FlipsidE
10th of March 2005 (Thu), 14:33
Opening Thoughts
As I sit down to write my 1K post on here, I reflect on all the time I've spent on this board. I signed up in early October, and I have been doing pretty much anything I can to learn about this new hobby ever since. I couldn't think of a better place to have learned and networked with so many great peple. Just as forewarning, get ready for a lengthy read. I always make a big todo about the big milestones reached on message boards :).
Introduction
So, who is FlipsidE you may ask? Well, my name (as a lot of you already know I'm sure) is Brandt Culbertson. I'm 28 years old, live in upstate South Carolina, and I'm a hardcore video gamer at heart. While I absolutely LOVE photography, gaming is still my main hobby. I'm sure that would explain why I have become so practical about which photography equipment to buy. When trying to support two very expensive hobbies, you gotta make decisions on how to split up the money. I don't want to deny either :).
I'm also single and lovin it. While I do enjoy spending time with a beautiful woman, I find it better for me not to be tied down right now. And, lastly, while it is very stressful and can be very time consuming, I really do enjoy my "day job" as an IS/IT Contractor. So, hopefully, they'll keep me around for a while so that I can buy more photography gear :p .
The History
Well, I used to be a snapshot photographer back in the day. I didn't really get interested in photography until early on in college (probably around 1996 to 1997). I borrowed my dad's SLR and started snapping away. He had one lens...I never changed the lens. Back then, I had no idea what aperture was or what f-stops were. I just worked with what I had (in both knowledge and equipment). As time went on, other hobbies and responsibilities took precedent.
After I got out of college and on my own (2000), I spent a lot of time looking into digital P&S cams. I did research on them for probably a year. But, I couldn't ever bring myself to buy one simply because I'm just not a shapshot person anymore. Since I didn't feel like capturing events on film or on my computer, I didn't think I'd ever use a camera. So, I decided not to buy a camera at that time.
In late 2002, I found out that my sister was pregnant with her first child (my very first niece). I wasn't about to miss any part of her growing up. So, after a lot of research, I invested in a Canon PowerShot S30. I spent some time reading about it and learning the features, but never really learning photography. She was born in May 2003, and I was able to capture some great snapshots of her.
In late 2004, on another message board system I frequent, I saw someone post a picture of the 1Ds Mark II along with full resolution picture from the 1Ds MkII. I was wowed...completely floored by it. And, that sparked my interest again. I realized that I had payed $300 for a camera and really had no idea how to use it. So, I started asking around on those boards tryin to get information on where I could start learning about photography. One of the responses pointed me here...and well, the rest is history.
W/in a couple of days of joining here, I decided that, since I really wanted to learn this hobby, it was best that I get a good learning tool. So, I went to Best Buy and bought a Canon EOS Digital Rebel and started shooting away. Since then, I've considered quite a few different types of photography and have settled on a couple that I really enjoy.
The Present
As of right now, I do believe I've settled on the types of photography that I really want to focus on. I believe I want to go after Glamour/Fashion first with a secondary focus in Macro. Unfortunately, with a few other needs and wants out there, I find myself rather limited on photography equipment and therefore limited on what I can do with photography right now. So, over the next few months, I intend to try to stick around here and learn as much as I can by reading all the great advice you all give while saving up for some new gear to really get me moving in the right direction.
Shoutouts
First of all, I'd like to say that I really appreciate every bit of advice you all have given me over the past few months. W/out this message board, I would be so much worse off photography-wise. Who knows, I might have even sold my photography gear had it not been for you guys. I really appreciate it. So, without further ado, here are the shoutouts. Let me apologize in advance if I missed anyone.
Pekka- I gotta give my first shoutout to the person that makes this all possible. What can I say? W/out you, there would be no photography-on-the.net. I really appreciate all the hard work you have put in over the past few months to make sure that all of us have the best experience we can possibly have. New (and expensive) message board engine. New (and expensive) server. You've made it possible for myself and many others to have a place to come and learn from each other and allow us to take our art to the next level. Thanks so much!
To the Mods - I really appreciate all the hard work you guys do to keep this board clean for us. It's such a pleasure to come here and post. I know I won't have to worry about a mass of trolls or spammers that will just continuously take a topic in the wrong direction. I've seen that happen so many times on other message boards, and I appreciate that you all don't let it happen here. On top of that, I want to thank you all for being so willing to share your great knowledge with us.
To the Glamour Photographers - I must say that this board has been such an inspiration to me especially when it comes to Glamour photography. Seeing some of the amazingly unique and creative images you all have been able to create with great lighting, great technique, and great models has really inspired me to try my hand at your great art. So, here's to J.A.F. Doorhof, benvision, Bluelens, Doug Rowan, and esp. charlesu. I really appreciate all the guidance and opinions on my work so far as well as my future work. Being able to work with Charles was really a pleasure, and I hope to do it again soon int he future.
To everyone else - Thanks so much for making this place such an amazing place to post. You all have made my last five and a half months here a truly great experience. Thanks for all the photos you've posted, all the advice given, and for all the great times!
