Interested in forum members' experience and interests

[Marvin]

Hi!
I have been lurking in the forum for the last month and enjoyed reading all of the posts. I haven't felt that I have enough knowledge to give advice or comment on different topics but I hope to get there one day! I have had my D70 for 3 months now and it has been a huge learning curve (after upgrading from a Canon G2) but I have loved it. I am finding myself devoting more and more time to taking pics.

I am interested in the experience and interests of the members.
ie - how often do you take pictures, is it a serious hobby or just for fun/family/memories, what sort of things do you like to take pictures of/for, do you make time or is it just spontaneous?

Thanks!

Marvin

[gstark]

Hi Marvin,

Welcome, and I'm glad that you've stopped lurking.

Good questions.

Many years ago, in another life, I had a small photography business - shhoting mainly weddings and portraits. I started as a serious amateur, worked for another studio, started my own business and made a bit of money on the side.

Eventually I tired of having to deal with the public, and for a while photography almost compleely disappeared from life, although I did keep most of my gear.

These days it's purely a hobby - one of many that I have - and one that can fully absorb me, because, with the changeover from silver halide (wet darkroom) to digital, there is so much new stuff to learn.

And I love learning.

What about you?

[Killakoala]

G'Day Marvin. Nice 'de-lurking' too.

As far as not feeling like you have enough knowledge to make any posts, don't worry about it. This forum is for ALL D70 users new and old, regardless of experience. And remember, everyone here has had a first time using the d70 so we all know where you are at..

Anyhow, to your question.

As for me, i have been taking photos as a hobby for about 25 years but could never really afford to make that many prints. Then the D70 arrived and changed all that. I can take as many photos as i like without the constraint of cost. So as a result i have been able to rapidly develop my skills of using an SLR camera and i am now able to take some good quality photos that i am proud of. (The majority are still crap though, but that's all about photography i think)

I love to shoot abstracts and post process them to make some weird, unusual or spectacular photos. Here is an example of one of my favorites.

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~skilburn ... pe-800.jpg

I am also trying to take some good astronomy pictures but i am still only learning the basics through trial and error.

My one aim in photography is to ensure my composition is good at all times. Sometimes i achieve this but mostly i don't.

I'd like to think my good photos are excellent but i will always appreciate the solid fact that i still have a lot to learn.

Have fun and keep some fresh batteries in your camera.

Steve

[Matt. K]

Mad amateur. Doing it for a long time. Love the digital transition. Also make my living as a photographer and photography teacher for a government dept. Advise you to photograph whatever attracts your attention...and get much closer. When you think you are close enough, take another big step.

[phillipb]

Hi Marvin
I'm a fellow lurker.
My story is similar to gstark, I've always been intersted in photography, once the bug hit, I started to buy equipment, then I stared to work as a photographer to pay for the equipment. I too had my own wedding studio. Once that happened the hobby was no longer as much of a pleasure.
I don't work now so I've rediscoverd photography as a hobby thanks to digital.
Problem is, now I don't have that much of a chance to go out and shoot what and where I like due to family commitments ... but that's life.

[birddog114]

Hi,
I always like to go shooting, I shoot whatever is in front of me, shoot from the car, in the air (airborne) behind a military cargo plane, right in the cockpit of the chopper, I started from the F90, then F5 ->D100 ->D70 ->D2H, still have them all and enjoy everyday, the F90 and F5 are now in my "small museum" and the last three are my current toys.
Serious hobby that I have, all my shooting just are for fun and also done lot of free covering for few charity organizations. Part of my earning income from the other business pay for all my gears and keep me a happy man like a 3YO kid with a bunch of lollies + toys once I found out something new on the NET or around somewhere in the world.

