :D . What can I say, it gets 45-50 mpg as opposed to the 25-30 my car gets and it's a heck of a lot more fun to ride. It's a 2005 Katana 750 for those that are curious.

[Brighton Garish]

My eyes would have said undersaturated trees. Pls explain why you said lighten.

[ian408]

It's a 2005 Katana 750 for those that are curious.
You are among friends here :D

I had an 89 Katana. Lasted me nearly 10 years. Great bike. Now, it's an
R1200 GS.

[digitalpins]

Hmmm I never posted to this thread so hmm here goes nothing....


How old are you?
I am 29 Years old

Where do you live?
I live in Queens, NY now, just moved there about 6 months ago

Family?
Well for family I am working on that, just meet someone whom maybe the one to start a family with. Other than that I have one sister whom is a cook.

How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital?
I have been shooting since my father introduced me too his old Minolta 35mm film camera when I was about 12 and I have loved it ever since. Now I have been shooting digital for about the last 6 years I think.

What's your favorite subject?
My favorite subject is B&W photos of city scapes, landscapes, candids. But I really love shooting B&W photos of just about anything. Just something about B&W photos that I love.

What do you do for money?
I am a Manager/Designer where I design books for a publishing company also take photographers of clients/models that we put into our books.

What other hobbies do you have?
Other hobbies I have are cars.. I am always working or customize my car with someother gadget. I also enjoy bowling (love tournaments), and computers. Also snowboarding when I can get away from work.

[CavalierPhoto]

You are among friends here :D

I had an 89 Katana. Lasted me nearly 10 years.


Knock on wood, hopefully mine will last that long. Just turned 18k on mine and still running smooth.

Great bike. Now, it's an
R1200 GS.

Definitely a nice ride. Will certainly go many more places than I'd dare take mine. :D

[jziegler]

This is one of those "Tell us about yourself" threads.

Some starter questions:

How old are you?
Where do you live?
Family?
How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital?
What's your favorite subject?
What do you do for money?
What other hobbies do you have?


So what's YOUR story? :ear

Well, since I'm new here, I'll start with this (and then try to read some of the earlier responses when I have time).

I'm 30 years old and live in rural southern NJ. The garden spot of the Garden State. Although, I do work in Delaware as an electrical engineer. I live with my lovely wife, 2 greyhounds Zephyr and Saturn, plus 4 cats. I'll surely have pictures of them here before too long.

I've been shooting since middle school or high school a little, but got a bit more serious after I graduated from college and had some money to buy a camera. Before I used mostly cheap little 35mm cameras and even 110 a little, but nothing with any control at all. I bought a Minolta SLR kit and it served me well for a few years. Worked well for automatic shooting, but it became limiting when I wanted to take more control. I also picked up a Sony DSC-S60 back in 2001 I think. It is a good camera, but the battery doesn't hold a charge well anymore, and is only 3MP.

Anyway, I have since progressed through Minolta X series SLRs (X-370 and X-570 bodies with only prime lenses, 28, 35, 50, and 135), a Canon A-540 compact digicam (mostly used by my wife now), a Yashica T4 zoom (moslty for my wife) for a compact 35mm, and most recently a Fuji S6000fd superzoom digicam.

Favorite things to shoot are the pets and vacation shots, mostly cities in Europe, palaces, things like that. I put together a calendar with my wife last year, all shots that we took various places in France, and everyone loved it. With that and a recent trip to China, I'm getting a good selection of shots from different parts of the world. I'm getting ready to create a web gallery to show off these photos to family and friends, and whoever else wants to look.

As for other hobbies, there's woodworking. Right now, mostly limited to home improvement, but I have other ideas for the future. That's about all that I have time to do now.

It will be fun to work on the challenges here, as well as possibly some of the assignments to improve my skills and get myself out taking pictures when I'm not on vacation.

Regards,
Jim

[Brighton Garish]

This is one of those "Tell us about yourself" threads.

