Welcome, tell us a little about yourself.

[Mark T]

This thread is dedicated to nothing more than giving members a chance to tell others a little about ourselves.

So, I’d better start the ball rolling…

[Mark T]

Hi there!

My name is Mark.

I’m from Adelaide’s northern suburbs where I live with my wonderful wife, two daughters and two cats. I work as a chartered accountant in the Adelaide CBD.

My brother (a photographer for 30+ years) introduced me to the D70 this last xmas: to him, I am extremely thankful.

We have owned two digital cameras before our D70 (the digital video camera also counts as one, doesn’t it?) but I have never undertaken any serious photography before. My dream is to stop being someone who just takes family snapshots and instead be someone who would be proud to share their photos with family and friends.

I came across this D70users.com site whilst trying to decide whether or not to buy a digital SLR and have since become a regular “lurker”. When I am a little more adept at using our D70, I will post some of our photos.

My other interests include ballroom dancing, and Apple computers (also a lurker at Appletalk.com.au; another great aussie site).

Kind regards,

Mark T

[phillipb]

What a great Idea Mark, this thread should be mandatory to anyone with 30 posts or less. It's a great way to get to know new people. Let's hope it gets quite a few replies.

[Geoff]

Hello My name is Geoff and I'm a d70user forum-aholic...

I love the forum..

I sneak access to it where ever and whenever I can/am.

It is like a drug, I always want more.

Apart from that, I've had my D70 now since June 20 2004. I am proud to say I was the 3rd user (after gstark and Leigh) to join the forum . I have had a love for photography with my sony 3.3mp camera for about 4 years prior to ownring the D70, my first SLR (but not digitaL) camera. I work as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Intensive care but have recently started my own business, in wedding and portrait photography, for which I've had a few paying jobs now!!

I am engaged ( no date for the wedding as yet) to my lovely fiancee who often comes along to the D70 meets!

[sirhc55]

Hello My name is Geoff and I'm a d70user forum-aholic...

I love the forum..

I sneak access to it where ever and whenever I can/am.

It is like a drug, I always want more.

Apart from that, I've had my D70 now since June 20 2004. I am proud to say I was the 3rd user (after gstark and Leigh) to join the forum . I have had a love for photography with my sony 3.3mp camera for about 4 years prior to ownring the D70, my first SLR (but not digitaL) camera. I work as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Intensive care but have recently started my own business, in wedding and portrait photography, for which I've had a few paying jobs now!!

I am engaged ( no date for the wedding as yet) to my lovely fiancee who often comes along to the D70 meets!

Make a date Geoff

I was number 59 (just ocurred to me that was my age when I joined as well!) to join this forum and have enjoyed every moment that I have been a member.

I am a graphic designer/commercial photographer - design for 27 years and digital commercial photography for 10 years.

From my other posts you will see that I have been married 3 times and have a son who is 25 and is also a designer.

[xerubus]

#114 here.... and another forum-aholic...

During the day I'm a senior system administrator for australia's largest automotive group, and by all other times i'm a father of two and a lucky lucky husband married to my beautiful wife.

I purchased my D70 in March 04, and thanks to Nikon and this forum have found my love for photography once again...

... and last but not least, I have a photography business in Brisbane and concentrate on weddings and people photography...

cheers

Mark

[mudder]

This is a great idea for a thread Mark, well done...

Me, ahhhh, Work in IT as a "Problem Mgr" and tech support for large projects with IBM. Been in IT for longer than I care to admit to. Very stressful job sometimes and find the D70 to be a terrific and engrossing de-stresser and it takes me to some beautiful and relaxing places, and meeting some great people with a common interest through it (hello everyone)...

Ummm, never had a camera before, got my first camera, a Fuji S7000 about 6 months ago months ago but was lost in a burglary last October, jumped in the deep-end, played with a few SLRs but got myself the D70 and have never looked back... Damn this lens lust though!!!

