Member introductions

[Krapo]

Hi all,

I'm a 31 year old French guy living in Belgium for 2 years now.
I have been raised in Paris and stayed there until 2004. I'm an engineer and I have been working either as a project manager or as a management consultant for 8 years now.
I'm currently working for Sony Europe in Belgium.
4 years ago, I took 6 months off and went to Tarifa, Spain to learn spanish and do windsurf. Great time :cool:. That's where I met my wife Emilie. She was on holidays and I was playing the cool local dude ;). We spent 2 years comuting between Paris and Brussels and finally I moved to Belgium. 3 months after, I proposed during a trip to Scotland.
We're married since August 2005 and that's how I went back into photography. For my honeymoon in Tanzania, I bought a 350D and took the 80-200 2.8L that my sister gave me in '99 together with her EOS 5 (very generous sister! she was a PJ).
This year, I have started up an internet wedding lists service in parallel with my job, and I am currently preparing my application for an MBA in the US (or Barcelona) for september 2007.

That's it. Busy life, not much time for photography, but hopefully I will get some one day (if I don't die from smoking before...).

Oh, and I love this forum! :D Very friendly people and a great source of tips and techniques!

[saravrose]

well. I suppose I should give y'all an abbreviated version of me.. My name is Sara-vorheese Rose.. I was born in San Diego to two very different parents, (I call there marriage thirteen years of teenaged rebellion).. anyway, they divorced when I was four so, my twin sister my baby brother mother and I moved back to her home town of Nampa, Idaho.. (it's not quite as country as it sounds.. but it's close).. Growing up part of a pair would have been fun, except were not identical and my sister and I weren't friends until we were seventeen (and she moved to California).. She had her favorite saying, 'wouldn't it be fun if we were identical and we both looked like me?'.. she still laughs at that.. Anyway, I was a shy kid mostly because my sister wasn't. But I loved books. When I was ten my grandfather gave me a poetry anthology.. for a long time I wanted to be a writer, and then when I got into highschool and discovered theatre I wanted to be a playwright..
I graduated highschool about three semesters early.. my mother had a rule that for every activity we did during the school year we had to take a summer school class for.. three or four summer school classes since the eighth grade and I was done with highschool..
and then I decided to be independent and worked as a waitress while taking every random college course I could think of.. I was on a mission to, 'find myself'.. anyway, went through majors.. for some reason I kept declaring everything I thought was remotely interesting.. journalism, english, art history, anthropology, but settled on social work. for now, I work for a hospice and part-time as a waitress, because ironies of ironies the pay is better.. and am slowly working towards finishing my degree.
As for photography it started out pretty simply. I was going to the East Coast to see my sister, (a huge deal for a girl who'd never been further east than wyoming) and my cousin suggested that I buy a 'real' camera. her idea of real was a kodak point and shoot.. I can't take the blame she just clicked on the internet and said that 5mp made it a great camera...anyway, I was content until I started to really pay attention to what photography was about.. and I was done with the point and shoot about two months after I bought it and tried to take it into a dragqueen show... and traded it up for a pro 1. should have bought the XT to begin with the Pro 1 only lasted about four months.. but, now it seems that photography is filling up a lot more of my day than it used to. I'm not terribly good at it. I seem to have a lot of big ideas and tend to fall short of what I invision.. but, i'm getting there and it's probably one of the few things that i've done just because it makes me happy... okay, that was a bit of a speech but i'm done now...

sari.

[heatherlou]

Howdy Ya'll,
I am Heather and I live smack dab in the middle of Texas. We really don't talk like this, but everyone expects it when your from Texas! I started taking pictures in Dallas for Wal-Mart Portrait Studio in April of 2001, worked for them for 3 years and then for Kiddie Kandids for 1 year. In August of 2006, we moved to Brownwood Tx and I started doing pics on my own. I go my first SLR camera, a Pentax ist DL for Christmas this year. (My Father in law is a photo buff too, and since we both had Pentax lens, it was a good presant) But the night before my very first shoot, big shoot, I plugged in the AC adapter and it fried. I ran to Wal-mart and got the only thing there. It was a Canon Rebel XT, and I fell in love with Canon. So I gave the Pentax to my Father in law, so he could have a digital too, and kept the Canon. I learned so much from this forum and the Canon site. I work at a hotel 4 days a week while I get the biz of the ground. I have a studio at one of my father in laws warehouses to do private shoots and for big holidays we set up at the Mall. I have a Kodak 1400 so we print there. We are doing pretty well with it. I do children, families, pets and little kid sports. I don't do wedding unless they are for friends, because Brides are nuts. Go to www.heathernix.photosite.com (http://www.heathernix.photosite.com) to see some of my work and let me know what you think. I still have a lot to learn with the technical stuff so any help will be helpful!

[flyb0y]

Hi great people of POTN.
Im a 21 year old kid attending college full time and also work part time for my university as a flight instructor. Flying is what ive wanted to do since I could say the word but never thought of doing it as a career till I was about 17. Just put a package into the Air Force for a pilot slot and will be hearing back for that in a few months. :D
As for photography, well, I got a Canon A520 for my bday this last January and ever since then I havnt been able to quit thinking about taking pictures. Soon after I decided I had already outgrown the poor little thing (great starter camera btw) and promptly got myself into a 20D system. :) Im gonna have to spend over 50 hours in the air to pay this thing off! ;)
I cant really decide what I would most love to make my main subject of shooting, I seem to love shooting almost everthing. However, I do have a HUGE interest in photojournalism and that style of photography. Not big enough to let it chase me out of the air however. :eek:
Would also love to start shooting some live performance stuff.
Life is great at the moment, and I only see it getting better. Somebody told me to do what I love and nothing else once when I was little....seems to work out pretty good.

[monkey]

Greetings one and all, new wannabe photo type muppet here from deepest Essex in the UK (just outside London).

Into all kinds of weird and wonderful things, love having the s*** scared out of me, into cars, bikes, skydiving and even some less exotic things like sleeping, the odd chess game and occasional exercise (need it).

Oh yeah, photography too. Got a foot in the door with a 20D & 17-85 4-5.6 IS USM. Want to take all kinds of pictures but particular interest in cars, architecture, landscapes, castles, churches and B&W. Had access to a few music events and exposure to limited corporate photography through contacts.

Slight hitch in my plans for world domination when a motorcycle accident 16 months ago stopped my left arm from working so everything's kinda one-handed now hence the IS lens.

Dunno what's round the corner but then I guess none of you do so what the Hell... Let's be careful out there...

Actually shag that, me first! :)

[LazyDaisy]

Hi Folks ..
I'm one of those ''newbies'' :lol: living on a gorgeous part of the North Norfolk Coast, which has some stunning scenery.. I like to do macro work and anything out the ordinary.. :rolleyes: I'm currently using a G6 and an Ixus 55 or Icky as I call it ..
hope to have a good look around this wonderful site in the next few days and possibly post some pics.. :lol:

[cjsa]

Hi-guess it's time for me to introduce myself-I'm Carol, and I've been here on POTN about a year- right around when I got my first DSLR- the rebel XT (350D).

I grew up in Westchester County New York, about 1/2 hour from NY City, and came here to Miami almost 26 years ago, when I was 20. I have two daughters, they are 16 and 24, a son-in-law in the Marines (he got back from Iraq in February) a 19 month old grandaughter, and another grandchild due in the fall.

I've loved phtography since I was a little girl, taking pictures of birds with my Dad's SLR's. I have had a lot of cameras, from instamatics to SLR's, through film P&S, a cute little 110 camera that looked like a real camera, and a APS Canon elph- my first Canonand never looked back from that- I got the S100 when it came out, then the S230 and then the S400- then drooled over the dRebel for months and finally bought the Rebel XT.

Then I came to POTN and listened to you guys and bought lenses, tripod, monopod, camera bags, epson P2000, lots of CF cards, a photo printer, books, and probably more- remember the spendathons we had, counting all the money we spent on photography stuff here?

I have a lot of fun with the camera, one day I will learn photoshop- I love computers, have been programming them on and off since 1973, but am not really into graphics. I think I have trouble seeing colors quite right,which makes it hard.

I really like it here and want to thank you all for being here- oldtimers and newbies both.

I got divorced last year after being married too long, and sometimes its lonely- thanks for keeping me company whether you knew you were or not. I work in an office where there's just four of us, and the church I go to is really small. My neighbors don't speak much English, and my kids don't go to school, so I don't have that much contact with anyone- you guys really help. I know I don't post much- well, compared to some of you- but I am here a lot.

I can't wait till we all get together next year- is that still on? And I hope to make it to one of the New York meetups one of these days. I will be in California right before you all go to Yosemite.

Anyway- enough from my big mouth-

[Beautiful Irony]

Hey I am a newbie, both to this forum and to DSLR's.
My name's Amanda, and I'm a 21 y/o college grad from MS.

I just bought the Canon Rebel XT after 3 years of having a point and shoot camera.
I really enjoy photography, and I bought my Canon mainly to take with me to Africa (I'm moving there in October to serve as a missionary for the next two years).
I love the experience and tips on this board.

[WiT8litZ]

Hey,

I'm 22 from South Africa. I just got interested in photography after I discovered that you don't have to take boring pictures and that photography can be fun and intellectual. I don't own a camera yet, but I have my eye on a 350D. See my sig for my current financial situation tho.

Blessings!

W

[baldylox]

kinda missed this thread.

Brett Isaacs. 33 yrs young. I live in Apple Vally MN, burb south of the twin cities. Ive chosen to travel for a career as a Field Engineer for Saint Jude Medical, but what the really means....PAID TOURIST!!!

Photography has been a hobby since my first pentax at age 10. Also an avid import car tuner(ricer to most people in america) and model railroading of the Nscale variety.

No wife or kids so I can afford all my hobbies and that makes life more pleasant imo.

So Howdy All!!

[ArcticEOS]

Name is Jeremy, easy to spell, hard to deal with ( ;) ). 23 years old and I'm going to be getting married in 2 months. Obviously we are all here because we have a passion for photography. Hope to see some of you at the Michigan gathering June 25th!

[93yellowta]

Hey, my name is John. I'm from Springfield, MO and got ny Rebel XT a few months ago and have been loving it. Prior to getting it I was using a Fuji S5000. I focus mainly on landscape photography and attempt to do some macro. My primary hobbies are cars and aviation.

[b8264d]

Hello, I am 38 years old, I have been in love with photography since I was a kid but have never been in a position to pursue it, then the wife saw a friends first gallery and I've been snapping away ever since. One of these days I'll even be good at it. LOL :)

I currently reside in WV, I work in the IT field, and hope I don't trouble you good folks with too many stupid newbie questions.

[nanodog]

Hello all;
I've had a camera and been into photography as a hobby since the ripe young age of 7 or so when a kindly aunt gave me a kodak 126 film camera.
Assorted SLR's and components since then. and have always messed about in a and carried a camera. A few photo courses in school to round it out...
Now I manage a real estate office (good for architectural photography) and few months ago went the DSLR route after feeling limited by my 4th digital rangefinder...
Hope to stick around a while...

[Nav]

Hullo everybody. I'm new here. My name is Matt.

I have two jobs in Real Life. I'm a writer by day, and by night I edit (what you guys call Post Processing) photographs for a daily newspaper for forty hours a week.

I'm not a very good photographer, and I have very little equipment other than my Canon S2. I do have several years professional experience editing photographs from restoration to simple color toning to airbrushing to preparing pix for all sorts of print media. Now I want to start working on my own pictures, and I've been lurking here for some time and am learning loads. You guys rule. Hopefully you won't kick me out too soon.

[303villain]

Hello ladies and gentlemen, Im Dana, i go by dan, or danny. im like 20... and i live in Denver. Right now im attending the Art Institute of Colorado with a major in...yep you guessed it-photography. Ive been taking pictures for about 2 years now,about 8 months digital... thats all for now i suppose

[Thompsunshine]

Where to start...I began my photographic passion as an 18 year old some many many moons ago. I started out with one of those old Kodak Instamatics, but it didn't take but one roll of film before I knew that was NOT the camera for me. If I remember correctly, those cameras shot a 1/60 and I just couldn't hold my hand still enough to get sharp photographs. Then I would see all these really old people using them and I wondered how come THEY could use theirs! So my next step was to a Minolta.

I enjoyed my Minolta but it still didn't ever give me the kind of quality I was looking for. But I used it for a few years until it finally crapped out. By that time, I was married and had a kid or two with eventually three blowing through the house on a daily basis. So with three kids under toe, I had to set my love of photography on the shelf for more than 20 years. I just couldn't afford family AND photography. Both are quite expensive to maintain.

Over the years though, my husband went out and bought me two different cameras, the last one being digital. Both were P&S, but bless his heart, he just doesn't understand that picking out a camera to fit the hand is like picking out a spouse. The fit has to be just so. Not wanting to hurt his feelings, I used the cameras but I never cared for them.

We had only had the last camera for a short while before the kids got a hold of it. Then, when I wanted to take a picture or two, I couldn't find the darned thing. That happened probably a kazillion times. At one point though, I got the photos uploaded to the family computer and one of the kids did something to the computer and the stupid thing crashed and I lost ALL the photographs that I did have. ARGH! At that point I was so irritated I swore I wouldn't get back into photography unless I could do it on MY terms and MY terms alone. That was about 4 years ago.

Last December I finally got my chance. I started out with a 20D and the icky basic lens. I knew right off that that lens would never suit me so before I left the store, I not only bought the camera and the icky lens, I bought a 70-300mm f/4.0 IS and a 28-135mm f/3.5 IS, both Canon, filters for all lenses, hoods for all lenses, flashcards, batteries, battery grip, camera bag, an Epson Stylus R320 printer, extra ink, loads of paper and I was off! I thought that would make a good start I thought. Then I had to deal with all the rebates, and we know how awful doing rebates are.

I submitted all my rebates to Canon and I figured I should get $390 back. But I had apparently made an error and did not submit one of my warranty cards with the rebates and when I checked on my rebates online, it said that I had made some errors. I thought O MG! I cannot afford to let this slide by so I mustered up the courage to give Canon a call and I was prepared to beg or do anything to get my full rebate. But when I called and asked the lady what I needed to do to correct my mistake, she told me that they would reimburse me the full rebate! WOW That has sold me on Canon for the rest of my life barring any unforseeable major issues. They didn't have to do that. They could have been like the rest of the miserable companies out there and deny my rebate either in total or partially, but they didn't. I LOVE YOU CANON!!!

So with the rebates I got back from Canon, Epson, the camera store and the flashcards, I was able to get a Canon 10-22mm f/3.5 IS for nothing and have $80 left over to boot!

I get home, take some photographs and upload them to my recently purchased Dell Laptop. That poor laptop couldn't handle the load, so I ended up going out and purchasing a Mac Powerbook G4 Laptop and a Photoshop CS2 program. Now I am thinking this hobby has cost me a major fortune. I hope I can take pictures good enough to justify this expense to myself.

Everything is working great until my sister's wedding. I wanted to take a lot of photographs and put them in an album for her as a gift and low and behold, my wide angle hood left shadows when the flash was used. ARGH! Here we go again. Back to the camera store. Now I had to buy a flash to eliminate the shadows. I ended up buying a Speedlite 580EX.

Again everything is going along really well, until.....last Friday. I went to an equestrian event and having a grand ol time taking photographs of these kids doing what they love to do with their horses. That was going great until the sun set. Back to the camera store once again. I ended up buying what everyone calls the nifty fifty...Canon 50mm f/1.8 II and a Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 XR DI LD. Now I have to wait until next week's show to see if those are going to work like I want, but I don't anticipate any problems.

