All about me.
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.
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
Should of done this sooner
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
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.
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!
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
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.
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. -Robert (lucky-r-we)
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.
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!
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
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! 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.
Howdy from Texas, y'all!
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.
Well I'm 21 and I'm a male model ....... better make that a super model , yeah right
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. 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 but our treasure.
Thats about it, boring huh. Its ok, you can wake up now.
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.
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. 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.
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 -- 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.
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!
"Whatever you do will be insignificant. but it is very important that you do it." -- Gandhi
New here
Hello everyone, I'm Brian, and I currently reside just outside Atlanta GA. Married and have two children ages 12 and 2 (same birthday... ) and one more set to join us 8:00AM in the morning . 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.
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)
Aly
Some people are like slinkies... not really good for anything, but it's still fun to watch them tumble down the stairs.:rofl
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
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!!)
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.
Transplant here........
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.
Can't remember all your original post questions but, I'm confident I've answered a few of the important ones.
Markjay
Canon AE1 - it was my first "real camera"
Canon 20D - no more film!
Well if I did the self portrait, I might as well do this too
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
Comments
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!
"hahahaha...it's mine. all mine"
Welcome aboard and we look forward to seeing some of the things you
like to shoot!
Ian
I've always pictured you with dark hair and two horns
Ed
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.
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
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
My Galleries
Flicker
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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
http://behr655.smugmug.com/gallery/2514206#132038106
i love that song. just love it. thanks for sharing your story
Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
How the heck did you get on the bow of that ship without getting wet? That's a neat shot.
Bear
http://behr655.smugmug.com/gallery/2514206#132038106
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
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
Greetings!
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.
Florindo
www.bellacosaphotography.com
florindo.smugmug.com
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.
My smugmug stuff
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.
Married with a daughter who's 15 ........... going on 25
Thats about it, boring huh. Its ok, you can wake up now.
Danny.
I'm older than I want to be, but not old enough to qualify as wise or for retirement.
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.
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
http://www.pier-2-peer.com/HTML9/Page10.htm
Moderator of: Location, Location, Location , Mind Your Own Business & Other Cool Shots
My office is in Culver City.
Moderator of: Location, Location, Location , Mind Your Own Business & Other Cool Shots
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 -- 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.
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!
Cheers!
Hello everyone, I'm Brian, and I currently reside just outside Atlanta GA. Married and have two children ages 12 and 2 (same birthday...
Goodnight........
Some people are like slinkies... not really good for anything, but it's still fun to watch them tumble down the stairs.:rofl
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
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!!)
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.
Great site
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.
Can't remember all your original post questions but, I'm confident I've answered a few of the important ones.
Canon AE1 - it was my first "real camera"
Canon 20D - no more film!
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