Thanks for stickin around for the read.
FlipsidE
As I sit down to write my 1K post on here, I reflect on all the time I've spent on this board. I signed up in early October, and I have been doing pretty much anything I can to learn about this new hobby ever since. I couldn't think of a better place to have learned and networked with so many great peple. Just as forewarning, get ready for a lengthy read. I always make a big todo about the big milestones reached on message boards :).
Introduction
So, who is FlipsidE you may ask? Well, my name (as a lot of you already know I'm sure) is Brandt Culbertson. I'm 28 years old, live in upstate South Carolina, and I'm a hardcore video gamer at heart. While I absolutely LOVE photography, gaming is still my main hobby. I'm sure that would explain why I have become so practical about which photography equipment to buy. When trying to support two very expensive hobbies, you gotta make decisions on how to split up the money. I don't want to deny either :).
I'm also single and lovin it. While I do enjoy spending time with a beautiful woman, I find it better for me not to be tied down right now. And, lastly, while it is very stressful and can be very time consuming, I really do enjoy my "day job" as an IS/IT Contractor. So, hopefully, they'll keep me around for a while so that I can buy more photography gear :p .
The History
Well, I used to be a snapshot photographer back in the day. I didn't really get interested in photography until early on in college (probably around 1996 to 1997). I borrowed my dad's SLR and started snapping away. He had one lens...I never changed the lens. Back then, I had no idea what aperture was or what f-stops were. I just worked with what I had (in both knowledge and equipment). As time went on, other hobbies and responsibilities took precedent.
After I got out of college and on my own (2000), I spent a lot of time looking into digital P&S cams. I did research on them for probably a year. But, I couldn't ever bring myself to buy one simply because I'm just not a shapshot person anymore. Since I didn't feel like capturing events on film or on my computer, I didn't think I'd ever use a camera. So, I decided not to buy a camera at that time.
In late 2002, I found out that my sister was pregnant with her first child (my very first niece). I wasn't about to miss any part of her growing up. So, after a lot of research, I invested in a Canon PowerShot S30. I spent some time reading about it and learning the features, but never really learning photography. She was born in May 2003, and I was able to capture some great snapshots of her.
In late 2004, on another message board system I frequent, I saw someone post a picture of the 1Ds Mark II along with full resolution picture from the 1Ds MkII. I was wowed...completely floored by it. And, that sparked my interest again. I realized that I had payed $300 for a camera and really had no idea how to use it. So, I started asking around on those boards tryin to get information on where I could start learning about photography. One of the responses pointed me here...and well, the rest is history.
W/in a couple of days of joining here, I decided that, since I really wanted to learn this hobby, it was best that I get a good learning tool. So, I went to Best Buy and bought a Canon EOS Digital Rebel and started shooting away. Since then, I've considered quite a few different types of photography and have settled on a couple that I really enjoy.
The Present
As of right now, I do believe I've settled on the types of photography that I really want to focus on. I believe I want to go after Glamour/Fashion first with a secondary focus in Macro. Unfortunately, with a few other needs and wants out there, I find myself rather limited on photography equipment and therefore limited on what I can do with photography right now. So, over the next few months, I intend to try to stick around here and learn as much as I can by reading all the great advice you all give while saving up for some new gear to really get me moving in the right direction.
Shoutouts
First of all, I'd like to say that I really appreciate every bit of advice you all have given me over the past few months. W/out this message board, I would be so much worse off photography-wise. Who knows, I might have even sold my photography gear had it not been for you guys. I really appreciate it. So, without further ado, here are the shoutouts. Let me apologize in advance if I missed anyone.
Pekka- I gotta give my first shoutout to the person that makes this all possible. What can I say? W/out you, there would be no photography-on-the.net. I really appreciate all the hard work you have put in over the past few months to make sure that all of us have the best experience we can possibly have. New (and expensive) message board engine. New (and expensive) server. You've made it possible for myself and many others to have a place to come and learn from each other and allow us to take our art to the next level. Thanks so much!
To the Mods - I really appreciate all the hard work you guys do to keep this board clean for us. It's such a pleasure to come here and post. I know I won't have to worry about a mass of trolls or spammers that will just continuously take a topic in the wrong direction. I've seen that happen so many times on other message boards, and I appreciate that you all don't let it happen here. On top of that, I want to thank you all for being so willing to share your great knowledge with us.
To the Glamour Photographers - I must say that this board has been such an inspiration to me especially when it comes to Glamour photography. Seeing some of the amazingly unique and creative images you all have been able to create with great lighting, great technique, and great models has really inspired me to try my hand at your great art. So, here's to J.A.F. Doorhof, benvision, Bluelens, Doug Rowan, and esp. charlesu. I really appreciate all the guidance and opinions on my work so far as well as my future work. Being able to work with Charles was really a pleasure, and I hope to do it again soon int he future.
To everyone else - Thanks so much for making this place such an amazing place to post. You all have made my last five and a half months here a truly great experience. Thanks for all the photos you've posted, all the advice given, and for all the great times!
Thanks for stickin around for the read.
FlipsidE