But here I am sitting here with all this equipment, barely smart enough to use it all, but loving the hobby just the same, or more. It makes no sense to me. It is just ashame that for me, the learning experience is a costly one. LOL This little hobby has grown to gargantuan proportions, costing me well over $10,000 so far, with no end in sight!

Oh! And while I was at the camera store yesterday getting my two new lenses, I remembered that I needed a tripod and head for the supertelephoto f/2.8 that I have to go pick up in a week or two.

I am beginning to think that this is not only a hobby but a serious addiction! LOL I think that the people here at POTN should start a support group for people like me. Do they have support groups for people with hobbies that turn into obsessions?

[K.J]

Hi all!
My names Kylie and Im a photoholic.
I've been into photography for about 10yrs, completed my degree in it last year, bought my 20D at the beginning of this year and have been in love with it since! [I had no idea how to use a digital camera before it and am still learning :) ].
I've recently started assisting some pro photographers [its great, Im learning heaps!] but still make time to do my own work and exhibit it.
Can't wait to get to know some of you a bit better and learn as much as possible :D

[misspix]

:D Hi everyone!
My name is Terri and I live in the Great Pacific Northwest. I've had a camera of some sort for what seems like forever. Got my first point and shoot dig about a year ago and was hooked! Prior I was very snobby regarding digital:oops:
I am anxiously awaiting my first dslr, D20.
I've been cruising the forum for a few days and am very impressed with the photo's and info.
Thanks for having me!

[~sharon~]

Hi All,

I'm Sharon i live in Nsw Australia with my hubby and 2 young boys aged 2 1/2 and 4 months ...I have just bought my first DSLR a canon EOS 350D

I'm only new to photography but am hoping to learn as much as i can so i can take some beautiful photos like the ones i have seen on this forum so far ;)

I can see already this is going to be one expensive hobby :lol:

Looking forward to getting to know you all

Sharon

[DaleP]

Hmmmm.....I just realised I have been posting here for a couple of months and I never introduced myself!! How rude!

My name's Dale, and I live in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. I'm a jeweller by trade, but I'm currently working in a call centre full time and doing the odd bit of jewellery work from home. I have a 7 y.o. son who is mildly Autistic and is a bundle of laughs.

My wife and I have always had an interest in photography, and always drooled over digital SLR's and lenses. Up until a few months ago we only had a P&S camera (Olympus C-740).

Unfortunately my wife was killed in a car crash in January this year (an elderly driver got confused and somehow managed to get onto the wrong side of a divided highway, straight into Jeanette's path). I decided to put aside some of the insurance and payout money and finally get a SLR and start pursuing a passion and desire we both had. And in a way it has been a great distraction.

I'm hoping to do some courses in photography at some stage, and would love to be able to make some $ from my work at some point, but we'll see how it goes. At this stage I'm mainly treating it as a hobby, although it's fast becoming an addiction.

[Col_M]

I didn't even know this thread existed, i guess i'd better add my mark (or stain :lol: ) to it, my name is Colin, i'm 25 and was born and bred in Plymouth which is if you don't know is one of the largest cities in the south-west of England, home to the Royal Marines and the largest military naval base in western Europe.

Now you know where i come from here's more about me, I've just finished a degree in mechanical engineering, BSc (Hons) Mechanical Design and Manufacture to give it'f full name. Now i'm just working part time in a well known fast food place to fund my photography habit and some travelling too ;) Once i've got that out of the way i suppose i'll start looking for a real job.

I've been into photogrpahy since god knows when, i got my first SLR when i was about 14 (around 1994ish) after having a couple of compacts before that, then i got my 350D earlier this year. The styles of the photogrpahy i like are quite diverse, i'll try my hand at most things but i mostly do landscape and i also really like abstract objects, sometime in the future i'd really like to try sports, motorsports and macro (no spiders though as i'm scared absolutely ****less of them :lol: ) the only thing i really wouldn't want to do is weddings or kid's portraits, well maybe if i was offered enough cash ;)

If i ever sound a bit blunt or rude, that's just me and my sense of humour so please don't get upset of offended by it, i probably didn't mean it in a nasty way ;)

[dmodegurl]

Hello :)
I'm Cathy, 30 from Southern California. I just recently got a Canon S3 IS. I upgraded from a Canon A80. I am a 100% lost amateur when it comes to photography, but having fun learning. And of course have a ton of questions lol :)

[tlc]

xxx

[kennys350d]

hey everyone. where do i start? well..i started doing photography, since i was 16, now im 18. not a big difference yet. but im still learning. my first camera was the d30, got over it, then it was the 300d, got over that, then i got to use my cousin 10d, awesome camera, i wanted the 20d, but went to the XT instead.

i found POTN through a car club message board. odd enough, i didnt have a camera back then. but i enjoyed taking photos so i thought what the hell. after reading and reviewing soo many pictures, you guys made me get back into photography. im learning soo many through you guys, which i want to thank everyone for.

now im attending a city college doing photography, i basically want to breathe, smell, taste photography.

anyways, im looking for POTN Az members to meet up. so i can get a hands on learning and tricks and what not. so if your in az, bored? hit me up, and we can go on a field trip. hahah.

[Gerry@Rick]

Hi All,

The name's Barry and I feel even older than I did as I realise just how young you all are. Say my nom-de-plume aloud and you'll get the idea.

Did two years National Service in the RAF teaching people about wireless and radar. In Civvy Street got bored with being a telephone exchange development engineer just before transistors were invented. Instead became a television cameraman in the days when it was still black and white with cameras the size of very large heavy suitcases and, here in Britain, ITV had just started. Just two channels! Went on to do some production and direction, had a bad accident and took early retirement on health grounds.

Found that I could write and began to sell articles to magazines providing my own illustrations. Have been dragged kicking and screaming into digital world and I am now learning that the long acquired habit of thrifty shooting making every frame count still works but the freedom to take those extra pictures can be useful too, so long as I don't let it lead to carelessnes and being slapdash. It is still true that there is often only the 'one moment' when the action, smile or whatefer is at its peak. But the freedom can also lead to my being more adventurous too, I hope.

[Skrim17]

Hi, my name is Crissa and I live in New Jersey (even tho my avatar thingie says NYC) I never answer those honestly till I know folks a little.

I am a mom to a 5 year old who I love to take pics of, sometimes I even take a pic of my husband too. In a previous life I worked in Manhattan for a real estate management company and basically did everything technical no one else knew how to do, which included getting smart on digital photography and such for intra and inter net use as well as other internal archival things. they bought me all this great stuff, a brand new G3 when it was all the rage, a sony digital video camera and a great pc and laptop. I did that for a while and loved it, then had a kid and switched gears.

Long story short now I run a non profit organization that provides programming to developmentaly delayed adults (autism, down syndrom CP and the like) and affords me much more time for family and photography. I got a digital rebel as a birthday gift about 2 years ago and upgraded to the xt when I sold it to my sister in law and then got a new lens and so the story goes. Actually I am not happy with the lens I have (sigma 18-125 1:3.5-5.6, it is way soft and has front focusing issues) but the more I read here the more I know I just have to bide my time and get better as a photographer before I go out and spend the cash on the equipment I want.

Just siged up for an intermediate digital photo class at a local camera store, am a self taught photoshop user and while I do have high speed internet access I fear I will need to upgrade my computer before my lens.

So that's me, I really like this place it has made me see things differently and look for better shots.

[Stefan A]

I guess I spend enough time here now that I should post a little biography. So here it goes.

I am Stefan. I was born in Baltimore, Md in 1971 and grew up near Baltimore. Through a lucky series of events, I learned to play the tuba and got pretty good at it. Enough that I ended up majoring in music education. Now, I have a job as a middle school band teacher in Bel Air, Md.

I live in Fawn Grove, Pa. with my wife Liz. We have no kids but that will be changing in the next couple years. We live in a log house which has long been a dream of mine. We also have a cat named Sebastian. I recently bought my wife an A530 and she is getting into a bit of photography.

Photography as a hobby is very new for me, but I have always been interested in creative and artistic things. Of course, I continue to play tuba and I perform with my local community band and a brass quintet. Some of my other creative hobbies have been baking and woodworking. Woodworking is being pushed way on the back burner - sad to say. But I have enjoyed making a lot of nice furniture and other things for the house

I got into photography as a hobby in January of '06. Before then, I owned a digital Olympus P&S for several years and just used it for vacations and such. But in December, it broke. So I decided that I wanted a new camera with "a little more control" I didn't know exactly what that meant but all I knew was that I wanted a long zoom. So, because consumer reports said it was the best, I bought an S2IS. Once I discovered this forum, read some books, and entered some contests, I was hooked. I recently purchased my first slr - a rebel xt, and I am pretty happy. So, I am not sure how far I will go. But for now, I'm in.

Stefan

[digifilm]

Hello.

Name is Randy, or Randall if you prefer, I answer to both.

I shoot digital and film, consequently this username I came up with. My digital is Canon, hence my joining this forum, and my film camera is a Nikon *ducks/dodges rocks and sticks*.

A very special friend recently renewed my interests in (*serious*?) photography after a lapse of at least 10 years. I've done alot of snapshot type stuff with a point and shoot digital Casio Exilim (people at the tavern...supposedly for the taverns website if the webmaster ever gets off his lazy arse), but recently bought another 35mm (Nikon N75). The feeling of holding another 35mil in my hand again I can only describe as ... "coming home". I'm now saving for a totally manual 35 (Nikon FM10). I also shoot with a Canon S3 IS digital, so by the looks of things around here, for the time being I will be spending my time in the "Compact" forum. I carry that one with me pretty much everywhere I go, mostly due to convenience, and it will shoot in both B&W and colour, and to catch a fleeting moment whenever it may arise. My plan is to shoot only B&W and Infra-Red in my film camera's, but that could later change. At the moment I'm not sure which digital make/model I may upgrade to when the time arises.

My roots in photography begin in the mid 70's. I did alot of concert shoots back in the day. Equipment I've used in the past: Pentax K1000, Nikon F, Nikkormat, Yashica twin lens reflex (actually my fav), then another Pentax ... don't recall the model. There was a Canon AE1 in there somewhere, but it was the ex's. I always wanted an A-1 with all the bells and whistles, but it never happened.

I've no professional aspirations at the moment, really only doing this for myself. Just looking for my niche right now.

I have to admit in closing, that digital has been a bit baffling to me, but not intimidating. I just need to apply what I know/knew (let's try...remember) about film, and transpose it to digital.


Thanks.

[sm1rf]

i use Sm1rf as it is a doctored abbreviation of my nickname, it's really boring actually.

Been into photography for about 4 years, always liked taking pictures but didn't like parting with hard earned cash to buy and develop 35mm film. (I'm a Yorkshire man you see).When digital became affordable i took the plunge.

Olypus C-350 to start, found it was a bit limiting so progressed to Fuji S7000, great camera which gave me my first taste of serious photo taking, mainly on my Military tour of Iraq 2004. Hence my avatar.

Just bought my first DSLR, 350D with an 18-125 sigma lens. (not arrived yet, frustratingly) Am looking forward to a few more years shooting before feeling the need to upgrade again, probably a 10D if I can justify it to her indoors.

I shoot for my own and my families pleasure, but if one day i can make a couple of quid doing it then all the better.
Like portrature, landscape and architecture but mostly enjoy wildlife, and domestic life!;)

I am a police motorcyclist, no hissing please and work in Manchester, England, love my job so no chance of photography becoming full time, not until i retire at least, which is a long way off just yet.

I have a passion for climbing and hope to post some good pics of my friends and I hanging loose on this fine eisle sometime soon.

Anyone who wants a photographic climbing companion near Burnley drop me a line.

[Trung_EP3CTR]

Hi all
My name is Trung. I'm from Essex in Great Britain.
I've recently picked up a new 350D as I wanted to get into DSLR for ages.
My hobbies include sports cars and really enjoy trackday driving.
I'm hoping to pick up a Sigma F2.8 70-200mm EX soon or maybe the Canon L F2.8 70-200mm if I'm lucky.

[jenne]

Hmm... this is the first time I've seen this post, considering the amount of time I spend on this forum. Seriously, studying, taking pictures and doing everything else in my life aside, I eat, breathe & sleep on this forum. I've learned so much here and there's still so much to learn! When will it stop? Never, I hope. :D

Anyways, about me... My name's Jennifer (prefer Jenne, pronounced "Jen"), 25, born and raised here in the T.dot. I have a B.A (Spec. Hons) in Kinesiology (it's a B.A and not a B.Sc b/c I couldn't stand to take the required calculus...:p) and am currently in my 3rd of 4 years studying to become a doctor in Naturopathic Medicine at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine here in Toronto.

Recreationally, besides hauling my camera everywhere I go, I play semi-competitive volleyball (was planning to get into Beach hardcore... didn't happen this summer :confused:), snowboard, read & draw (when I can find some time out of my 27 hour days...), play computer games (Battlefield 2 is the current fav) and spend crazy amounts of time with my boyfriend Graham (he's also gotten into photography, the 30D in my sig is his ;)).

When it comes to photography, I'm pretty much following in the footsteps of my dad... he still has his AE-1 from his photography days, and I used to play w/it as a kid, loving the split manual focus screen... (once my warranty's up, I will be purchasing one for my camera). My first official camera was an APS P&S camera (i don't even remember the make, Kodak maybe??) and I thought it was so cool, until I took it to Korea with me, ended up taking 6 rolls that cost me about ~$20 apiece to develop there (ouch~:cry:) and I don't think I touched that camera after that. Then, along came the film Rebel 2000 back in mid-highschool and spent most of my time on the green box setting taking snapshots (I made an attempt at reading the manual and implementing the info, but w/my limited income, I couldn't afford to experiment w/various settings and controls).

And then... just last summer, Graham and I took the R2000 along to one of our trips to Ottawa and had a newfound interest in photography again. I remember looking w/wishful thinking at the dSLRs lined up along the wall at a local Henry's. Well, I ended up getting the 350D for my birthday this past January, as a gift from Graham (it was either that or a really nice ring from Tiffany & Co... I don't regret my choice one bit!) and my mom, and the rest really is history!

I love my camera (it really doesn't leave my side... school, work, wherever) and while I've been taking a lot of landscape photography so far, I'd like to get into portraiture and maybe a wedding or two further down the line. For now, I'm just learning as much as I can (and hanging out a lot in the wedding section of this forum :D). Thanks Pekka and all the senior people on this forum for continuing to make this a non-intimidating, very nice and happy:D place to learn, comment, ask questions and post pics. It's been a great experience so far!

Note: Sorry for the lengthy bio! It just ended up that way somehow :oops:

[OpticNein]

greetings everyone! I should have visited this forum first! hah!

My name is Alex and I live in Parma, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. I've been living in the city of the Rock N' Roll Hall Fame and NFL Hall of Fame since 1989. I appreciate the four yearly seasons that Cleveland has to offer. It always creates photographic opportunities.

I'm a network administrator by trade. I babysit corporate computers and it's users. Babysitting the users is the tougher part than the computers itself. I do love my job.

I've been into computers since I was 16 but I've also appreciated the arts. I always strive to use both sides of my brain, the logical and artistic. However, I did follow the logical side and earned my degree in computer science.