Joined this forum and now login most days at least for a sticky as to what's been posted, there are some *very* talented people here... My short time here has been very educational and inspirational for which I sincerely thank you all as my tutors...

Cheers,
Mudder

[MattC]

I started of in IT during the early 1980’s, but those days are long gone. These days the closest I get to that is sorting out systems and networks for others.
I moved on to viticulture where I spent about 10 years. Nothing like working hard outdoors doing basic stuff for stress relief. Management was always a hassle but at least I always had something else to do to keep my mind off that sort of stuff.
These days I do nothing specific, mainly short term contracts doing almost anything, so my objective now is to just enjoy myself.

My first camera was a Kodak Advantix that was given to me. I hated the thing and gave it away. Two years ago I bought a Coolpix 5700 with an SB50DX, which I took everywhere with me until I finally killed it on the back of the Volvo last year. I have not looked back since purchasing the d70 about 6 months ago. My interest in photography has really taken off. The learning curve is still horrendously steep, but I am enjoying the challenge.
Up until a couple of years ago my release was beach fishing. First on the coasts of SA, then around Nhulunbuy (Gove) on the north western edge of the Gulf of Carpentaria. No fishing in TC.

This forum came to my attention when Gary was asking around on the other forum for Sydney-siders. I have been around longer than my membership suggests. I spent a month or two lurking – hence my lowish #129.

Cheers

Matt

[redline]

my first shots were on the nikon em.

well i was kinda the art/science person back in high school.
when i won my first award for photography i decided to try futher my studies in art but there was nothing involving photography so i dropped it. so my path to the dark side had began, science.
many years laters, I worked at a soil/plant testing lab while studying my course, i came to realise that i could'nt do it anymore, there was no future in science, the rinse repeat cycle wasn't good enough (so was the mangerment). working in such a bad place was a good thing for me it helped me realsie something important.
I could keep working there and end up bold which most male employee
with a few years there had. or try something that i had almost complety forgot, photographgy.

So it was off the the library and internet to learn as much as i could, although i wouldn't say i know everything. i say i know enough not to be a danger to others. so its was from the em to f65 to the f717 to the f5 and finally the the d70.

Now having recently completed my degree in biochemistry/chemistry. i can futher my studies in a new course for photography and hopefully became a sports photography or die trying

I have to say being member ~150 i think is pure luck. i stumble apon the forum thru a link on the dpreview. although i believe its now become a shadow of its former self. dpreview used to have great guides and tuts and educated responses, but now has the lastest pics galleries from the lastest in nikon range.

[Onyx]

Hi, I'm Onyx.

My D70 and I have shared ~11k shutter actuations together in the last 12 months, which was filled with extensive travels and (mis)adventure. My unnamed D70 has inadvertantly been the most abused item I have owned in my life (I usally take meticulous care of my posessions).

I am a psychology graduate, and would be working as a counsellor at a group home for troubled adolescents in the middle of the Wasatch mountains in the USA if my life had gone according to plan. However, here I am today, having not officially worked since finishing uni - but rather depending on my savings, past investments and gambling to sustain my lifestyle. I am a week away from starting my first full time job, which I am ever so grateful to fellow members of this forum for making it happen for me.

My photography history probably spanned back to my childhood years. My mum was a photo studio manager by weekday, wedding photographer by weekend, so was connected to the network of other photogs and associated people back in Auckland. As a teenager I do part time gigs as an assistant to wedding photogs, but regrettably was more keen on the money aspect of the job rather than learning the skills.

More recently, I started getting into photography probably when I got my first digital cam, the HP 320xi. Soon looking to upgrade, it was coincidental that the D70 was announced when it did. With mum's collection of old Nikon glass, the entry level DSLR released from Nikon was timed well - and I was quick to grab one early. I stumbled into this forum from lurking at that other one, where I would have to sift through tons of crap to find the few worthy gems. I saw Gary's post calling for Sydney people. I noted that I was a Sydney person. It seemed fitting that I should check it out. I've hung around ever since. It's become a part of my daily rituals, and more recently - my browser homepage.