Some starter questions:

How old are you? 60 something.
Where do you live? Chamblee, GA USA. We moved here in 1980 because we assumed a 10% mortgage when interest rates were 21%.

Family? One wife, one son, no pets (like them though (all of them)).

How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital? Not counting when I was little and would push the button on the box and blind myself (JK), since 1977 when I used my Christmas bonus to buy a Minolta SRT201. (Someone else in here started with one also). After a few years, I started developing my own BW in the bathroom. Back then, C41 was 87 chemicals so I didn't try it.

I took lots of pictures for a few years AND DEVELOPED THEM OR HAD THEM DEVELOPED! Then went into a period of decline (photographically) when I took few pictures and left the undeveloped rolls lying around to decompose themselves. Then in 2005 I gathered about 52 rolls and took them to the local drug store and got them put on CDs (no prints). I bought anothed disk drive and transferred them to the "My Pictures" folder.

For Christmas 2003 I got a digital camera and took lots of pictures until I stooped (not stopped) down to pick up something while the camera was in the pocket of my tight jeans. That was just in time to get a replacement camera for Christmas 2004. I have stopped (almost) (not stooped) drooling over the latest gear and try to learn what it means to take a picture. I don't worry about taking a bad picture (see my avatar).

What's your favorite subject? Whatever's in front of the camera.

What do you do for money? Sell airline tickets over the phone.

What other hobbies do you have? Walking to and from the train station before and after work and actually taking some pictures on the way, telling stupid jokes to my captive telephone audience, keeping up with my anti-virus, anti-spam and firewall definitions. Getting in touch with my short attention span. (I have to keep starting over and over).


21558

[STP03Bluesi]

Name is Christopher Brut
Age - 24
Location - St. Petersburg, FL (STP)
Family - Married with no kids
Shooting - For over 6 years. Just got in to DSLR
What's your favorite subject? Automotive, mostly Drifting
What do you do for money? Claims processor
What other hobbies do you have? Other forums.

I am also a car tuner for Honda's. I own a 2003 Civic Si that is named Stitch. I cover just about any automotive event in the state of Fl and outside.

See you all on the track.http://forums.clubrsx.com/images/smilies/vtec228.gif

Christopher B.

[Moogle Pepper]

How old are you? 25
Where do you live? New Jersey
Family? Yep, though not married or have kids.
How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital? I have been shooting since 2004, mainly digital.
What's your favorite subject? Outdoors, landscape, color.
What do you do for money? University work
What other hobbies do you have? Research, writing, traveling, and sleeping!!

[Lesley Bray]

Hello - my name is Lesley - 56yrs old - divorced with adult children.
I live at Victoria Point, near Brisbane in Queensland, Australia.
New to digital and SLR cameras - enjoying the learning curve very much.
Love to shoot landscapes
I work full time in administration.
Other hobbies? bushwalking, computers, travel, taking photos with my daughter

[gus]

Hello - my name is Lesley - 56yrs old - divorced with adult children.
I live at Victoria Point, near Brisbane in Queensland, Australia.
New to digital and SLR cameras - enjoying the learning curve very much.
Love to shoot landscapes
I work full time in administration.
Other hobbies? bushwalking, computers, travel, taking photos with my daughter
:clap welcome to all the new members.

Good to see another brisvegan here hippy. I love photographing over your way with all the wind/kite surfers.

[Shelleyk]

How old are you?
36 but I LOOK younger :wink

Where do you live?
Tonawanda (just outside of Buffalo NY

Family?
Lots of it and they are slowly dying off! LOL
Married 3 kids...

How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital?
Been shootin about 5 years..Pro around 2 I shoot digital

What's your favorite subject?
People by far...I have a passion for portraiture
I also like doing concert photography, I love the attention I get when I see the look on fans faces....just WISHING they were ME!! hehe!!

What do you do for money?
Usually ask my husband!!

What other hobbies do you have?
Hmmmm
Well I like to make holiday wreaths, I snow ski a little in winter, play tennis in summer, there is so much to do and never enough time!