My first slr was a canon AE-1 in the 80's. i loved this slr and took a lot of pictures with it. But i basically used it as a p&p. Then, in the 90's, my next slr was the original canon eos elan. There was a lot of electronics in it and I figured it would help me take good pics. Again, it was mostly used as a p&p. However, by the mid nineties I was barely using my elan and ended up buying disposable APS cameras or film p&p's. My elan was being lent to friends taking photography classes. It was also frustrating that I did not understand the f-stops, light, etc. By 2002, a lot of my friends started having digital p&p's. And on 2004, i got my first digital p&p, a sony dsc-p10 cybershot and I still use this. I was very happy and satisfied bec the pictures were clear and no manual settings. yeah! It was primarily used for gatherings and parties. In 2005 I did find myself taking snapshots of anything and everything for no reason. Mostly, landscapes, buildings, and everyday life.

Last year, I decided to take acting classes in the local community college and as a side class, added black & white photography 1. I thought that I should use my elan which was gathering dust at my shelf. To make this long story short, I got sick and missed the acting classes but retained the photography class. I eventually bought an elan 7ne because my elan's mirror was sometimes locking up due to age. I still take photography classes to improve my skills.

The black & white photography class rekindled my strong interest in photography. It made me develop my technical skills and 'eye for the shot' because there were no colors involved. You have to concentrate on your message. In between classes, I volunteered to take pictures for my local church. But this required a digital camera so I ended up borrowing my friend's dslr, a canon 300D/rebel.

After much thought, I decided that I needed a dslr of my own. And it became a tossup between a rebel xt and a 30D. Economics prevailed and I now have a rebel xt from ebay. After one week with the camera, I could say that I like it a lot and there are so many possibilities. I will add the 30D or 40D (in the future) down the road.

There's so much information in this forum and it's exciting that people here are sharing and helpful. I'm glad I found this place by accident and it is a source of inspiration to become better at this hobby.

I'm not aspiring to be a professional because I'm still a computer nerd at the core. Besides it will take years and a lot of investment in equipment. I want to have fun at this and at the same time be good. But I do want to take beautiful and meaningful photographs for the rest of my existence and hope that these images will somehow touch other people.

Do contact me if you want to share info about the rebel xt or if you want some pictures from Cleveland.

[Nugo]

Hey people! I've been a photo enthusiast on and off for a long time. I never had the patience to wait for film, and the first digital cams I bought just had really bad image quality so I guess I went into a hibernation-mode just waiting for the technology to go high enough to satisfy me while remaining in my budget range.

So, I had a Kodak 5MP last year, no SLRs ever, then this year I had a Sony DSC600 (I think that's the model) and I took it back for another Kodak 6MP (didn't like the Kodak quality; Sony was good but to small) so I ended up with the Canon Powershot A530.

I long for an SLR camera with lenses. I am incredibly crazy when necessary to get a good shot, highway being my forte, but anything I find out of the ordinary qualifies. At least now the 5MP 4x Opt. zoom is giving me something to work with...something that can at least be a prelude to photography greatness. I share your enthusiasm for this art and I hope the fire never burns out inside me to get the money shot. Speaking of which... I'm uploading some pics to BigStockPhoto.com and I was wondering if anybody had feedback on that.

More on the A530; I've dropped mine twice. From up high. First time it broke into 4 pieces. I re-assembled it. Works fine. 2nd time it basically just opened like an oyster shell on the fire when I dropped it just along the top seam, I just shoved it back together. Works fine. I can't think of a reason not to be a big fan of Canon (especially after playing with a Rebel in the stores) except for what appears to be a cool color cast on most of my photos. Maybe that's just industry-wide. I use the Cloudy setting sometimes to warm things up.

Overall, I look forward to learning from all of you and teaching whatever I can or contributing whatever I can. I do alot of macros, insects, shots from inside of car while moving, and wildlife and out-of-the-norm shots. Nothing special...yet...:cool:

[gooddog65]

Hi Yall, my name is Dave. I live in West Tennessee and work in a steel mill which gives me plenty of photo ops. I bought a Powershot A620 a few months ago and am really new at this photography thingy. I'm afraid I have a problem. I have an uncontrolable urge to upgrade. I do want to spread my wings as far as possible with this starter camera before I dump a couple grand on a Rebel and lens, or any other style that catches my eye. I've already learned alot from reading yall's posts and seeing your posted pics. Looking forward to learning alot more and getting to know all of you.

[pwen watkin]

Hi my name is Owen.I was born in 1960 and live in Ipswich Australia.
I got started in photography over 28 years ago.I studied basic & advanced photography at the Seven Hills College of Art in Brisbane. Since then I have photographed weddings, sports,news photos etc,now I specialize in Portraits & model photography for magazines, calenders, the internet & model portfolios. my work has appeared in mens magazines in Australia & the U.K.

[andyfreeman]

Hi my name is Andy. I was born in 1980 and live in a town called Lydiate(North Liverpool)

I started photography about a month or so ago. So am a total newbie, in the past i have had small compact camera's but never really used them for anything other then clock shoot and keep them on my hard drive.
When a chance came up in work to purchase a colleagues EOS 300D i jumped at the opportunity. Since then i have been doing some recreational shooting in the garden and at family parties.
I intend on gettin out more on specific trips to photograph local beauty spots etc.

I work as an Intranet Applications Developer specialising in ASP.NET Vb Applications and work for Vimto Soft Drinks.

Look forward to gettin to know you all a bit more and developing my photography skills

Thanks

andy

[beefykoala]

Hello everyone... I'm new and I'm called Beefy.

I've been interested in Photography for a long time, but only really had any access to it for the last year or so (before that it I had cheap film cameras, and I think I only ever got about 3 films developed!)

I'm starting a photography BA at Manchester Met in September and I'm looking forward to my much-anticipated purchase of the 350D when my grant comes through. I used one during my foundation year in Leeds and it was awesome - I also helped with my mum's wedding photography with it and we were both pleased with the results.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do about lenses as I've heard that the standard lens that comes with the 350d isn't brilliant and it's better to get body only and a better standard zoom until I find my feet. I really dont know though, so I've come on here to find out more.

As far as the sorts of photos I like to take (I've got a Canon Powershot A520) I'm not too fussy, but I adore natural photos which capture a special moment. Street photography is brilliant, but I have a fear of being obvious with the camera. Maybe this is something that goes with experience.

Anyways, I've not got any photos to show as of yet but watch this space, you might start seeing some soon. For now I'm going to have a browse and see what catches my attention.

Xx

[katiesmom99]

Hi y'all! I'm Melonie.

Home is, has been, and always will be, the Nashville, TN area. I'm 35, married 10 years this week, mother of one extremely spoiled 7 year old daughter Katie (hence my nick), a 10 year old fur-baby Tiny, and a 9 month old purr-baby Coco.

The paying job title is Administrative Assistant to the training director at a trade school for plumbers, pipe fitters, and hvac technicians. Basically I do it all.

My photography skills are green as goose droppings. Hubby bought me a Rebel XT as an early anniversary gift on the recommendation of a co-worker. I love my Rebel! The small size is perfect for me, as I'm only about the size of the average 12 year old. I had been looking at a Nikon D50. My only other digital camera was a Fuji FinePix A205.

I started doing image manipulation in 2003, and discovered digital scrapbooking earlier this year. I just didn't have that many good photos to use, particularly of my daughter. So, that lead me here. I don't think I'll ever make a living out of this hobby, but as long as I can enjoy it and continue learning, I think I'll be very happy.:D

[GilesGuthrie]

Hello,
My name is Giles Guthrie, so a nice cryptic SN for you!

I'm 33 years old, married (to Susan) and have a 2 year old daugher Emma, with twins imminent. We live in Edinburgh, and I'm a Technical Architect for an IT Services company.

I suppose I've been properly interested in photography for about eight years. My first SLR was a Canon EOS 50e. It's served me very well, and I've only recently sold it. I chose Canon because of my experience with a little APS IXUS. As soon as I held the '50e it made sense to me. Over the years I've picked up a few bits and bobs (see my gear list) but I'm relatively poor, so I'm about the photos, not the gear! After mucking about with a couple of cheap P&S digitals (most recently a very capable but quite frustrating Olympus Camedia C-750UZ) I bought an EOS 350d in May (ish). I'm very much enjoying it, and it's got me back into pictures in a big way. I probably shoot on average 300 per month, mostly of my daughter.

As ever, time and funds are too tight. I'd love to do this on a semi-pro basis, with lots of bodies and lots of Ls...

[nmmike]

Ok, I'm gonna' give this a try.
My name is Mike & I'm from New Mexico, hence the screen name. I've been married for 38 years & have two grown daughters & four grandchildren (so far). I am retired from the Fire Service where I spent the last half of my career doing fire cause investigations. We used 35mm SLR's for scene photos, but the subject was usually limited to burned material. That's a nice way of saying that I didn't learn nearly as much as I would have were I involved in 'general photography'.
In my personal life I was content to limit my photography to 'snapshots' with a simple camera. The day came when I bought a Minolta 35mm SLR but I still only learned what I needed to take what I thought were acceptable photos.
The 'digital' thing & simply more interest has been pivotal in my increased, although still very basic, knowledge of photography.
A few years ago I bought a 2 megapixal, fixed lens Samsung. I am currently using a Canon A75 with additional lenses & filters & I'm looking at the Canon S2 IS or S3 IS. This should make a good camera for wildlife & landscapes, which are my primary, but not exclusive, subjects.
Thanks so much for the forum, it will probably teach me more than all the books I can read.
Mike

[krista]

Why didn't I see this thread before? So interesting reading these bios! Now that I've read up on you - only fair I share a bit about little ol' me.

I have been married to my college sweetheart for 10 years as of this December. My full-time job is "mom" to my two girls Madison (4) and Eden (2). When I do work otherwise, I do graphic design and marketing for a chain of Christian bookstores - working out of my home.

I have always loved photography. My dad tells me how my Grandpa had a passion for photography - even if they had no money in the Depression era, he always had a camera ready. (Have to have priorities!). And my dad carried on the tradition. He had a cupboard full of cameras and when we went on family trips would make sure we each had a camera of our own to use. As I got older, a couple of my good friends also loved photography - so we would get together and go snapping photos together. We may have had an eye but no technical knowledge whatsoever!

A couple years ago I bought my first digital camera - it was an "SLR-like" HP945. Loved that camera. I snapped away and it was a great intro into digital photography. I always wanted to take a photography course but I'm a gifted procrastinator. Finally found a a local photographer who's style I LOVE that offered courses - took a few from her and I had my eyes opened! I learned so much from her.

Then, last year I bought a Rebel XT and a couple lenses and with that little bit of equipment and very little know-how started a business. Thought I would have fun snapping kids and families. I started in September and was booked every weekend through id December. Started to get requests for weddings - so I agreed thinking I would use 2006 as a trial summer to see if I enjoyed weddings. Bought some more lenses, couple of flashes, some odds & ends and a 20D. I also enrolled in some college photography courses - and took Intermediate Photography and both Wedding Photography 1 and 2 to get me ready for the summer (and got my first A+ in a class). Summer has been busy. By year end I'll have had 13 weddings. I haven't done any advertising - just word of mouth - friends passing out my card and website.

My winter project is studio set-up. Going to try to convert a small room in our home to a mini-studio. Just looking at the Alien Bees now that everyone keeps raving about!

I have read and learned so much from this site. I have recommended it to a lot of friends. It is an incredible resource!!

[azhikr]

Looks like no one has replied to this post for awhile- but I'd still like to introduce myself to the board.

My name is Michael and I am from Tempe, Arizona. I packed up and "escaped" the industrial pollution that is central Illinois about three years ago, under the pretense of my wife attending graduate school, but really..I just wanted to go hiking.
I've not been obsessed with photography long, as a matter of fact, in my younger days I was kinda confused at the photos hanging all over people's walls-why take so many pictures of your family members-hell, you see them every day! Now, I look at a good photo and recognize my own emotional reaction, and I want to envoke that in others.
Most of my photography lately has been centered on the natural world in Arizona, mainly when I am hiking and backpacking, but I am interested in all forms- especially abstract and surreal. I'm very interested in "street shooting", but I have a terrible sense of self-conciousness when shooting in public. Looking for some assistance in getting past that, and hoping that this site will to just that, as well as inspire me to create emotional photographs that tell the world how I feel about a scene. Judging from the tremendous reading (lurking!) I have done already, I know this site will be a great help!

[codearachnid]

Thought I'd introduce myself. Gosh this thread was actually kinda hard to find - seems a little burried to me.

Well, I'm Tim, hailing from Richmond, Va. I currently am trying my hand as a interactive application developer (past 9 years). But have had strong ties into the photographic community (working in studios, processing centers etc...) that keep my hobby thriving. I probably would be a wealthy fellow if it weren't for the time and money invested but fortuantly I enjoy this hobby (it consumes me - much to the chagrin of my wife). Recently through a series of events we (wife and I) are looking to start our own local photography business, I've been doing so much freelance that it finally had to get legit because of the amount of time it consumes. So any pointers are much appreciated.

Look forward to helping other out as much as I've been tremendously helped by the support on these boards.

- T :cool:

[Cybnew]

Ok...i 'spose
My name is Mat. I joined in Nov 05. I am 17 years old, and have loved taking pictures all my life. I am a senior in highschool, and am currently applying to different colleges. I plan to major in photography, or jounalism (with emphasis in photojournalism) I have shot film for the last year and a half (with slr's) and set up my own darkroom a year ago. I bought my first DSLR about a month ago (from a member here) and I have been buying all sorts of things to compliment it.

[AC_Photo]

I just found this thread after I don't know how long...
My name is Mike, and the Wife and I are Dog People (note the caps). We're down to 4 dogs at the moment, and are active in all sorts of canine related boards and activities. As a result of one of these associations, we became involved in lure coursing and created what is to the best of our knowledge, the first all breed lure coursing club in the U.S. (Lure Coursing Fanatics). We've actually been the inspiration for two more clubs since we started.
Since I've been involved with photography as a hobby since I was a little kid, I naturally took pictures during our meets, and one thing led to another and now I'm the guy behind the All Creatures Photography mask. Macro and nature photography was my thing as a kid, and now it's all action, with some portrait work thrown in (still learning that one).
I'll probably never be doing this full-time, but it's still lucrative and the most fun I've had in a long time.

[daclozer]

My name is Ken, I am 42 (feel like 25 most of the time) and live in Illinois. Unfortunately I don't make enough money to support myself with photography, so I support my habit by selling "beemers". My screen name, Daclozer, is the nickname that was given to me by an old salesman who was a big Bears fan. When I came into the auto business I was immediately the top salesman, so he he started calling me Da Clozer since I always closed the deal. I have had a love for photography for as long as I can remember and am currently working on degrees in photography and graphic design. At some point in the next few years I aspire to have my own studio. I have 3 teenage daughters, who also love photography. We spend a lot of time shooting together and plan our vacations and weekend trips to photo friendly places to shoot. I have been shooting mostly everything, except portraiture, until recently. I have been doing some TFP/CD work to gain experience in portait photogrphy. I enjoy the forum immensely, it is a great resource to learn. I appreciate all the talented people who take the time to post and to reply to our threads.

[elise1030]

I should introduce myself!

My name is Elise and I'm 28 and a mother of 4 kids, that keeps me pretty busy! Annyway, my love of photography began way back when I was about 8 and my neighbour( and older lady) had her own darkroom built inside her house and she had a SLR that had a 'pop top' where you look into a box on the top to compose your pics rather than look through a viewfinder( it was way cool!). She used to let me take photos and then develop them. I then went on to have my first film camera which was a hanimex P & S. When I left home and the digicams came out my first digicam was a Starcam which wasn't even 1MP in resolution and definitely didn't have an LCD display. Still, it has provided me with many fantastic photos despite the quality. After that, I went on to get a HP Photosmart 735 til march this year when I got my A610. I've always dabbled in taking photos and since the invention of digital camera, I dabble even more so now.