[Flyer]

Hi Marvin,

I was bitten by photography bug when I was about ten.
I lived in Poland then so started with Russian cameras, Zenith E was my first "serious" SLR. Had my own darkroom (in my bedroom) by the age of 11 - that was fun!
When I came to Australia I moved to Ricoh XRP, then Canon gear, T90 being my favorite. Then I traded the lot for second hand Nikon F3 & few lenses & become Nikon man ever since. Got my wife interested in photography & she got a job at the local photographer making prints. Then for few years we freelanced shooting wedding & commercial photos. Got bored with weddings, the studio she worked for closed down & my family & other interests took up most of the time so all the cameras were stored away.
Then came digital age.
After playing with few cameras I bought Sony F717 - loved it. But I found it too easy. Not enough thought went into taking pictures, they were mostly snapshots.
Then D70 appeared. I knew the moment I saw it was the right time for me to go DSLR.I love it.
Although I had many years of shooting behind me going digital SLR is like starting all over again. More challenges, more things to learn. And that's what I love about it - doesn't matter how much you know there's always more to learn.
Today photography is just a hobby for me & I enjoy the whole new digital experience.

[Raydar]

Ha Marvin

There’s not to tell about me.
I operate machinery for a living; have been taking photos from the time I could hold a cam the right way & love
Severe weather.
I am an active member of the SES as a registered storm chaser, along with a few others from around this part of the country.
Myself & my wife have three boys, so that about takes care of all my time mate.

Cheers
Ray

[Marvin]

Hey guys!
Thanks for the replies. There certainly is a diverse range of people on the forum. It's nice to get to know people a little better. KillaKoala - I think the picture of the skyline is really cool. I would love to be able to do that!
About me - I am a primary school teacher and I have been mostly shooting my 2 children, as well as various school events (good practice for sporting shooting). I live near a river so I have been trying a few landscapes as well, plus trying to get the birdlife. I guess I haven't really found anything that I love to take pictures of particularly, but have been trying techniques I have been reading about and, like Gary, love the learning.
Marvin

[Greg B]

Hi Marvin and everybody else

I have been a keen amateur all my life really - I can recall taking a photo at age about 12, (on some plastic kids camera) going into the cupboard to open it up and trip the gizmo so I could double expose, and ending up with a photo of my mate sitting next to himself on the seat.

Later I had Olympus - OM1 and OM10, with some nice lenses. Lost custody of the OM10 to the first wife. I have had a few other cameras since, including the excellent Canon Epoca - a truly fantastic travel camera.

I bought a G3 beginning of 2003, obviously a great camera, but the limitations of a non-SLR got too much for me, and with the generous understanding of the GLW (that's Good Lady Wife for you young blokes), I bought the D70 a few weeks ago. Then a Tamrom 70-300 (which has a macro capability, but was still very cheap at $230)

I work for a large firm of solicitors managing the mortgage practice, one wife, one cat, zero kiddies.

I am glad I found this group, looks like fun. Looking forward to a few more Melb people getting on board.

And I am very very happy with my D70 - oh momma. (Ditto the tamron lens which is remarkably good for the money)

You can see a some of my older work here

http://www3.photosig.com/go/users/view?id=99124

mostly scanned on on a really crappy scanner - so the quality is poor (I now have a beautiful Epson scanner - Epson Perfection 3170). Also can highly recommend the Canon i965 printer, great photo output.

Cheers

Greg

[JordanP]

My story is a bit like Gary's but with a different end. About 7yrs as a P/T professional photographer. Mostly Weddings and portrature. After 7 years of no weekends I got stale and gave it away.

Currently work as a Business Analyst (not a real creative past time), run an e-commerce business with my wife that funds my lifestyle and will soon lead to ditching the day job, and figuring that I wasn't busy enough, have just recently sarted up my photography business again (the digital world had alot to do with it).

My photography motivator is that I'm just passionate about capturing good images. Love to capture a moment or paint a memory. I find it very rewarding and get to streatch my mind in the creative direction. My ultimate goal is to build my skills - then travel the world as a freelance PJ (its good to dream)

My new digital gear is only about 2months old and I'm on a rapid rate of learning. The forum community is great fun and very informative.

Still a hobbiest at heart.

[sirhc55]

Hi all

My story starts in 1966 when I purchased a Nikkormat in the UK and since then I have been a Nikon person.