[DJT]

How old are you?
36 as well... just got carded at a bar in town

Where do you live?
Somewhere in Northern Indiana

Family?
wife and dog (Bichon Frise)

How long have you been shooting?
Film?
Mid 1990's with a Canon AE1-P with 3 lenses.
Digital?
2003 witha purchase of a Sony F717 and 2006 with a Canon Rebel XT

What's your favorite subject?
:scratch
Anything. But the wife takes more pictures of our dog. We have tons of DVD's with just dog pictures.

What do you do for money?
office manager and websites.

What other hobbies do you have?
1966 ford Galaxie 500 sedan, playing RTCW online (=TAO=DJT), computer stuff

[lyvuong]

Hi, my name is Ly Vuong, got here by Google. Really! Found this site by looking around to create albums for clients and the Google's search algorithm led me here. You see, I usually hang out at UseFilm.com (http://www.usefilm.com) and life was wonderful! Until more and more of my clients want to have the photos up online the ... next day! C'mon! When I was shooting films, normally it's three weeks: the contact sheets, selecting process, re-prints/enlargements, album ... then deliver to the customer. Two weeks is really pushing it. I guess, things changed. Oh well.

Now what?

I started shooting since 1976, my first camera is a Canon Ftb. Then converted to Nikon back in 1979. I have a fairly complete, full line of mechanical Nikon cameras, yeah ... (Give this old man few seconds to brag & reminiscent, would you?) :D Then "turning digital" in 2004 with a Canon G3, and quickly enough converted to Nikon D70 in 2005.

OK. I live in Arlington, VA. Shooting on the side to fund my photo hobby. The real job income of writing programs goes into supporting the family. So, there you have it.

Alright, enough about me. Here is a question for all of you Smuggers. I'm ready to sign up with the SM. So I pulled up the form and filling it out, then when it gets to the part which says: "To receive a discount, you must enter the email address that your friend uses on SmugMug or a coupon code." :scratch

"What discount?
I can use all the discounts I can get!" So any Smuggers out there, who can give me the email address so that I can use to get my discount, that would be appreciated. I don't know what you going to get from SmugMug for introducing me, but I hope that's not going to be a penalty :D

Also, "what coupon code?"
Pssst, do you have a coupon code that I can use? :evil

That's all, folks.

[aktse]

Pssst, do you have a coupon code that I can use? :evil

First of all, welcome to dgrin and smugmug. It's an awesome place! :lust

And you can use my code: hOftRGzEzf1SB -- You will get a few bucks off and I get a few bucks too. Let me know if you have any questions.

I hope that you will have fun here!!! :ivar

[JenGrace]

I'm glad this thread got bumped...what a read!

Well you can see my name over there to the left, but most of my friends call me Wolcott because there are so many Jens where I work. I was born towards the end of the decade when Jennifer was the most popular name (it's the truth (http://www.behindthename.com/top/lists/100us1970s.php), lucky me... :rolleyes ). So you can use that little tidbit to figure out my age...or you could look at my profile, heh.

When I was about 5 or 6, I "appropriated" my grandmother's instamatic and snapped away. I don't know what ever happened to that camera...
In middle school and high school I "borrowed" my mom's Minolta p&s and she bought an SLR for herself. She had no idea how to use it and never used it, so I cunningly persuaded her to trade. Well, it didn't really take much cunning. Getting that SLR was when I actually started learning about shutter speeds and f-stops, etc, but I wasn't really into anything more than taking lots of pictures around my school. Sometimes to the annoyance of my friends, heh.