[GMACK24]

Hey guys I am new here.
Greg from Boston, MA
I work for the Phone compnee Verizon.

I own 2 camera's not the best but they do the job.
When I make the big bucks I hope to get a Cannon Rebel.

1st Camera Is my camera of choice obviosly.
Olympus FE - 100 4.0 Megapixel Camera
2nd Camera is my first camera
Fuji finepix 2600 2.0 Megapixel Camera.

Samples of both are below.
Thanks and I hope to post more here in the coming weeks.

Greg

Olympus FE - 100 4.0 Pixel Camera
http://static.flickr.com/117/290183823_03045ed850_o.jpg

Fuji Finepix 2600 2.0 Pixel Camera
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k77/GMACK24/Fort%20Point%20Channel/2006_0906_124326AA.jpg

[Parmcat]

Hello all,

I have been a member for a while, and also just found this thread.

My name is Sean, and I am from London, Ontario. I am 36 years old, and have been married for 9 years to my awesome wife, and have 2 beautiful boys...Zach is 5 and Mason is 2.

My wife and I are nurses by trade (both in psychiatry) and that pays the bills. I also own a homebased computer repair business that keeps mad money in my pocket.

I bought my first DSLR (really my first slr camera) last February (A used Canon Digital Rebel) I had it for a few months, shot 4000 pics, and it died...so I sent it off to get fixed, and when it returned, I traded it in for a Rebel XT, and have not looked back.

I have always had a love for good pictures. I have bought a number from friends to hang on the wall. What I really wanted though, was to hang one of my own pics on my wall. My grandfather did wedding pics way back in the 1960's in Germany, and I have most of his slides from then (as well as his very old Canon gear)

So, I am learning on the fly. My first love seems to be Macro shooting. I really love it. I take tons of pics of the family, and now dont leave the house without my gear.

Anyway...I am loving photography, and if it wasnt for this site, I would not have made the sharp progress in my shooting as fast as I have.

Best wishes to you all

Sean

(Parmcat)

[nigelr07]

Hi I'm Nigel as you probably guessed by my SN, born in 1960 I have a wife of 25 years and two children, 11 & 15.
Been a UK resident all my life, getting into photography in my late teens. Started on a Zenith, then a Praktika, before moving up to a Minolta XD7 which I sold in part X for a Canon 1000FN.
I started to get tired of the boxes upon boxes of photographs and albums I was collecting - (Can't throw any away) when the AF packed up on the Canon. After a long lay off I decided to give digital a go. Bought an Olympus C2020 and was hooked on Digital Photography. Moved up to a 300D about 3 years ago as by then I had a couple of Canon EF lenses that I could use.

I'm an IT consultant which means I'm away from home a lot more than I like (34K business miles this year) and can't keep my camera with me - Clients won't allow them on site and I don't want to leave my gear in the car / hotel.

I found the POTN forum quite by accident and in addition to that, this post.

I'm a keen amatuer who would like to be a LOT better, I've learnt more about DSLR photography (and plain photography) since I joined POTN than in the couple of years prior and appreciate the candour and humour of the forum.

[Mingtea]

MORE brits,

Hey i'm John been browsing on here for some time and thought i'd join in the informative and useful conversations :)

I'm from Redditch near Birmingham, spend most of my time between Redditch Birmingham and Northampton. I work for a major manufacturer of computers and digital audio players dishing out tech support.

Been into photography seriously for about 6 months now, getting some good pics but am constantly striving to improve, had no formal training so am just learning for experience and book-worming my way through it, and am pretty much loving it.

A small selection of my pics are here http://mingtea.co.uk/photography/ not very glamorous but will do until i get something much nicer sorted out gallery wise.

Kit
30D
18-85 IS
70-200 F4L
50mm F1.8

Next purchase is most definitely a tripod.

Well that's it, you all seem like a good bunch and HI :P

[riccardino]

Hello everybody,
I'm new here, so let me introduce myself.

I'm Riccardo from a town near Rome, Italy. I’m 35 and I started playing with photography 1 year and a half ago when I bought the EOS 350D I’m currently using.
I got two young children so my time for taking shots is quite limited, but I’m trying to do my best to improve my photographic skills.

All the best
Riccardo

[dal999]

Hello all,

I'm Tony, I'm 49, I live in Melbourne Australia and have just found POTN. What a great forum and wonderful group of people.

Photography has been my hobby since i was 10, maybe earlier.

I remember back then some 'old folks' who had box brownies, twin lense reflexes, and my first camera, a borrowed Voightlander Vito B.

My first real camera was an Olympus OM1 in the early 70s followed by an OM2 ( 1978 ? ) and an OM4 in 1984.

Over the years I collected a few lenses my favourites being a Vivitar Series 1 70-210 f3.5 ( 10 years ahead of its time ) and a Kiron 28-84 f2.8/3.8

My favourite however is my current camera, a Canon Powershot Pro 1 purchased 18 months ago. A truly awesome machine.

In a year or so I would like to get a DSLR, but I have no idea which one to get as the range is now extraordinary.

What I would like to get ASAP is a slide/film scanner to digitise the 1000s of slides & negs that I have and hopefully people on this forum might like to give me some advice on this.

Also the Pro 1 has one dissapointing feature in that videos are limited to 30 seconds, which in this day of 2Mb cards is absurd. Does anyone here know if Canon would be willing to issue an update, even if the Pro1 is now discontinued ?

That issue is probably better left to another thread & I apologise if I'm being too forward.

The photography I enjoy doing most is landscapes, cityscapes, animals and sports and I took the liberty of adding 2 to this post. I resized them, but they are totally unedited.

I posted a video to Utube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XExhb7wX1rY which i think is OK.

Although I am not a professional photographer, I have done a few weddings and other events for friends when asked, mostly small, intimate occaisions, and i never fail to get a buzz when I see the smiles on peoples faces when they see the pics.

I am super critical of my own work, but people are so forgiving and encouraging that, for me their is no other hobby that is so rewarding.

I look forward to delving deeper into this forum as it seems there is an endless amount of information to absorb.

Thanks.

[mommytomjm]

Hi, my name is Bonny and I'm directly behind the Magic Kingdom on Reams Road. The majority of my photography get's done there. I just got my first DSLR (S2 IS) and am so excited. My husband works dor Disney. My daughter MJ is almost 6, adopted at birth and is medically fragile and developmentally delayed (you can read about her in the link in my signature if you like) I was diagnosed with arthritis, sjogren's syndrome and fibromyalgia when she was 8.5 months old. She and I both have some limited mobility and use wheelchairs for any real distance. I would be excited to meet others, I don't know a lot of ppl here in FL (been here, orlando, less than a year and in FL less than 3)

I am brand new to photography. I had a small sony cybershot and out of the blue someone sent me this beautiful S2 IS. I took about 400 pics this weekend and am eagrly reading boards and waiting for books from the library to learn more.

Okay, enough jabbering from me.....

[laanba]

Hello all.

My name is Laurie and I am from Houston, TX. By day I am a mild mannered teacher, but by evening....well I'm still a mild mannered teacher, but I wield a camera. :)

I always took pictures when I was younger, but many of them were left undeveloped. That all changed when I got a Canon S45 and a new laptop over two years ago. Combine the ability to process my own photos with the internet and the power of blogging to share those photos, and I have stepped into a whole new world and I love it!

I still use the Canon S45 as well as a Canon Rebel XT. I'm not as experienced on the technical side, but I know that will come in time. I enjoy getting out and photographing my city and all the wonderful things about it.

This forum is HUGE, I hope I can get a handle on it all. I look forward to digging in. Oh and because people are always curious, my username is the first two letters of my first, middle and last name.

[ChasP505]

Hi from Albuquerque, New Mexico. I'm not a native New Mexican-- I came here 20 years ago from the suburbs of New York City. I work for the Marketing Dept. of a very large real estate franchise in Albuquerque, doing ads and contributing to the production of the monthly real estate magazine. I spend a significant part of each day taking poorly exposed photos of real estate listings and running them through Photoshop.

My own photographic experience goes back to high school, shooting 35mm B&W with an ancient Exacta SLR. Later taking countless boring and uninspired real estate appraisal photos. In the last few years, I've been stricken with a rapidly progressing rare neurological disorder that has taken away my ability to hike into the scenic areas of New Mexico for photo shooting, so my shooting is now limited to an occasional real estate shoot and family portraits. But I can still work the keyboard!

Update: This handicap thing is really working out for me... I can always find a parking space, people carry things for me, I get store discounts without asking, and I've become a "chick magnet" with women hugging me, rubbing my shoulders, and feeding me ice cream! Plus, I find I can get away with more wise ass remarks and testy behavior!

[3Turner]

Hello
Been on this board for awhile and realized I have not intorduced myself. Anyhow, I am a federal employee living in the Alamo city, who has been interested in photography since middle school...so that would be about 20 years....man time has flown. I guess it all began with the pinhole camera I was required to make with a shoe box (still have the prints somewhere) and had cameras on and off throughout the years. When I got married 7 years ago, I got my first 35mm SLR and would take pictures of almost everything. I got the digital slr bug in 2005 when I saw that the Digital Rebel/300D went down in price enough to convince my wife to let me spend some money on it. Now I yearn to spend more money to get a better body...30D or the next release. But my first priority is to get some faster glass...my lenses i have now are F3.5 or F4. Anyhow, I'm glad I found this forum by accident since I have learned a great deal.

[infinite012]

I'm Korean (South, for those who don't know any better lol), born and raised in America. I'm a student full time, going on to my second semester of Sophomore year in college.

My interest in photography must have started when I was still an infant - my parents have pictures of me holding a toy camera when I was about 4 years old. In middle school I attended a summer technology camp, which had a photography class. Not digital, but the film type. We had to take pictures with black and white film and develop them ourselves. It was pretty fun!

My first digital camera was my mom's Canon S400. I used that camera to hell and back, and it still works fine. My dad asked me what I wanted for high school graduation present, and I asked him for a new camera. So we got to looking around, and I ended up with the Rebel XT with 18-55 and 75-300 USM. I sold the 75-300 and got the 50/1.8 Sigma 70-200/2.8 about 3 months later. I'd like to get some more glass, but for now, the kit lens, nifty fifty, and Sigma should hold me over.

I'd like to visit Korea again and visit Japan at least once.

I usually shoot RAW, and I just recently purchased a flash, so I'm trying to improve my skills with external lighting. I'd really like to get into studio photography or professional stuff, but that won't be til later on.

That's all,
Michael - 19, going on 20 (omg) in March.

[dphillips81]

Well i just foung this thread and thought that since i am new to the forum i would post a little about myself.

i am in my mid 20's, and moved to Alaska a little over a year ago. i never even picked up a camera, other than the occasional P & S, untill i met a few people up here that were big in to photography.

well needless to say i just bought a 20D and can't wait to shoot like crazy. for a budding photonut i would have to say that i live in the perfect place. the landscapes are amazing, and the wildlife is equally amazing. i think i counted 15 bald eagles flying in town on my way to the post office today.:D

i will be the first to admit that i am a complete and total newbie, so i will be asking for all the help i can get. and i plan to post lots of my pics so that you all can help and view my progress.

thanks in advance to everyone that will be helping me out,
D

[tsweet]

Hi!! Like most of you, I too am new to this forum, as I am new to this site as well. I thought I'd stop in to say hi to everyone and introduce myself a little. My name is Terri and I'm 27. My hubby & I have two boys, and I am a stay at home mom as well as a professional photographer. I hope to get to know some of you and learn more things in the process!

[WorkingClassHero]

Hello all,

I just found this site a few days ago. What a fantastic resource and a great bunch of people. I think this is going to be my second home. :D

I've been interested in photography for 25 years or so. Started with a Practika 35mm, moved up to an A1 which I have used for a looonng time, along with a 35mm Rebel owned by my wife.

For the last few years we have been using mostly digital but are only just moving up from our P&S to a 30D, which should be arriving tomorrow. Now trying to decide which lens to get to replace the 35-80mm off the Rebel.

Looking forward to learning a lot from the people on here.

Happy shooting,
Alan.

[montecristo]

Another newbie just dropping by to say hi to everyone.
I thank you for providing so much information to us.
I am married and have a son and a daughter. I live in The San Fernando Valley, California.
I just opened up my own business (a bridal shop) with a partner.
I really do not have much photography experience, but I have always been interested in taking photographs. I have done several Quinceañeras basically, at cost, but I want to get into it more, eventually, maybe opening a Studio.
I just purchased the Canon 5D and the 24-105 L IS lens to take advantage of the double rebate program and the low price from Dell on the 5D.
I am looking forward to all the learning from all of you.
Thank you,

[Ryzz_81]

Hey All,

Just thought I would say Hi. My name is Ryan, i'm 26, and i live on Sydney's (Australia) magnificent Northern Beaches. I weapon/camera of choice is a 350D equipped with a Tamron 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 and my favourite, a Canon L EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM. I've also just ordered a Speedlite 580EX to go with it all.

I do this mainly as a hobby for fun, however a friend who does a lot of photography for Lonely Planet is pushing me to look into selling some of my shots (Didnt think they were that good!!).

Being a hobby most shots are around Cars, Motorsport and car club motoring events(I am a moderator for a large Holden car forum in Australia called www.ls1.com.au (http://www.ls1.com.au)) , however I do enjoy long exposure shots at night and also close up portriats.

Anyway I look forward to meeting you all and hopefully learn a thing or 2 :-)

[Medic85]

Ok, I'll play.

I'm Chris and I live in a suburb of Charlotte, NC. I'm married to my highschool sweetheart and we have a one year old son and two labrador retrievers which are spoiled rotten!

I work as a full time paramedic in Charlotte and no, it's not like they make it seem in the movies and on TV. It's a rough job at times but rewarding all the same. I wouldn't have it any other way and it's the people I love serving.

I've always had an interest in photography but until recently, I haven't really done much about it. I grabbed my dad's 10D that was just sitting in a case collecting dust and started taking pics. I finally bought my own good lens and I get out whenever I get a chance between work and family life.

I've learned a lot from the people on this forum and thanks to those of you who have helped me and my hobby. I look forward to learning more from all of you in the future and thanks for starting this thread.

[koalagurl]

Hello! I am Jen, a SAHM and a hobbiest photographer.

It all started w/ a 20D as a gift, and gone "downhill" from there! ;) I am still learning, and playing around with my camera. Mostly I shoot my babies (anywhere we can! Home, park, Disney...)

I joined here to learn even more about something I am starting to love, until I can get myself some more proper training.

[PuR HART]

Hola Mi llamo Ryan
And that is about as far as I ever got to a second language. Besides my terrible typo errors. Sucks right?
ohh well this is about me so I am 31 well just turned on the 26th of Dec. use to live in KC was a medic there but my wife,daughter & I decided to move to Charlotte NC.
I work for a ministry here doing graphics.
I for some reason jumped into photography this way I wanted a dig camera. was at the shop and was checking them out did not know anything. So I bought the Pro 1 cause the sales guys was asking me what i wanted and that with these othere cams you have to change lenses and such and I did not know what that all detailed. I hate being ignorant and not knowledgeable. So a year later after having that cam and working a few pro football games as a medic on the sidelines I began to look at all the guys with the huge lenses ALOT OF WHITE hehehe I had no clue that these guys were carrying around close to 30 grand on them for the games. One photographer let me hold his canon with some huge lens on it i had no clue what to do with it so I bent slightly over and zoomed in on the center and the way that you could just get in so close but be far off was intense. I guess that was my first experience with DSLR and ever since that "WHITE BITE" I have studied, read and watched videos. I still am majorly rough and experience is the greatest teacher.
Then I was introduced to this awesome place and yes it is a second home to many here.
I love this place and the awesome contributing members here.
I currently have shot 3 weddings with my gear a 20D 17-85, 70-200 f/4 and nifty
my list is long of needs but I am chipping away at it.
Thanks for the continuing growing oppurtunity here.