[Geoff]

Hi, I'm Onyx.

and more recently - my browser homepage.

Same here Onyx

[leek]

Hello,
Leek here...

My forum name was actually chosen for another forum, but is intended to indicate my inner Welshness.... (the leek is a National symbol of Wales, along with the Daffodil and Dragon).

I was born in Old South Wales and now live in New South Wales (how ironic is that!).

Before emigrating to Australia in 1995 I lived in Holland for 12 years...

I have a history of using film SLRs (Zenit-EM and Canon A-1) before moving to digital with a Sony Digital video-cam and a Sony Cybershot. I subsequently graduated to the D70 in December last year and am thoroughly enjoying my new toy...

I love this forum and it's become a bit of an addiction... I'm expecting my boss to ban access to this forum soon, but will exploit it while I can...

[BBJ]

Hiya All, BBJ=BigBadJohn nick name earned when i was chairman/studio production manager for a Radio station and on air presenter and not affraid to voice my opinions, mind you tread of a few toes and well the name stuck.

I am normally a trucker driver/bus driver and spent most of my years driving and then got sick of living in the truck when carting stock so got out of it.
i guess i got started in photography while at high school as one of the sunjects that i loved but then forgot about it. As i got older i eartn money by doing photo finishes for the local trotting track doing black and white photos, take the picture develop the negative,create the picture and was a goos source for a few bucks and a good night out.

I got sick, blood clot went throught the heart into the lungs so was laid up for awhile so i studied IT and sys admin and so always playing with the computers, so brought a sony cybershot and still have the camera, then wanted more and brought the Fuji S7000. I wanted the D70 but didn't have enough $$ at the time so got the Fuji which is a great camera and i had that like for 4 months and found this site.

Never looked back since and well i very rarley leave the forum as i am on 24/7 so only time i leave is to reboot my server once a week or so.

I am not happy unless i am out taking pics and i am learning more all the time thanks to the knowledge of other members here.
Also motorbike mad so hence i spend a lot of time at the track taking pics there inwhich most i sell.
This is a top place to be and i enjoy the people and there frienship and there pictures.
Cheers
John
BBJ

[Slaggie]

Hi all. George here. born in 1938 at Victoria B.C. Got first camera in about 58. A 35 mm something, had a Ziess 3.? lens. Settled on slides quite quickly. Been into, auto racing, go carts, sailing, curling, Radio control aircraft - mostley gliders, full size gliders. Along the way the kids (3) did in my first camera so I got into a Pentax SLR which I still have. Always wanted a darkroom and large format so did that 20 years ago. When retired the large format got to be too heavy and too expensive to support. A 4+5 transparency is about 1.70 plus another 1.50 for chemicals. Slide only, prints go from 15.00 upwards. The thing thats really nice is when you get a good 20" + 24" print it REALLY blows your socks off. Was into computers from the beginning so when digital photos started I wanted to jump in. Have resisted till now because the print lifetime left something to be desired. Thats fixed now so time to jump in. Have computer and photoshop, wont get my own photo printer because my past experience has been that I actually make few prints. Makes more sense to get what prints I want made and save for another lens. Yeah, large formate guys have lens lust too. Used wifes 3.2 point and shoot this summer and edited them this fall. Digital is nothing but FUN start to finish. Cant wait to get my large gear sold so I can get into a D70. Summers are spent travelling around Canada with my wife in a Westfalia. Been retired 7 years now. Oh. apprenticed as a welder fabricator in the shipyard, then worked for a school district then back into steel fabricating - some electronics - shop maintence at the last place I worked. Was a real nice job at the end. Pretty windy again, Sorry Geo.

[Oneputt]

Hi - I'm John, recently turned sixty. I have my own aged care business which I started when I moved to the Sunshine Coast from Cairns. I also lived in Adelaide for twelve years.

I am a very keen fisherman and a golfing addict until a back injury forced me to retire a year ago. I used to write for fishing magazines which is where I first became interested in serious photography. I have nearly always been a Nikon man appart from a short flirtation with Pentax.