In college I finally bought my own camera, a Minolta Maxxum 7 that I still have, the first one to be truly mine and not liberated from another family member. I really loved playing around with that thing but since I was on my own financially (except for a BF that eventually became my DH), my film budget was limited. Now with a (very) slightly less limited budget and a digital SLR, I'm having even more fun. Don't know if photography would ever be a career for me, but if I occasionally sell a print then that would be cool. :):

Other non-crucial info?
I've been married almost 8 years and have one old cat and one middle-aged diabetic cat. I have a degree in biology (didn't a certain well-remembered lady say something about science and art? *wink*). Work is fun...I try and hopefully sometimes succeed at teaching people about animals, the environment, and how it's all connected. It can be frustrating because sometimes people try to turn stuff like that all political with me and I don't really go for that, but it's amazing when I get letters from kids telling me I made a difference to them. Sappy, I know.

Currently I'm sitting on my couch watching Futurama and wondering how I'm still awake. I haven't gotten much sleep since last Thursday due to several birthdays close together, including mine. Damn internet addiction! :D

edit: Wow what a scare! When I hit submit I got a database error and I thought all was lost...but it's okay, the post is here. Phew!

[ian408]

I

Currently I'm sitting on my couch watching Futurama and wondering how I'm still awake. I haven't gotten much sleep since last Thursday due to several birthdays close together, including mine. Damn internet addiction! :D


Happy Birthday and welcome!

[scottcolbath]

I suppose I should fill this out. :D

How old are you?
45

Where do you live?
Wickenbuirg, Az.

Family?
Wife at home. Stepdaughter in San Diego. Had a son. Lost him at 12 years old back in 2001. RIP Max.

How long have you been shooting? Film? Digital?
My grandmother gave me my first camera when I was 5. It was a Kodak Brownie sort of thing from what I recall. When I was 13, my mom gave me a Sears branded Maymiya 35mm which I still have. In 2004 I got my first digital. It a Fuji S-5000, which is still my "utilicamera" while my primary tool is a Canon 30D I picked up last January.

What's your favorite subject?
Motorsports, followed closely by nature/landscape.

What do you do for money?
Computer geek for a major credit card company, but I'm not that geeky.

I've always been the one taking pictures. Some day I would like to leave the corporate world and make a living taking pictures.

S.C.

[Queen]

How old are you?
47

Where do you live?
Urbana Illinois

Family?
I've been with my partner for the last 18 years.

How long have you been shooting?
Film? Digital?
I wouldn't call what I do "shooting". I have a really inexpensive digicam that I try to takes nice pictures with...my utter lack of skill and ability makes this challenging. :D

What's your favorite subject?
Loved ones and nature.

What do you do for money?
Library bookstacks manager.

What other hobbies do you have?
Motorcycles, bicycling, kayaking, scuba.

[Grainbelt]

How old are you?
26

Where do you live?
Saskatoon, SK, Canada

Family?
Not yet, but I'm quite talented at corrupting other people's kids. :D

How long have you been shooting?
Film? Digital?
Exponential rise in shots taken since 2005, to chronicle motorcycle trips. What's your favorite subject?
Landscapes, and prairie sunsets.

What do you do for money?
Corporate accounting & finance.

What other hobbies do you have?
Motorcycles, hockey, camping

[craftgirl]

Doesn't look like anyones done this in a while so I will...

My name is Tracy, Im 34 and live in Maryland.

I have a wonderful Fiance and 3 great kids. My step daughter is 14, my son is 10 and my baby girl is 7 1/2 months.

My dad was an avid photographer when I was little so I guess I just picked up the bug. Shot some in jr. high and high school but it was too expensive a hobby back then....Now Ive been shooting strong for a good 3 years. (Canon digital equipment)

I am a sports junkie. Right now I'm shooting NASCAR but am dying to get into NFL and NBA especially.

I am currently the Installation coordinator at an integrated security access control company.

My other hobbies include crafts of all sorts especially decorative painting and crochet.

[SimpsonBrothers]

I'm 33 years old, live in Tracy California but grew up in Santa Cruz California. I've got a wife, 2 boys (3yrs and 8 months). Been shooting seriously for about 3 months, lots of messing around with film before that. Favorite thing to shoot is low light landscapes. I work for a contractor in San Jose. I enjoy offroading in my Toyota pickup and exploring in general.
:dunno :D