[chancellor]

Hello! I am Jen, a SAHM and a hobbiest photographer.

It all started w/ a 20D as a gift, and gone "downhill" from there! ;) I am still learning, and playing around with my camera. Mostly I shoot my babies (anywhere we can! Home, park, Disney...)

I joined here to learn even more about something I am starting to love, until I can get myself some more proper training.

I didn't know what "SAHM" acronym means so I looked it up:

http://www.acronymfinder.com/af-query.asp?Acronym=SAHM&p=dict
SAHM Stay At Home Mom
SAHM Special Access Hubbing Model (Sprint)

I'm guessing it's the first one :D Welcome to the forum!

[QuantumCowboy]

Hey there, I'm 22, just graduated from Arizona State last May and now I'm living in Palmdale, CA working for your typical everyday military-secured government research installation in the middle of the Mojave Desert. I grew up in Idaho, so I was used to blues and greens, but living in the desert for awhile has given me a huge appreciation for its own kind of beauty.

I had been using a Fujifilm P&S (or should I say... POS?) for about two years, but last month I decided that I was going to be getting more into this hobby and wanted an upgrade, so I did some research and purchased a Canon Digital Rebel XTi with the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM and the Sigma 55-200mm f/4-5.6 DC. I've only had it for a couple of weeks, but I'm loving it! I picked up a couple of books, which are nice, but it's been fun just shooting hundreds of test shots and figuring out what all the settings do visually.

I've been lurking around some photography forums for awhile, and decided on this one because it just seems nicer. None of that pissed-off snobbery (well... at least a whole lot less) that seems to run rampant on these things. I've already learned quite a bit from the posts, and I know I'll be learning a lot more from the huge amount of experience that seems to be here.

With mountains, desert, ocean, lakes, rivers, and canyons all within a couple hours' drive or less (w00t Southern California!), I'm hoping to get in quite a bit of practice with my new toy. I'm looking forward to learning from this excellent group of people. Thanks to everyone who makes it what it is.

[frame]

Hi, I'm 25 and Live in South Africa. I'm new to this forum but glad to be here, Good to be able to just chat about photography. I studied economics and work in a bank at the moment, but have been exploring the possiblities of moving into photography full time

Picked up my first SLR when I was about 12 and have persued my interest since. I shoot skateboarding pics for our local mag and have been skating myself for the last 13 years and do freelamce jobs as and when they present themselves. I also enjoy shooting nature/wildlife pics and try to always have my camera around for when that thought "that would look good in a picture" comes to mind.

Welcome to other new members and hi to exisiting ones, sure we will chat soon..

[thedjo]

This is a nice thread!

Hi, my name is Andy, but everybody calls me Thedjo, which is part of my 16-letter family name. I believe I'm the first person living in Asia posting in this thread. My nationality is Indonesian, went to high school in Singapore because my parents are afraid of racial violence in Indonesia, and then moved to Indiana for college (GO BOILERS!), got a job in Orange County as an Engineer, finally transferred to Japan. I don't know when I will be back to US.

Currently living a dream in Japan. There are endless of place to go and objects to photographs. I plan where to go on the weekends starting wednesday and almost never home on the weekends. I got into photography since I was in Japan. I bought Powershot A95 because I wanted to take pictures of my graduation, and casual travel photographs.
Since I came to Japan I started to shoot more, and frequently seeing 70 yr olds still go hiking and taking pictures with their expensive cameras. I decided to get 400D with Sigma 18-50mm in November. From there my pocket is getting lighter and lighter as my camera bag gets heavier. Have yet to buy an L, i'm afraid I can't get off the hook later.

I found out with my camera took me to place where i would've never gone before, talk to locals even though I still don't understand what they are saying, meet more Japanese girls and the most important, I'm having the most fun year in my life. I am still very new to photography, so I hope I can learn from all of you here. I already learned so much in this forum rather than reading a book (maybe because I can't find photography book in english here).

If I can speak Japanese and read Kanji, probably I will stay in Japan forever. I love this country. My dream is to collect enough money so I can travel around the world.
宜しくお願いします。

[jellyfish]

Hi all,

I'm new here and nice knowing POTN members here. This is great forum to hang around :)

A brief intro, I'm from Malaysia and I'm into photography as a hobby not long ago. Since Nov. 2005, I'm shooting with a Fuji P&S before I bought a 350D few months ago. I'm still learning...

Hope I can learn a lot from your esteemed and humble experiences and guidances.



Until then, have a nice day :)

[Richtherookie]

My name is Rich (duh) I am 39 years old and I live in Michigan. I work at an independant car repair garage. For my side jobs I am a Fire Fighter and MFR. I have three great kids and a wife of 13 years that puts up with my endless amount of crap.

I have been taking pictures since I bought my first Canon 35mm in 1985 after get released from High School. I up graded to a cheap Kodak (can i admit that?) in the late 90s sometime. I took alot of average pictures but I always hoped to take a picture worth taking. I had researched cameras for awhile and chose the Rebel XT because i could afford one and it appeared to be a good entery level camera. The wife and kids can use it and as i get better i have options to increase the quality of my pictures. At this point i only have the kit lens. My wife bought the camera for me. I found it on sale and worked my puppie dog eyes on her. She basicaly bought it for me just to shut me up! But it worked and now i have a good camera. Now how can i get that 100-400mm f-4.5-5.6???????

My Family loves to play paintball ( i have 7 markers, fill CO2 and HPA, and a field in my backyard) and I am hoping someday soon to have a lens that is good enough i can call it "glass" w/o getting laughed off this forum so i can take some good shots at PSP or NPPL. And as my kids grow,( they are 11, 8 and 6), they will be into sports i am sure. and that you can bet will be when i take most of my pictures.

I would also like to get a nice piece of glass to shoot wild life. Things like deer and owls. I shoot mostly city and people now because the kit lens makes me, my heart is on other things. I have the chance to take alot of pictures in the fire fighting arena however seldom do i have the time to whip out a camera and take pictures while fighting fire. My other option is car accidents and i don't think you all would like to see those even if i could get a release to post them.

I found this forum through a Canon web site and am now finding myself looking here more than i am working. But the help i have gotten here has helped me greatly.

Thanks to everyone that takes the time to help rookies like me out.

[R_Metzel]

Well, since I never added my info, and it is on the main board right now, I give an intro.

My name is Rob. I am 27 years old, 28 this June. After being stupid and getting kicked out of high school for showing up drunk, I have worked in many fields. Although I have an extremely high IQ, I was stupid and continued to party for years after. Almost 4 years ago I met my Fiancee`, who got me back on track and back to school. I went and got my GED and now attend UW-Stevens Point where I study Biology, Chemistry, and now adding Psychology to my list of majors. We currently live in Wisconsin Rapids, but my heart is in Daytona Beach, where I lived for awhile after high school. I hail from Waukegan,IL originally.

I am a huge golfer that has considered going for my PGA card and playing professionally. I also love to mountain bike, bowl and shoot pool. I spend a lot of time with my family and friends doing varies things.

I have always been into photography. Bought my first DLSR last summer. While I am not very artistic, and don't see shots like most do, I still have fun. For me it is more about remembering the moments and not the technical side of it. I do try to apply what I have learned though. Like most, I want really nice gear but can't afford it. I make do with what little I do have and do it thankfully.

[spyraling]

Just discovered this thread!

I'm Mary, 32 years old, married with a three-year old and a 21-month old. The husband got me my XTi last Christmas and I've been obsessed ever since.

I currently am an Accounts Payable Analyst (fancy title for A/P Clerk). However, the husband now makes enough for me to quit, but I figured I'd work for a few more months and use that extra money to pay off the credit card bills (and buy a few more lenses...hehehe).

Thank goodness the husband got into golf about a year ago! Although his jaw drops when I tell him how much a lens or a flash that I want costs, he can't really say anything as I know that he's spent that much (and probably waaaay more) on his clubs, membership and fees.

In what little spare time I have, you can find me repeatedly watching episodes of LOST on tivo.

[D72x]

Hi All

I'm Dave, from HK. I'm a Graphic Designer and have recently caught the 'clicking bug'. Being in Design, I've always like to take photos but now seem to have gotten into it abit more. I use a old Powershot S45, which I think is great and am pleased with...and am thinking about upgrading to something more semi-pro and affordable...(all recommendations would be welcome!!). I look forward to reading all your opinions and advice!

[cheritapictures]

hello there... a nice thread to be...:D i'm from kuala lumpur, malaysia.... doing photography for passion... love what i shoot and the way i shoot.. not a pro... just poor beginners... currently working as a sales executive at stahwille(M) sdn bhd... i never limit my self in any category of photgraphy... i see the world thru my lens... anybody coming to malaysia...? let me know.... do e-mel me..
padilopadilan@yahoo.com

[CaLaKa]

Hi all. My name is Melody and I'm from Australia.

I'm only very new to photography but loving every miniute of it!

Look forward to getting to know some of you better!

[nadder-diary]

Hi, I'm Malcolm from Nr Salisbury in the UK.

I'm a sustainability consultant by trade. A snowboarder, fly-fisher and self confessed 'time-team' addict by choice and a photographer by accident.

Photography just snuck up on me while I wasn't looking, now I can't go anywhere without the camera.

[Flowerpot]

Hi I'm Helen, and this is my very first post on this forum!

I've been lurking for a few days as I have just (4 days ago!) bought my very first DSLR (Canon 400d with the standard lens kit) :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin:

I'm therefore feeling very pleased with myself! I now have the very small challenge of working out how to use the damn thing as I have never used a camera with manual settings in my life! Lots and lots to learn, and I am very thankful for the internet as a whole, forums such as this one, and the fact there is an Auto setting!

Been out for 1 'shoot' so far, which was by and large successful. Didn't really acheive very much in terms of images, but I'm already starting to get familiar with my new camera.

I've always had an interest in photography, but it wasn't until Christmas 2005 that my (now) husband bought me a lovely little Samsung Point & Shoot. I've been playing around with it ever since, and managed to get quite a few shots I'm really proud of. But realised about 12 months later that I'd already grown out of it and I was desperate to get a camera with a lot more going on. It's only this month, thanks to a 'Birthday Advance' from my dad and some creative accounting that I've been able to buy my camera :)

I still need to get a decent lens for it as I've just got the lens it came with at the minute. But as I'm just starting out...I need to figure out what the hell it is I need first!!!

Anyhooo....I digress...

As I said, I'm Helen. I'm 23 and live with my Husband (of 6 months) in a little town called Newport Pagnell (home to Aston Martin for any car lovers out there!), which is on the outskirts of Milton Keynes in the UK. We live with our 2 guinea pigs - Pablo & Honey, and 2 gerbils - Grace & Pixie.
I work for a mortgage company, which I do enjoy. But we're currently plotting to work out a way we can survive on 1 salary so we can start a family :)

Maybe my photography will be a way to earn some extra money?? Who knows!

Well that's me. Thanks for reading.

Flowerpot x

[apjoseph]

Hello, I am Arun. I am 27 and from east end of London, UK. I was born in Sri Lanka, moved to Greece when I was very young, and then moved to London when I was (I think) 10.

I am a single dad of a 3 year old son. My passion really started when my ‘then-fiancée’ became pregnant with our child and I wanted to photograph her everyday and our child when he/she was born.

I had an old Canon Proshot (can’t remember the model) with a 16MB CF card. I then decided that I wanted a 35mm film SLR, so purchased my first Canon 300x a few years ago, which I loved (except I was going though too many rolls of film every week and it was costing us too much)

I tried a few cameras here and there and in the end finally invested in the lovely 400D and a few standard lenses. I still pretty much only take photos of my son, but in the last few months after coming across this forum I have decided to purchase a few books and actually lean how to use the camera properly. I think I would have been just satisfied with taking simple photos if I had not come across this forum and read the very helpful posts here. I can honestly say that this place has pushed me to new places and given me a deep desire to explore more of what I can do and the camera can do. The members are very helpful and not pretentious.

Yes I still enjoy taking photos of my son and journal our adventures together, but I am doing so much more. Its so much more fun and rewarding when I look back.

By day, I work with lots of computers and project management. I am a train and fully qualified secondary (11-16 year olds) school teacher, qualified to teach Maths, I.T and Business studies. I am going back into teaching in a couple of years.

In my spare time I read and go to the park.

I hope I can take better photographs in the near future.

Arun

[HarleyQuinn]

Hi All! My name is Lucy and I'm a 30 yr old Mom of 3 wonderful kids ( read: great photo practice.). I am currently shooting with a Canon S2IS. I love this camera, but hope to be able to get a used entry level DSLR soon. When said 3 kids quit eating me out of house and home maybe? Within the last year I've gotten past the whole just snapping to snap phase of photography and have come to see it as an art. I'm in love with the whole shebang.

Can't wait to get to know you and your work and learn from you all!:)

[Sassy]

Hi, I just joined after lurking for a few days.

Have recently bought a canon eos 400d with lens kit. Haven't used it much as I'm still finding it easier using my compact.

Would love to learn how to use it properly and that's why i'm here. :)

[Richard_Miami]

Hi everyone... just found this thread! My name is Richard, and I have been a POTNer for about a year or so. I live in Miami, Florida for the past 10 years, but am a lifetime Noo Yawkah. I am a retired Corrections official with a second career in the cruise industry here in Miami (there's a long story behind that.. LOL).

I had been into photography for a few years with a Canon Rebel 35mm SLR (film). I had actually bought that camera from a yard sale to fool around with, and it turned into a passion quickly (see gear list.. lol)

I have no specialty in my photography, except that I love working with colors. Flowers have become important for that reason, but there are many other ways I love working with my gear. I am a newbie, with a LOT to learn, but have come to REALLY LOVE the POTN forums for that reason. I have never met a nicer, more helpful group of people than the ones here. :D :D :D

[akal]

Hi! I'm Akal from philippines but currently working in Morocco.

I'm new to DSLR. I've got my 350D a couple months ago. I bought also cheap canon lenses, EF 50mm f/1.8 II and EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM. I'm still studying the basics and reading threads in this forum. This is one of the best forum I read and I know I will grow as a photographer with the help of the pros here.

Thanks and more power to the group.

[harsha1989]

Hello My fellow Shutterbugs,

This is Harsha from Hyderabad, INDIA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyderabad,_Andhra_Pradesh) introducing myself to the P.O.T.N
I will be upgrading to a DSLR in a month or two, maybe you can suggest me on which one to go with, well at this point of my saturation in Photography I'm at an Advanced Amateur Level. So please guide me or suggest me on from the Canon 40D and upper-segment. Well, I'm repenting myself to be enlightened so lately about P.O.T.N. I have learned many things within the few days of my joining this forum by reading the threads and posts by fellow users, which were very very very helpful for a beginner like me and others like me around here. Hope I never get kicked off this forum for any mistake I commit without the awareness of the Rules and what I have done.

