New to the forum..

[WendyW]

Hi everyone,

I just recently joined this forum and thought I’d say hello :)
I’m from The Netherlands and live in Amsterdam.

Furthermore, it might interest you to know that I’m a total NOOB at photography :D
My pictures do tend to be a little better than the average Tom, Dick and Harry with a mobile phone taking pictures at the zoo :D , so I guess I’m what you’d call a glorified snapshooter?

Basically at this point I’m the tool that holds the camera and keeps it from tilting over.
That camera being a 50D with a 24-105mm L IS lens.

We don’t have any real sky-scrapers here in Holland, nor do we have gorgeous canyons, pretty cliffs or impressive deserts or mountains ranges for me to test my camera (and my ‘skills’) on, but seeing as I’m a noob anyway that doesn’t matter much at this point ;)

We do however, have a lot of flat land (and I mean flat!), water, cows, windmills and…wait for it…ducks! here in Holland so I’m afraid I’ll be posting pictures of those whenever I gather enough courage to show my images.

So I really hope you all won’t mind me looking over your shoulders in order to learn from you incredibly talented people.
I’ve seen some amazing work here, pictures that left me gazing in awe at my monitor like a retard.
I have a lot to learn and I’m hoping you guys can help me on my way.

Thanks!
Wendy

PS: If I get too annoying you can always try to get rid of me by throwing some Lays chips in a corner.
Chances are it’ll distract me long enough for you to make a quick get-away :D

[-MasterChief-]

impressive gear for a glorified snapshooter!

welcome to POTN!!!

[neil_r]

Welcome, your siggy made me smile.

Dive in, post pics and have fun :-)

you have an interesting web site ;-)

[Vulcan58]

Goed avond Wendy - Nice set up.;)

Look forward to seeing some pics
You'll find good company here.:cool:

[WendyW]

Thanks everyone :)
I really appreciate the welcome and the feedback!

(and the visits to my silly website...God knows it needs the pageviews! :D)

I'm happy with the 50D as well as the lens, even though I'm nowhere near getting the good stuff out of both of them.
The combination is a bit big for my small hands though (and a bit on the heavy side, before this I used a 300), but I'm getting used to it.

I'm currently trying to save up for the 100-400mm L, but I'm a bit worried about it's weight and size. If it's indeed useable without a tripod, I'm afraid I'll need counter weights to keep me from toppling over!

Can anyone tell me their experiences with the 400? (or should I stop being lazy and search the forum for that? ;) )

[Flo]

Love your art work:D

[AxxisPhoto]

Welcome to the forums! Let's see some shots.:D

[neil_r]

The 100-400 is a great lens, It is very easy to hand hold, but possibly not for a long time if you are slight. A monopod will help. Many people make a big deal of the push pull zoom, but I love it. A really versatile lens can be a subtle as this..

http://www.ambrosiabbs.com/gallery/photo/medium/Mauritius_Jan_2009_NHR4890.jpg

or as bold as this

http://www.ambrosiabbs.com/gallery/photo/medium/BRSCC_Mallory_April_2009_NHR5727.jpg

http://www.ambrosiabbs.com/gallery/photo/medium/CSCC_Mallory_Park_May_2009_NHR8288.jpg

see if you can borrow or hire one fora couple of days and see how you get on

[Flo]

Neil, that Lotus shot is just perfectly stunning.

[WendyW]

See?
It's shots like those that make me go "no way I'm going to post any of my crappy shots here"
Those are gorgeous, especially the flower!

Now I want that lens even more. I think I'll look into your advice Neil and see if I can hire one for a weekend and see what I make of it.

And Flo, thanks for the compliments about my art.
Maybe I should just stick to that :D ;)