I am a new to digital photography and struggle a little with the technology. I am also a keen and serious 4Wdriver and my vehicle is well modified. It enables me to fish and photograph places I could not otherwise get to.

Love this forum and so happy that I stumbled on to it. A very friendly and helpful bunch of guys.

[gstark]

I love threads of this type.

We had a similar one that Marvin started way, way, way back when. For many of you it might make interesting reading; Here it is; feel free to post to either thread.

[Nnnnsic]

Maybe it's worth being a sticky, or even being a category in itself.

[rokkstar]

Hello,

I'm Matt.
Recently moved to Sydney from sunny old Luton in the UK because my girlfriend is on assignment. I had the option to stay at home but the decision took I think 0.00781 nanoseconds, and in that time I had packed my bag and was patiently waiting at the door.

Before I left the UK I was a full time web developer and still am I suppose. I've noticed that a lot of members are into graphics/IT/web and this makes me feel right at home.

I began taking pictures years ago when I had my first SLR, a <whispers> Canon t60</whispers>. I then found digital and bought my first fuji 6900 2 years ago. I was over the moon with the instant feedback that it gave me. I kept on meaning to upgrade to the D70 but could never afford it. Then just before coming out here, I got some money from an inheritance and the rest is history.

When I'm not taking pictures, I'm asleep!!!
I love playing the guitar and I think I'm going to fall in love with surfing too.
This forum is awesome, I'm on it all the time. I havent attended a meet yet but I will and I'm looking forward to meeting you all.

[lukeo]

Ok here goes,

I've been getting stuck into photography for several years now, and i'm finally in a position to purchase some nice equipment for myself. I learnt all I know on an Asahi Pentax SP1000 'Spotmatic' camera fromt he 1970's. For those that don't know it's a completely manual SLR camera using M42 praktica screw mount lenses. It is by no means a fast camera, with every shot taking time to setup up, adjust shutter, aperature, ASA (yes it's that old), focus and shoot, manually winding on each frame. Once you know what your doing you can get some amazing photo's out of it. I have an old tripod, that wieghs about 10kg but is extremely solid, a couple of flashes, 8 or so lenses from 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 135mm, 80 - 200mm, 200mm, and a 300mm as well as an old 2x teleconverter (which does horrible things to image quality). Mostly SMC takumar's, with a couple of vivatars in there as well. One thing that grabs me about the old pentax is most of the lense's lack the auto aperature pin, meaning as you adjust the aperature the view finder dims and brightens you almost don't need a light meter, although it isn't conductive for accurate focusing.

I was attracted here after using my very generous aunts Nikon F5 SLR, I took many photo's for her with my pentax over the years, and when I asked to learn how to use her nikon on a number of ocassions (always in her presence) she was happy to let me. The ease of use of the F5 is truly great, exposure is almost always perfect, sports/nature shooting was a breeze, the only thing i didn't like was the autofocus for portrait shots never quite choose what I now manually choose as the focus point even with spot metering. She is a marine biologist and simply uses the camera to document her work! Best of all I convinced her a while back to invest in some lense's ... a 80 - 200 F2.8 and a couple of others.

Don't get me wrong photography is just a hobby of mine, in the real world I still have 12 months to go at uni, studying computer systems engineering for my 4th year honours.

[gstark]

The Spotmatic is indeed a nice camera. One of the best models Pentax ever made.

[lukeo]

Thanks!

[ajo43]

Hi

Andrew here.

My illustrious photography career began and ended with winning a photographic contest in yr 5 at school. Since then it's been a hobby that doesn't get enough of my time.

The D70 is my first Nikon. I always thought that Nikon were a great brand so when my Canon EOS 10 was stolen it gave me my chance to jump ship.

I'm a lawyer by training. Worked at a nasty big law firm for a few years then as in-house lawyer at Qantas (got to see some great stuff there!). I'm still a plane head at heart so if anyone wants to discuss aircraft feel free to PM or start a thread.