[donlavange]

Hello My fellow Shutterbugs,

This is Harsha from Hyderabad, INDIA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyderabad,_Andhra_Pradesh) introducing myself to the P.O.T.N
I'm 18 and presently in pursuing my 12th Standard, I presently possess a Canon Powershot A640 from which I will be upgrading to a DSLR in a month or two, maybe you can suggest me on which one to go with, well at this point of my saturation in Photography I'm at an Advanced Amateur Level. So please guide me or suggest me on from the Canon 40D and upper-segment. Well, I'm repenting myself to be enlightened so lately about P.O.T.N. I have learned many things within the few days of my joining this forum by reading the threads and posts by fellow users, which were very very very helpful for a beginner like me and others like me around here. Hope I never get kicked off this forum for any mistake I commit without the awareness of the Rules and what I have done.

Welcome Harsha. Welcome to POTN. We hope you can post some images to
the forum so that many of us can share the things you see and how you interpret them.

And we hope you learn from your association here. When you can obtain a 40D, most of us, even those that do not own it, believe it to be an excellent example of the best of Canon's craft! What subjects interest you most?

Regards, Don

[harsha1989]

Welcome Harsha. Welcome to POTN. We hope you can post some images to
the forum so that many of us can share the things you see and how you interpret them.

And we hope you learn from your association here. When you can obtain a 40D, most of us, even those that do not own it, believe it to be an excellent example of the best of Canon's craft! What subjects interest you most?

Regards, DonThank you for the Warm Welcome Don. Poeple, Nature and Urban Life are my interests. Yeah, I'll soon post my Images after sorting them out.

[slimninj4]

Hello all. I thought I would introduce myself as I have been a member for a short while. I live in Washington DC. Looking for a photo club to join or something of the sort. I just started using my XTI and love it. My gear...is the 50mm, 439x flash, and kit lens. I plan to get the Sigma 17-70 or the Canon 17-55 IS around Xmas time. :-)

Nice to meet you all.

[TooManyHobbies]

Welcome slimning4! This is a great site and DC is a perfect place for a lot of great pictures. I used to work there a while back. Some advice for lens buying for your Christmas purchases....

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/

You can actually comare 100% crop shots of different lenses to see the difference in quality.

[RudyN]

This is my first post on this board and just wanted to introduce myself. I am Rudy from San Jose, CA. Just bought a Canon XT with the 18-55 kit lens and 75-300 zoom. This is my first DSLR. I had a Canon A70 that just died. Previous to this I had a Nikkormat FTn (still have it) and a Nikon Fe-2. I sold the Fe-2 and the lenses for it so i could get the XT. Now a new learning curve and I will try to have some fun. Will probably try wildlife and astrophotography. I have a 8" SCT Meade LX200GPS for the astrophotography. I wish I had the XT last year when we went to Alaska for two weeks, but we plan on going to Australia and New Zealand in 2009 and I do intend to take a lot of pictures with the XT. I am retired and now have a bit of spare time to enjoy photography.

[3Turner]

Welcome to the forum Rudy. The learning curve is only temporary, stick around, read the boards (especially the stickies in each topic) and have some fun. Ask questions if you can't find an answer in a search, plenty of folks to answer questions around here. Now that you got your self your new XT, you have to post a duck shot...kind of a tradition of sorts here on POTN. ;)

[richardsc0]

Hello!

My name is Charles Richards, and I’m nothing more than an amateur photographer with an interest in landscape, macro, and motorsport photography. I attend Iowa State University, so sadly, the only opportunities for motorsport photography near me are usually oval track races like nascar and stock cars :(

I also like to dabble with photo editing in Adobe Photoshop, although my primary tool for photo management and post-processing is Adobe Lightroom

Until recently, I’ve only had a Sony Cybershot T1 (http://www.dpreview.com/news/0310/03102202sonydsct1.asp) camera but I recently bought a Canon 20D (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos20d/) along with a Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 (http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Tamron-28-75mm-F-2.8-XR-Di-Lens-Review.aspx) lens, a Canon 50mm f/1.8 (http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-50mm-f-1.8-II-Lens-Review.aspx) lens, and a Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 (http://www.tamron.com/lenses/prod/70300_di_a017.asp) lens and some different filters (CPL, ND Grad, 4xND) to enhance certain types of my photography.
I'm becoming an active member of the forums, where I've learned a great deal about photography, and drooled quite a bit at some of the amazing images that people take (and at the amazing equipment that they use to take them!)



I love reading through these forums, and I've learned so much from these forums it amazes me! Cheers, and thanks to Pekka for hosting these forums. I'm planning on donating as often as I can once I graduate college and get a "real job" :p

[mrbez]

Hi Guys,

My name is Craig, I'm 20 years old and I currently live in Manchester, UK.

I used to be into Web & Graphic Design when I was younger, therefore I blame that for my creative side! I say "blame" as I assume that this could be a very expensive hobby!

I have no experience in Photography, however, I decided to jump in at the deep end and purchased myself a Canon 400D with 18/55 Kit Lense last Thursday. I am led to believe that this is the same as a Rebel XTi?

So far, I have been reading around the forums and practicing with my camera. I look forward to spending more time here, learning loads and sharing my pictures as I go along!

Regards,

Craig.

[donlavange]

Hi Guys,

My name is Craig, I'm 20 years old and I currently live in Manchester, UK.

I used to be into Web & Graphic Design when I was younger, therefore I blame that for my creative side! I say "blame" as I assume that this could be a very expensive hobby!

I have no experience in Photography, however, I decided to jump in at the deep end and purchased myself a Canon 400D with 18/55 Kit Lense last Thursday. I am led to believe that this is the same as a Rebel XTi?

So far, I have been reading around the forums and practicing with my camera. I look forward to spending more time here, learning loads and sharing my pictures as I go along!

Regards,

Craig.

Welcome Craig!

[Chris Dana]

I've been posting a little bit for the last few months, but never saw this thread.

Hi, my name is Chris, and I'm addicted to buying photographic gear...

I'm a plant biochemist/geneticist doing a post doc at Michigan State University. Born and bred Virginian transplanted up here for work. Started out with a Pentax MV-R, took some time off from photography while finishing my dissertation. Thanks to a generous refund check and a wife who didn't know what she was getting into, I got back into photography earlier this year with a Rebel XTi and kit lens (will be replaced tomorrow with an EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS).

The gear list is getting longer as each month goes by (again, to the dismay of my wife), but she figures I'll be able to do photography of our kids when they come along (just have to convince her that a couple more L lenses are required for this) as well as doing the same for our friends' children.

The cats, however, go running whenever a new box arrives with camera gear in it. With the winter gray setting in, that's about all I have to pester with the camera.

[TooManyHobbies]

Hi, my name is Chris, and I'm addicted to buying photographic gear...



I know how your feel. Sometimes I think I need professional help. I don't even have the time to take advantage of all I have. I'm getting more next month too.

BTW Wecome to POTN.

[TAT]

I've lived in quite a few places along the east coast (US) from North Carolina to Maine. I currently live in the Bangor, Maine area.

I'm not really a Mainah, just a transplant. You see, one has to be born here to be a Mainah. And, it's better if you can go back a few (5 or more) generations.

I am an engineer by training, but my real passion is the outdoors. Someday, I hope to be capable of capturing some of things I see as well as some of the people here!

I have been lurking here for a few years and know this is a great place to learn everything from equipment to techniques to style.

I use a Canon G7.

MaineTrek.com

[donlavange]

I've lived in quite a few places along the east coast (US) from North Carolina to Maine. I currently live in the Bangor, Maine area.

I'm not really a Mainah, just a transplant. You see, one has to be born here to be a Mainah. And, it's better if you can go back a few (5 or more) generations.

I am an engineer by training, but my real passion is the outdoors. Someday, I hope to be capable of capturing some of things I see as well as some of the people here!

I have been lurking here for a few years and know this is a great place to learn everything from equipment to techniques to style.

I use a Canon G7.

MaineTrek.com

Ayah! I go ta maine wunsinawhile ta vist my dotter and snap sum oics. See ya sumteime

[daleftw]

Been on here for a little while, just found this thread when I did a search for something unrelated.

Anyway, I'm Dale and I'm 22, from Brisbane in Australia. Bought my 400D a bit less than a month ago, love it. Got the twin lens kit (even though I shortly learned I should've bought body only or the 18-75 lens but meh). Bought myself a nifty fifty, and it appears that the Sigma 17-70 is the next on my list.

Blowing tons of money on this already and I don't even earn much as I'm a student! haha.

[racinstylez]

Wassup,

My name is Andy and im from Houston, Texas. Im 23, and just got into photography about 6 months ago. I am using a Canon 400D with the EF-S18-55mm and 70-200mm lenses. I feel like ive already outgrown my kit lenses so I have a EF-S 10-22mm and EF 17-40L on order. I cant wait to get these new lenses in and try them out. I hope this forum will help me to become a better photographer.

[photogirl07]

Hi! I'm a 20 somthing year old blonde who stumbled upon this forum.
Since I accidently came acrossed this site I've spent....lets just say too much time on here!
I live in the countryside of Western Washington. (We call it Gods country!)
I'm a musician.
I've played piano for about 11 years, and I've sang since I could talk!
I work for my father as the Marketing Manager for his business.
I show horses on the local and national level.
I've been interested in photography for about 6 years, but only started to pursue it seriously this past year.
I'm taking a correspondance course online to learn all the basics.
After I finish this course I would love to intern with a professional to get some hands on wisdom!
That's all!
:D

[donlavange]

Hi! I'm a 20 somthing year old blonde who stumbled upon this forum.
Since I accidently came acrossed this site I've spent....lets just say too much time on here!
I live in the countryside of Western Washington. (We call it Gods country!)
I'm a musician.
I've played piano for about 11 years, and I've sang since I could talk!
I work for my father as the Marketing Manager for his business.
I show horses on the local and national level.
I've been interested in photography for about 6 years, but only started to pursue it seriously this past year.
I'm taking a correspondance course online to learn all the basics.
After I finish this course I would love to intern with a professional to get some hands on wisdom!
That's all!
:D

Welcome and the best of luck to you. You will find a great group of folks here ready and willing to help you in your photographic interests.

Don

[crew of 9]

Hi everyone!
My name is Sharlene, 36 yrs old. I've lurked and learned a ton... now I need to get some guts and post! hehehe
I've always been interested in photography- (Dad has worked in the mag business my whole life)... well, dh bought me the 20D 2 years ago and I am now obsessed! I have the 24-105, the 85 1.8 and the 28 1.8... I want the 100-400, 70-200 2.8 and something wide-haven't decided yet, and of course another body or two :D
Other interests...sports, anything outdoors- one of my dreams is to be on a Search and Rescue team, trucks, my 7 kids (yeah, you read that right:lol:)-

anyway- hope to get to know you better!

[SlowBlink]

Not my first post but I finally found the thread. Hi Guys/Ladies, my names Rob. I'm late 40's and live in Vancouver BC. I shoot mainly Nature stuff but am getting into indoor and macro so I'm here to read...allot. I'm glad I stumbled across this forum because I've never seen so much great info on one BB.

Rob

[randy98mtu]

Hey all. I just found this forum today looking for info on flash photography. I have been shooting with Canon digital P&S for a few years (S400, SD700IS) and a few months ago I bought a 40D. I initially got the kit, but the body was giving me errors all the time. I went back to Best Buy and they didn't have anymore, so the girl returned it for me so I wouldn't get stuck with it if someone else wasn't as helpful. After using the 28-135, I was a bit frustrated and wanted something a bit wider. I then ordered it from B&H with the 17-85 IS. I've been very happy with it and I'm definitely hooked. I recently got the 50 f/1.4 for myself as my Christmas present. I bought the camera because I love taking pictures and my wife and I booked a cruise next year through the Panama Canal and I want to do it justice. My next purchase will likely be the 70-300 IS, but I'm also looking at the 70-200 f/4 or renting a 100-400 for the trip.

Looking forward to hanging out with other photographers and learning from you all!

Oh yeah, and I've got a lot of pics posted at www.pbase.com/randy98mtu. Please take a look and let me know what you think!

[Brandon_H]

I'm new to the forum and relatively new to the photography industry. I just picked up a Canon Rebel XTi last week mainly for occasional business use as well as personal. I run a small design studio and several times have had a need to take photos at a client's location or of something very specific and I've always been a fan of photography so I figured I would make the move to purchase an SLR to start me out.

My main reason for joining the forum is to hopefully learn a few things and meet some great people. I will no doubt ask numerous questions that may make no sense but be gentle because I'm new. :)

[donlavange]

Hey all. I just found this forum today looking for info on flash photography. I have been shooting with Canon digital P&S for a few years (S400, SD700IS) and a few months ago I bought a 40D. I initially got the kit, but the body was giving me errors all the time. I went back to Best Buy and they didn't have anymore, so the girl returned it for me so I wouldn't get stuck with it if someone else wasn't as helpful. After using the 28-135, I was a bit frustrated and wanted something a bit wider. I then ordered it from B&H with the 17-85 IS. I've been very happy with it and I'm definitely hooked. I recently got the 50 f/1.4 for myself as my Christmas present. I bought the camera because I love taking pictures and my wife and I booked a cruise next year through the Panama Canal and I want to do it justice. My next purchase will likely be the 70-300 IS, but I'm also looking at the 70-200 f/4 or renting a 100-400 for the trip.

Looking forward to hanging out with other photographers and learning from you all!

Oh yeah, and I've got a lot of pics posted at www.pbase.com/randy98mtu. Please take a look and let me know what you think!

Ahh! The B & H addiction has begun! B & H should be a controlled substance! LOL Best of lucK!

[donlavange]

I'm new to the forum and relatively new to the photography industry. I just picked up a Canon Rebel XTi last week mainly for occasional business use as well as personal. I run a small design studio and several times have had a need to take photos at a client's location or of something very specific and I've always been a fan of photography so I figured I would make the move to purchase an SLR to start me out.

My main reason for joining the forum is to hopefully learn a few things and meet some great people. I will no doubt ask numerous questions that may make no sense but be gentle because I'm new. :)

You will find many people here with experience in all aspects of Photography that will give you the benefit of that experience. Best of luck to you!

[donlavange]

Hi everyone!
My name is Sharlene, 36 yrs old. I've lurked and learned a ton... now I need to get some guts and post! hehehe
I've always been interested in photography- (Dad has worked in the mag business my whole life)... well, dh bought me the 20D 2 years ago and I am now obsessed! I have the 24-105, the 85 1.8 and the 28 1.8... I want the 100-400, 70-200 2.8 and something wide-haven't decided yet, and of course another body or two :D
Other interests...sports, anything outdoors- one of my dreams is to be on a Search and Rescue team, trucks, my 7 kids (yeah, you read that right:lol:)-

anyway- hope to get to know you better!

Don't you just love the 85? Welcome,

[KYmom]

Just found this thread and thought I would properly introduce myself. Live in Kentucky.
I dabbled in Photography in high school. Photographer on the year book staff for 3 years. Loved doing cropping and layouts. Graduated high school in 77 and picked up photography again in 81 when I bought a Canon AE-1, which I still have to this day and was using. Did several portfolios for friends who modeled and a wedding or two (for free) but made them hire real photographers and I did my own thing and gave to them as a gift. I didn't want that responsbilty since I had only 1 camera.
Husband bought me my first digital for Christmas this year a Rebel XTI which I am having a ball learning how to use. Looking forward to learning what raw is all about and getting a photoshop program and redoing some old family photo's. I bought hubby a scanner/printer for christmas so I could use. LOL . . .
Looking forward to summer so I can take lot's of pictures out on the river of the wildlife and boats.
Please C & C on all my photo's so I can learn please.

[Mark_Cohran]

Hi! I'm a 20 somthing year old blonde who stumbled upon this forum.
Since I accidently came acrossed this site I've spent....lets just say too much time on here!
I live in the countryside of Western Washington.
:D

Well, you'll have to join us for a POTN Member meet come spring or summer. Great way to meet other photographers and POTN members in your area. PM if you want details.

[Furf]

My name is Chris. I am a 21 yr old who needs a hobby. I work as a cellphone store manager. I have a great home life with My girlfriend and a baby on the way. I have sugar gliders and a Hahns macaw. Who I love dearly.

Well I recently purchased a d30. I went by the local Pawn shop. They told me this was a 10d when I called. So I went to check it out this is what i ended up coming home with for $175.

So i figured that was a great starter camera. I have learned a lot form this fourm and I really like the people here you are all a little nutty but great fun.

[Minhie]

hehe what a dead-ish thread.

Hey all, im Minhie
Just turned 21, and im from the Netherlands.
Ive always been fascinated by photography but instead of being behind of the carmera i used to be infront of it. But now i want to shoot myself, so here i am mostly reading.. Dont even own a camera yet, but planning on getting the canon 400d with the kitlens. And see how it goes + work my way from there. :D

[bumbleboo]

Hi :D All I am ther first from Essex In the Uk...I have just joined today......so i can make new friends hopefully local to me into photography......as i am just getting back into it now i have my 400d that i brought a couple of weeks ago..........have never owened a slr or dslr before, so it is all a whole new learning curve........as it was always compact zooms like olympus 35mm before which i still have and will keep for my backup at the moment .........and was also the other side of the camera in my heyday.......lol........havent really been into my photography for about 15 years as i have a disabled son ......so been busy with all that for years.....but now he's getting older it was time to do something for me again hence my camera.....lol.........when i was into my photography many years ago i was into anythng and everything, so am really looking forward to making the most out of my camera and really getting back into it hopefully being able to get out a few times a week .........my son is well happy as i have let him have my kodak dx3900 so he has been taking hundreds and hundreds of photos.......mainly of his arm or his leg or trains but its keeping him very happy......there is one great one that he took which shows imagination and creativity mind, so who knows maybe my son will start getting into photography ...he was always interested in himself with the camcorder....lol.... anyway it will be nice, chatting and getting to meet people locally hopefully, and hopefully getting help when needed with queries and questions........by for now and hello to all....:lol:

[Zeanana]

Hey :c)

My name's Giovanna. Michael1116 (Michael Thomas) was so nice as to invite me to this forum - he had found me (and my questions) on FlickR and I have to thank him for bringing me here :D

It's a pleasure virtually meeting all of you.

I am now 27 years old, born on a pretty warm 3rd of June - which means, I'm a summer child, I REALLY don't like winters and I freeze more easily than any camera one could possibly think of putting in my hands.
Heck, I start to thaw just around 25°C ;c) Any cooler than this and I'm a walking icicle, constantly complaining about the cold... Teehee...

I actually got my first camera when I was 13 from my 2nd Godmother for Confirmation. It was one of those old Casette ones, that you had to push together to move the filmroll forward. Not a 35mm filmroll, but much, much smaller - I even forgot what it was called. It worked for me for a couple of years, before it finally broke down. There followed many years where photography did not hold any interest nor possibility for me and so for many, many years it was just forgotten... Unfortunately - but I had taken up drawing and painting and that seemed a nice alternaty back then.

When I was 20, I started to get slowly interested in photography again. First through being in front of friend's lenses, who wanted to try out new lightings, films, flashes, cameras, etc. ...
Talking with those people behind the cams about their cams slowly started to get me more and more interested into photography myself and 2003, just before I went to the USA I got myself a FujiFinepix. One of the old ones, with just 2 MP. Sufficient to say the least.

Unfortunately it broke a year later, when I fell on it on a hike - why did no one tell me, that those cameras aren't safety nets???
There followed almost a full year before I received a Canon PowerShot A95 for Christmas - Boy, from that moment on, Canon had me hooked!

Compared to my Fuji, the pictures were another step clearer, I had more functions to play with, I actually started to LEARN what I was doing with the camera.
In Summer 2005 I spent 4 whole weeks with different photographers in the United States. All of them taught me what I know and more. They were awesome in their patience!

Alas, me and more photography should not be though, as when I had to return to Europe in Fall 2005, the camera took some last, gorgeous shots on the Danube River in Vienna, before the display broke so badly, that not even shotting was possible anymore.
Shame on that but .. oh well :c( ...

Unfortunately I was far from the financial position to be able to buy any new camera and so - once again my hobby got buried with grief.
Early 2006 I had managed to save 200 Bucks and got myself an analogue film camera: Canon EOS 33 and a Sigma 28-135mm Aspherical Macro.
That one was and still is "my baby" - in addition, a friend of mine made me the most thrilling gift I never expected: He gave me his Canon T90 with 6 lenses.

Now I got started. Within the past 2 years, I spent heaps of time on film photography. Shooting whenever, wherever, spening fortunes on developing (the last 15 rolls would have cost me 680 € if I had had the store burn them on DVD - I went for plain development and paid 350 €).

The results of my filmfotography btw can be seen at http://www.redbubble.com/people/zeanana/art

A few of those pictures on there also were shot with a digital EOS 10D. One of the few times, I had the pleasure of shooting DSLR.
I got hooked on the 10-20-30D series and this birthday, I actually got a 40D ... Oh joy!!! Today it got shipped to a friend's house! I will have it on July 24th at the latest!!! I even started reading the manual already :P ... By the time it will arrive, I will know the thing in theory up and down but I bet I won't be able to press the shutter correctly in practice ;) => All Thumbs :P

I SOOOOOOOO can't wait!!! :D
WHOOOHOOO *grin*

*cough* RIght.. there went my dignity right out the door... If you actually stuck with me reading through all this, I have to thank you - I tend to type just as much as I talk :P ... Most of the time, just too much!

To sum it up short: I am looking forward learning from, with and for you guysngals, I am looking forward to sharing what little knowledge I possess (which truly is NOT a lot), and increasing my own knowledge.

Well :D
I am looking forward to learning and hearing from you people,

Best Wishes from Vienna!

Giovanna

[Wazza]

That's a nice long introduction, Giovanna. Early June birthday also, however I was born in NZ (winter time), whilst my British parents were on holiday there.


I plan on travelling back to England sometime soon, however that's still just talk, and really need to plan it better. Travelling Europe would be awesome. Also a safari tour through Africa with a 500mm f4 would be a dream.. If anyone wants to lend me their lens.. They're more than welcome to. ;)[/url]

Interesting reading back on almost 3 years ago.
Well I made it to London, been here a year now, and still have yet to travel rest of Europe and Africa with a 500mm f4L, but still planning on it. :cool:

[donlavange]

Hey :c)

My name's Giovanna. Michael1116 (Michael Thomas) was so nice as to invite me to this forum - he had found me (and my questions) on FlickR and I have to thank him for bringing me here :D

It's a pleasure virtually meeting all of you.

I am now 27 years old, born on a pretty warm 3rd of June - which means, I'm a summer child, I REALLY don't like winters and I freeze more easily than any camera one could possibly think of putting in my hands.
Heck, I start to thaw just around 25°C ;c) Any cooler than this and I'm a walking icicle, constantly complaining about the cold... Teehee...

I actually got my first camera when I was 13 from my 2nd Godmother for Confirmation. It was one of those old Casette ones, that you had to push together to move the filmroll forward. Not a 35mm filmroll, but much, much smaller - I even forgot what it was called. It worked for me for a couple of years, before it finally broke down. There followed many years where photography did not hold any interest nor possibility for me and so for many, many years it was just forgotten... Unfortunately - but I had taken up drawing and painting and that seemed a nice alternaty back then.

When I was 20, I started to get slowly interested in photography again. First through being in front of friend's lenses, who wanted to try out new lightings, films, flashes, cameras, etc. ...
Talking with those people behind the cams about their cams slowly started to get me more and more interested into photography myself and 2003, just before I went to the USA I got myself a FujiFinepix. One of the old ones, with just 2 MP. Sufficient to say the least.

Unfortunately it broke a year later, when I fell on it on a hike - why did no one tell me, that those cameras aren't safety nets???
There followed almost a full year before I received a Canon PowerShot A95 for Christmas - Boy, from that moment on, Canon had me hooked!

Compared to my Fuji, the pictures were another step clearer, I had more functions to play with, I actually started to LEARN what I was doing with the camera.
In Summer 2005 I spent 4 whole weeks with different photographers in the United States. All of them taught me what I know and more. They were awesome in their patience!

Alas, me and more photography should not be though, as when I had to return to Europe in Fall 2005, the camera took some last, gorgeous shots on the Danube River in Vienna, before the display broke so badly, that not even shotting was possible anymore.
Shame on that but .. oh well :c( ...

Unfortunately I was far from the financial position to be able to buy any new camera and so - once again my hobby got buried with grief.
Early 2006 I had managed to save 200 Bucks and got myself an analogue film camera: Canon EOS 33 and a Sigma 28-135mm Aspherical Macro.
That one was and still is "my baby" - in addition, a friend of mine made me the most thrilling gift I never expected: He gave me his Canon T90 with 6 lenses.

Now I got started. Within the past 2 years, I spent heaps of time on film photography. Shooting whenever, wherever, spening fortunes on developing (the last 15 rolls would have cost me 680 € if I had had the store burn them on DVD - I went for plain development and paid 350 €).

The results of my filmfotography btw can be seen at http://www.redbubble.com/people/zeanana/art

A few of those pictures on there also were shot with a digital EOS 10D. One of the few times, I had the pleasure of shooting DSLR.
I got hooked on the 10-20-30D series and this birthday, I actually got a 40D ... Oh joy!!! Today it got shipped to a friend's house! I will have it on July 24th at the latest!!! I even started reading the manual already :P ... By the time it will arrive, I will know the thing in theory up and down but I bet I won't be able to press the shutter correctly in practice ;) => All Thumbs :P

I SOOOOOOOO can't wait!!! :D
WHOOOHOOO *grin*

*cough* RIght.. there went my dignity right out the door... If you actually stuck with me reading through all this, I have to thank you - I tend to type just as much as I talk :P ... Most of the time, just too much!

To sum it up short: I am looking forward learning from, with and for you guysngals, I am looking forward to sharing what little knowledge I possess (which truly is NOT a lot), and increasing my own knowledge.

Well :D
I am looking forward to learning and hearing from you people,

Best Wishes from Vienna!

Giovanna
Nice story! Enjoyed reading it. However, we are all (no really, just me) wondering why you have to wait for that great 40D?

My Granddaughter has a new 40D and She loves it and shoots daily :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jessicatphotography

Best of luck with yours!

[Zeanana]

The reason for having to wait is easy:

I am sitting in Austria, the camera will be brought home from a friend of mine who works in the US and will be visiting Austria end of July ...
Which means, even though I own it and even though it is mine - it is still at his hands and I will patiently have to wait for him to come home ... *laughs* He'll not be too thrilled knowing, that I will eagerly wait for him not for his sake, but for the camera's sake ;) jkg...

[speedypalomino]

Well,,, I guess its my turn... While lurking for a couple years after the purchase of my XT,,, and actually becoming a member a couple months back after the purchase of my 40D, its time to give my story...
My name is Bear,, (a nickname I picked up in the early 80's while in the Marine Corps)
I started with one of those bright yellow waterproof sureshots back in the mid 80's,,,, that camera met its end when my wife backed over it and my scuba gear in the driveway,,,, (she was late for a nail appointment) :0/...
then it was just disposables up until a couple years ago when I got the bug and bought the Rebel XT... And now with my new mid-life crisis I just had to have the 40D!!!
I've done alot of reading and searching through the posts and have found great answers to all my questions. This place is a wealth of info that has no match anywhere on the web!!!!
so now I need to get busy and get that duck shot posted,, I live in the Pacific Northwest so there are ducks everywhere.. Just need a new laptop and I'm there,,, this worthless iPhone doesn't quite cut it!!! :0)


Thanks!!!
Bear

[vgk1nka1dx]

I can't believe that I have not found this thread, until now. Well, hello all. My real name is Aaron I'm 27 years old. I was born in Detroit, MI, stayed there for 7 years and moved to a near by city named Warren, MI. I currently reside in Mt Clemens, MI. I recently got into photography when I seen that my fiance's dad had a DSLR. It was a Nikon but it had me much more intrigued than my P&S that I decided to research some DLSR's and find a decent one to fit me and my pockets. I decided to go with the Rebel XTi (400D) considering my (lack of)knowledge about photography and available money. I've had it now for about three months and enjoy it very much. I'm learning everyday thanks to you guys/gals on POTN. I just hope that one day I can be of as much help as you all have been to me.

[Alexei TND]

My name is Alexei Kozachenko, im 19 years odl and i currently live in Switzerland
Ive always been interested in visual arts and photography along with Digital art.
Recently ive gotten more into photography than before.
Upgraded from my EOS 350D to a 40D with a few lenses to get me started.
Would appreciate any tis and suggestions as im still quite new to the more serious and higher level of Photography.

Best regards

[kasper27f]

Hi my name is Amanda born in 78 . Im a DSPC I take care of people with mental disabilties that have sever aggression and behaviors . I became interested in Photography about 4 years ago but have not really gotten serious about improvement until this year . I still use a P S but in manual mode atleast ;o) .. I live in Maine which has alot of beauty to be captured so when im out and about with free time to the coast i go ;o) . I was referred to this site by a friend who i havent talk to in years and seen my photos they said i would learn alot and seeing that i have potential i should join . So here i am and yes this site is very addicting lol ..

[sidx001]

Like the above, I can't believe I just found this thread either! I'm James Smith from Springfield, MO and I am a Business Process Management consultant during the day, at least until next year, I hope! I started shooting pictures when I was 8 years old with a kodak 240 and my first real camera was a Yashika 35mm that I got from a pawn shop when I was 13. My first digital was a Sony Mavica FD97 and I shot with that for 5 years before finally moving to a 30D 13 months ago. That camera is now a backup to my 40D and my small assortment of lenses.

I found this site totally by accident and am I grateful! I have learned a lot just by reading here and am excited to be part of this community!

Cheers!

[MaillerPhong]

I'm Jeff, 24 years old (had to think about that one...early onset Alzheimer's?), recently got my master's degree in Glass Science. I now work & live in Pittsburgh, living with my wonderful girlfriend.

My mom was a semi-pro photographer, so I was around cameras from a young age, though only got into doing it in the last few years. Got an S3 IS a couple years ago and got more earnest about it. I've mostly done photos involving my gf, with some landscape thrown in. I'd like to think that I'm now making photos at the capabilities of the S3.

I ordered a 40D earlier in the week, along with some extra doodads, so I'm looking forward to seeing how the fancier gear helps me. I expect I'll have lots of questions about it that could easily be solved by reading the manual. ;)

Jeff

[3Turner]

Welcome Jeff. Your degree in Glass Science is that for making glass products like globes and art....or a Photog degree?

[MaillerPhong]

Welcome Jeff. Your degree in Glass Science is that for making glass products like globes and art....or a Photog degree?

It's engineering - my master's thesis was on strengthening thin glass substrates (think faceplates for cell phones), and now I'm working at a company that makes colored technical glassware. My university also has a large art program, but unfortunately I didn't get a chance to take any art classes.