Now I work in a finance company.

The avatar is my son's feet (he's 6 months old now).

I get out on the mountain bike every second weekend, run a bit, try to fit in some photography along with spending as much time as possible with my family.

What I'd love to do if I had time: take 1 month trip to a foreign country to photograph an event along with the photogs with all the necessary press passes and equipment (eg tour de france, running of the bulls, olympics, something like Tiananmen square).

Great thread. Keen to read about more of you

Cheers

[dooda]

I thought I would just copy my other post and paste it in here with a little update.

I have a nutty story. I'm a Mormon from Vancouver Canada, and found myself working on the oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico as well as North Texas. Though I was always jealous of people in photography in school, I never plunged in for some reason, but I was always jealous of those that took it seriously. I loved the power of an image and I was always intrigued at what made particular images powerful.

I was serving a mission for my church in Southern France and bought a little point and shoot, and became captivated with documenting the people and the country.

Then a big fast forward to my job on the oil rigs. It was all so nutty, my differences to the people and the land, (I was a city dwelling Mormon Northerner in a small town Protestant South) taking pictures with this crap point and shoot that I had no control over. I had disposable income for the first time and realized that I could pursue photography as a hobby all of a sudden. I found the F80 with kit lens and a Nikkor 70-300 for about 500, and decided that Nikon was my choice (though I was a little afraid when the digital Rebel came out and Nikon didn't appear to have anything).

Nothing made me prouder than a good photo, but throwing half of my exposures away became annoying. Finally the D70 came out and my dad was looking into buying a camera for his advertising business and asked if I wanted to go in on it with him. I jumped at it and now I'm the happy owner.

I work in the Sea to Sky area of BC (Whistler and Squamish, which by the way is flooded with Australians every winter) and am convinced that this is one of the most beautiful areas in the world. I have lots of photos but I don't know how to post them here yet.

I love photographing kids, dogs, nature, and interesting people doing interesting things. I struggle with getting in peoples faces, and being noticed as a photographer, but I'd love to get into it as a business someday. It seems like I focus on Nature a lot now as I drive the sea to Sky Highway everyday.

I have a couple of people interested in purchasing my photos, and am excited about the printing and framing process (but more the money making process). I plan on launching some kind of business where people, instead of going on vacation, pay me to go on vacation and take wicked photos and then giving them the photos so they can relax and look at my great photos .

I've come very far in my technical knowhow since joining this forum, and pretty much rely on it exclusively for any questions that I come up (I also pick up the odd mag.) It looks like I may be between jobs soon so I might make a quick trip to Sydney...see you all then!

[naasif]

Hi,

How far back do I start ? I've repeated some of this in another D70 forum, but here's more detail.

My name is Naasif. Immigrated to Australia from South Africa with my family when I was 10. Lived in Victoria until I graduated from uni then moved to Sydney to find work and have been working in IT since the 80s.

I am currently working as a National Technical Manager for a software development company.

I've always had an interest in anything to do with technology but never a real interest in photography until I met my wife. I played around with her Canon SLR (non-digital) however found it frustrating having to wait for shots to be developed. A few years back I bought a digital video camera with the ability to take digital stills. I enjoyed making home movies and combined the video footage with the "not so great" digital stills in Premiere and then onto DVD using Encore.

My interest to make photography a serious hobby was rekindled when Canon released the 300D, and then Nikon released the D70.

I then managed to convince my wife she "needed" the D70 for her birthday, which is in 2 days. (I purchased the D70 early, since NYE 04, but have bought her something else since then ) She's a graphic designer and the one with the artistic talents. I'm still learning how to see things differently and hopefully develop some artistic skills in the process.

At the moment I'm trying to shoot everything and read as much as possible. So far my influences have been from Steve Parish, Max and Rex Dupain and am still working my way through my wife's photography books.

I've learned a lot since finding this site and try to check-in everyday. Now all I have to do is save enough money to buy all those wonderful lenses