[3Turner]

Ah, okay. Making glass at the kilns would make for some great photo opportunities. ;)

[CrazieCricket]

Ok here goes my short intro. I was looking for the thread about how taking a duck photo with new gear started, and stumbled across this thread. So, my name is Paula, CrazieCricket is my dog (avatar pic). I'm 41, married, two kids (20 & 17). Started out young loving to take pictures. My first husband & I bought a Nikon and of course he took it when we divorced.:evil: I didn't have the $$ to buy even the cheapest of cameras after that so have been cameraless until just a few weeks ago. Came into some $$ and got back into this hobby in a big way. Bought lots of stuff all at once, which probibly isn't a good idea.:oops: But, I knew if I went slow that the $$$ would dissappear into other things such as house repair ( and thats no fun). So I just jumped in with both feet. My aunt has a xti and I really liked it, was planning on getting the xsi. Then, you guessed it, I found this forum and decided to go for the 40D and of course several lenses and other necessities. Several thousand dollars later and no clue what I'm doing :confused:but very happy doing it! Now I still have to find some ducks and take at the very least 5 photos to cover my new gear.:D Thats my story everyone, and I'm very happy to have found such a great group of people to learn from.

[donlavange]

Ok here goes my short intro. I was looking for the thread about how taking a duck photo with new gear started, and stumbled across this thread. So, my name is Paula, CrazieCricket is my dog (avatar pic). I'm 41, married, two kids (20 & 17). Started out young loving to take pictures. My first husband & I bought a Nikon and of course he took it when we divorced.:evil: I didn't have the $$ to buy even the cheapest of cameras after that so have been cameraless until just a few weeks ago. Came into some $$ and got back into this hobby in a big way. Bought lots of stuff all at once, which probibly isn't a good idea.:oops: But, I knew if I went slow that the $$$ would dissappear into other things such as house repair ( and thats no fun). So I just jumped in with both feet. My aunt has a xti and I really liked it, was planning on getting the xsi. Then, you guessed it, I found this forum and decided to go for the 40D and of course several lenses and other necessities. Several thousand dollars later and no clue what I'm doing :confused:but very happy doing it! Now I still have to find some ducks and take at the very least 5 photos to cover my new gear.:D Thats my story everyone, and I'm very happy to have found such a great group of people to learn from.

Welcome, You are starting with some great gear. The 40D combined with the 100-400 is a killer combo for all birds, not just ducks.

[ChrisGSi16v]

Opps never saw this when i joined up. I'm Chris, 23 from the isle of wight work in a local press printing factory. I'm shooting a 350D with 18-55 mm kit lens and some old chinon 35, 55and 200 prime mf. I mainly shoot landscapes and sports

[slint]

New member and new Canon owner (5D) here. I still shoot Nikon as well, and am from Chicago.

[KayakPhotos]

Hey everyone. My name is Daniel and I live in Springfield, MO. I am 24 years old, married, and have a son who is 13 months old. I am a full-time college student at Missouri State University majoring in Social Work. I work part-time at Starbucks to make my way through school and have been in the Missouri National Guard for six years. I recently took up photography as a hobby and shoot with a Canon EOS 40D. I am hoping to maybe sell some of my work later on the side, but if photography remains just a hobby then that is fine with me too. My main interest right now is with wildlife photography, and using photography to promote awareness for varying social situations.

[Dan AU]

Hi There,

My name is Dan . Living in Lake Cathie, NSW, Australia.

IT Worker in Govt Health System

Married.

Have a Canon PowerShot G5 and Pentax Optio W30(waterproof) for when I go kayak fishing, previously lost a kodak camera in the drink.

Just bought a Canon 450D Twin IS Lens kit today as I really want to get into more photography now that I live on the East Coast and when I take the boat out there are some nice photographs to be had.

I am not allowed to touch it until Chrissy ARGH!, it will be wrapped and left under the tree to taunt me.

Dan

http://www.eos-forums.com/Themes/babylon/images/icons/modify_inline.gif

[816_Studios_Inc]

Hey everyone ... my name is Brian, I am 33 yrs old and live in Blue Springs, MO (just east of downtown Kansas City). I am married (we both like to shoot), and have a 10 year old son. I just got into photography about 6 months ago when I bought my Canon XSi, and it seems to be something that continually generates more and more interest for me.

I do a lot of things outdoors, fishing, boating, target shooting, golf, sportbikes, etc, and live very close to some really beautiful lakes and state parks, which I think prompted me to get into photography. You can only be out on the boat fishing at sunrise or sunset so many times before you realize the photographic potential all around you.

On the flip side of that, I have recently just made a purchase of studio lighting to do more indoor shooting. We have a couple birds, large and small parrots, rottweillers, etc that we can practice on, but hope to be shooting portraits as a profession someday. Currently I am in the IT field, network security, and although it's a great line of work, it's about as much fun as it sounds.

That's me in a nutshell.

[cloudbusting]

Hey,
I came across this forum while looking up what EOS stood for. I received a Rebel XS Kit for Christmas and would like to learn all the camera terms. I've always been into photography but just for fun, before this camera I had a Canon Power Shot, and just gave it to my son. I took some pretty good shots with that one, so can't wait till the weather gets better and I can get out there to try my new camera out. I love nature, and taking pictures of anything in the woods, mostly mushrooms.
One of my biggest regrets is this Chanterelle season I was out picking mushrooms and went to cut a nice sized one and for some reason looked under and there I saw these huge eyes which belonged to a baby salamander. I think about how I should have had my camera and what a beautiful picture that would have made, I could have blown it up a bit and framed it for my son, oh well.. Never leave your camera at home, this is the lesson I've learned.
Anyhoo about me I'm in my late 20's already! have been married now for 10 years and have a 11 year old wonderful son, I work seasonal jobs luckily when I want to. Am very much into learning more about photography and look forward to reading more on this very busy forum.
Oh I'm from Washington State.

[jailcop]

My name is Kevin, my screen name “jailcop” refers to my profession I’m a Corrections Officer. My hobbies are motorcycles, I currently own a 2008 Kawasaki Concourse 1400 and of course photography that’s why I’m here. I live in Eastern Pennsylvania and have 3 children, my youngest (he’s 13) has Leukemia but that’s another story. I have always been into photography to some degree or another ever since I was 15, I’m 48 now. I got my first SLR back in the early 80’s it’s a Fuji AX3 and still have it. After that I had numerous 35mm point and shoot cameras’ mostly Canon. I got my first digital camera about 8 years ago and never looked at film cameras again. I loved the instant gratification of shooting and seeing what you did right away. All my digital cameras were Kodak point and shoots but I missed the ability to “play” with the camera and the shot. About 4 years ago I got a Kodak P850 and I loved it because of the ability of being able to use the manual settings plus the large zoom. In fact still have it and use it often but I needed more. It was time for a DSLR and since a friend of mine is a Canon fan (and has a lot of equipment I can use) I also decided to go with Canon. My budget for the new camera was about $800, I was going to get the 450 with 2 kit lenses but decided on the 1000D with the 2 kit lenses mainly because it was cheaper, had a lot of the same features of the 450 but mostly because the money I saved allowed me to buy more stuff (camera bag, spare battery, UV filters and I’m in the process of ordering a 50mm lens). One thing I’ve learned looking around this site is I have a lot to learn and I’m looking forward to it. I haven’t taken to many shots with the new camera yet but I know there is a lot to learn about it to make shots look good. I know I can put it on full auto and get a decent shot but that’s not why I got this camera. Well that’s about all I have to say for now, time to start shooting and learning. Thanks.

[howaboutnow]

Hi everyone, Suzanne here from Calgary, Canada. I'm 23 years old, (24 in a couple of days but still 23 for now ;) and enjoy taking pictures of anything that captures my attention and interest using my Rebel XTI paired with my 17-85mm or 50mm.

I started getting into photography a few years back, but my b/f at the time was too and kind of took the fun out of it for me! (too much critism and thinking he was better) BUT NOW.... I have a much nicer guy (fiancee actually) who encourages me (but also tells me this hobby is way too expensive and to not take so long taking a picture when it's -30 degrees Celcius out) lol, and I seem to really enjoy it again :) I wish I could clone myself and be the photographer at our wedding *sigh* hehe.

I would like to take more photographs of people, kids, animals, etc. I always seem to be outdoors taking pictures, and would like to learn more about lighting and doing portrait pics and such.

At one point I was thinking of taking Photography at a local Art School but once I heard the cost I thought.... hmm maybe I'll keep it as a hobby instead and just learn as I go.

My next lens (remember my birthday is coming up *crosses fingers*) that I would love to have is the 55-250mm. Really need some zoom for particular outdoor shots!

For a living right now I'm a housecleaner, soon to be going back to school to take Dental Assisting, which is very exciting for me :)

Funny story: Last night around midnight I was feeling restless and thought "hey why don't I go for a little drive just outside the city to find some neat trees with frost on them"... So I hop in my car, find a great spot, figure I'll turn the car around... crank the wheel to the left, into reverse and forward again and then.. oops, my right front wheel sinks into a snow bank... "damn, I think think it was that deep"..... So yes, I am stuck lol I had to call my fiancee to get him to pull me out with a rope attached to his car... Wow, well that kind of ruined that idea. I drove home smelling my poor burnt clutch too, silly me. Oh well, maybe next time I"ll be smarter about judging deep snow on dirt roads. lol

So I'm also very much into cars, for a girl... I like to read about them, learn about them, do some minor work myself. Go to car shows in the summer time, etc. One day I will have my '66 Aqua Mustang with white interior... and you bet my "husband" will be using my Canon camera to take a pic of me posing with it! (and he'll still be complaining how "big and heavy" my DSLR is... lol in a jokingly way)

[TMCCaptured]

Gidday, My name is well TMCCaptured otherwise known to my my mum as laddie. Not much to say about me as I am brand new to Photography and loving it. In my past life I raced MX and DH MTB Professionally before being selected to Race BMX as a Pro.
Living back in NZ for the Time Being until I finish my Degree then heading back out on the circut as High Performance Coach and Photographer for the Sports I love so much.

I will be asking alot more questions than I will be able to answear but we all have to somewhere dont we? Well I hope to cross paths with each of you and make the time as enjoyable as poss.

Chat to you all soon

[PhotosGuy]

If you're from Michigan, there's another thread here:
How many from Michigan? (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=118688)

Drop in & say "Hi!"

[wehttam]

Matt Randles by name, Web developer by trade, Musician in spare time and just getting more into photography after dealing with more post processing.

Bought a Canon 20D in awesome condition, got an old 18-55mm Canon lens from a friend for free and bought a new Canon f1.8 50mm lens which i love. Also geared myself up with a load of other stuff, eyeing up a 70-200mm lens at the moment.

Expect my face to crop up with a load of questions, at the moment spending a lot of time reading and also searching the older, and very informative posts around here (hence registering).

Ciao for now

[ChristopherChen]

Hi Everyone!

My name is Christopher, from Singapore. I'm 27 years old working in banking here in Singapore. I'm relatively a newbie when it comes to DSLR photography. My dad introduced me to photography, he handed me down a film format Canon EOS1, custom made with his name engraved on the back in Canon Script! I looked pretty silly as a kid walking around with such a big kit hanging from my neck.

I recently got back in the game with the influence from my girlfriend. She was encouraged by me at first to upgrade to a DSLR...and it's taken her places since then, she's won a couple of local photo competitions like the Canon Photo Marathon. Eventually it rubbed off on me and I decided to get my very own DSLR.

I got myself a 40D sometime last year and I've been loving this passion of mine even more! It's great to have a loved one in the game too - We share lenses, which is quite a dollar saver!

I'm also a part time musician playing guitar in a local band here, I've been playing for more than 10 years now, it's the one thing which makes me happiest in life...other than my 40D ;)

Thanks for having such a great site, I learn something new everytime I drop in! :cool:

Christopher.

[J A Preston]

Hello everyone!

My name is Jeff Preston, I'm 42 years old, I've been married to my high school sweetheart for almost 23 years, and we have three daughters ages 20 Kristin, 16 Kaytlyn, and 12 Stephanie. Also can't forget my 5yr old Pit/German Shepherd/Boxer-mix pound puppy, Lexie . I've been into photography most of my life starting with an old Kodak 110 camera:lol:. Then I graduated to the Disc camera:lol::oops:, several Fuji P&S's, a Canon Elan II SLR, Mamiya 645 MF, and, finally, Canon DSLRs.

My DSLR gear started with a 10D, then 20D (still have it), and now a 40D. Currently, I'm lusting after a 5D mkII:D.

My other hobbies are spending quality time with all of my ladies, music (I play bass guitar), and traveling (we're heading to the Eastern Caribbean this Saturday:cool:).

Looking forward to learning from and contributing to this fine forum!

Later,

[Big G]

Hi Folks, another newbie. What a great site. Only been on a month. Picked up loads of good tips and also managed to bag myself some new (to me) gear via the Sell Section.

My wife must want me out of the house more as she is the one who encouraged me to get back in to photography.

[Arwen]

Hello!
I'm Arwen from Wales, UK. I've been a full time photographer for about 5 years now and still learning every day.
Outside of photography I love music, languages, and climbing mountains with my two border collies... who are the subject of a LOT of my photos!
I shoot with a Canon 5D (backup is a 40D) and have just added a 24-70 f.28 L lens to the collection, which I've fallen in love with immediately.
Looking forward to getting to know the forum and getting help with the many questions I have every day!
Arwen :cool:

[natesan81]

Hi everyone,
This is nat and joined this forum today, but I am a guest for this forum for a long time. I started my photography with my father's Yashica - film camera. And continued with Canon SD600, I am happy since there is no constraint in number of films and changing the film rolls often. Recently I found the limitation of the P&S camera, and always wanted to extend my Photography. On 2008 Christmas, I bought Canon 1000D with 18-55mm & 70-300mm Lenses.
Now started learning new techniques and taking few snaps... Hope I will learn a lot for you guys and take some better snaps..

[qckk]

hi all. I joined the forum a short while ago.

photography has been an interest of mine for about two years, but I only started to get into it as a hobby in november, when I got a rebel xti as a birthday gift. along with the kit lens, I have a 50mm f1.8, and hope to pick up a sigma 10-20mm sometime in the next few months.

cheers!

[Ruckus99ss]

I had my Nikon D40 with my lenses etc stolen from me so upgraded. I just ordered:
-Canon Eos 50D 15.1 MP Digital SLR camera with the 28-135mm lens kit
- Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon Eos cameras
-cleaning kit
-extra battery
-scandisk extreme III 8gig card
-Case Logic SLRC-4 SLR Camera & Laptop Backpack

I was between the 40D, 50D, D90, and D300. I was going to get the D300, but figured I'd spend the diff on a lens. I still want to purchase a Sigma 10-20mm lens. I shoot mostly cars and track photos, but looking to branch off
Few pics from my old set up (Nikon D40 with kit lens and 55-200mm nikon vr lens)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v731/ruckus46gt/jetsparked.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v731/ruckus46gt/launch-1-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v731/ruckus46gt/end-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v731/ruckus46gt/DSC_0136.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v731/ruckus46gt/DSC_0150.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v731/ruckus46gt/DSC_0164.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v731/ruckus46gt/DSC_0088-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v731/ruckus46gt/DSC_0097.jpg

[LostSheep01]

Hey my name is Ryan, I am brand new to photography. I received the Rebel XSI for Xmas. A buddy from another forum suggested this site. So here I am to learn what ever I can.

[maxx9photo]

Hi everyone! I just join POTN and I see that this site dedicated to Canon users most likely and I just got myself a 5D so am happy to be among Canon shooters!.