In 1994 I produced a 248 catalogue (I am a graphic designer) that was the first full digital production. I used a Kodak/Nikon camera to shoot every product and the post processed on the computer. The fianl artwork went to WYSIWYG in Sydney who produced the first digital film output for me.

Since that time I have used digital photography as an adjunct to my business purchasing a Nikon D1 in January 2000 (one of the first in the country).

My main work is product shots for catalogues and in recent times I photograph wines for many top importers and distributors using a cocoon and two Bowens Trilites.

A couple of months ago I tried a D70 and was very impressed not only with its features and quality but also the price.

Sold my DI and SB28DX on eBay and purchased the D70, kit lens, Sigma 55-200 DC and the SB800 plus I have a Sigma 105 Macro DC arriving hopefully on Monday.

Outside of work my main interest is photographing flowers.

[MHD]

I'm not a pro... never been a pro but do dream of selling an image one day!

Found my self going to beautifull places to bought a cheap P&S digicam to photograph them (CP2000) upgraded to a more expensive P&S (cp5400) as my skills grew.... this turned out to be a mistake as less than a year later I now have the D70...

[Onyx]

It's kinda ironic that my mum was a pro wedding photog while I was growing up, but us kids were never ever allowed to go near a camera or any of the equipment! I never learned how to load film into a camera (cos I was never allowed to!), let alone the mechanics of how to take pictures until 15 yrs of age. Then I had the part time job of being an assitant to her, and another wedding photographer. It was just money to me, I never fully appreciated what I could have learnt had I taken an interest!

Fast forward to a cousin's wedding in 1997. Because my parents were involved with other aspects of the wedding preparation, I was left with the little point & shoot camera. So I went wandering around and took pictures of every event, moment and person. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, I was quite happy with everything and thought I did quite well. My parents did not share this view - they were extremely displeased with my "wasting of film". I got scolded big time. I was never allowed to touch a camera ever again.

Mid 2003 - I bought myself a basic digital camera because it was on special (it was a 2MP HP cam for about $200, which was half the cost of similar models at the time). I used it to take pictures of everything in sight - knowing that I could no longer be told off for wasting film (I still have issues with my parents...). I very soon found the limitations of such a camera, and was on the search for a better one. Nikon's announcement of the D70 came at the perfect time, however it was more than twice what I was prepared to spend! But since it came to market when I finished uni and had no other obligations, my dad invited me to tag along with him on a trip to Asia. It was so much cheaper in Malaysia, I figured I could afford it. Pleasantly surprised, my dad bought the D70 for me as a graduation gift. I've been enjoying it ever since. I learned so much with digital: photography, camera operation, image editing, and lastly creativity - while I'm still struggle with I think.

I currently haven't starting working out of uni, and have absolutely no career goals or aspirations. I'm having a wonderful time travelling and enjoying life, but realise I'll have to face the music one day in the near future, regarding what I do to make a living. It would be awesome if I could get a job to do with photography, or even sell some of my images and avoid getting a "real" job. I believe this is one of few industries where anyone can prove themselves - if they have the skill set and talent, and it shows in their results, they could go places... There's no conventional framework or ladder to climb.

[Marvin]

Bump.... Still interested, especially with all of our new members.

[dooda]

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 love this little site, I come on here as often as possible. These people feel like my friends already and I don't even think they notice me that much...weird I know but kinda true. This post is now too long, so I end here. Really good topic bytheway.

[fozzie]

Hi there Marvin,

I am from Adelaide and work in the accounts department of a Shipping Company at Port Adelaide. I have been separated for a number of years and have 2 magic children. My son lives in Adelaide and is in his second year at Uni. doing Marketing and Computer Studies. My daugher lives and works in Melbourne as a Property Manager at Southbank. I purchased my D70 back in January, and have not had a lot of time to use it, as my father took sick soon after. I spent the last five weeks of his life with him everyday. He passsed away in July. The beauty about this forum is that you can share a common interest with all types of people, the extended family. I would consider myself as an average amateur photographer.

Have a fab holiday in NZ.

Cheers,

[gstark]

Dooda,

Great story.

And Fozzie, you're among friends here.


I love hearing about how and why people came to make images; it tells me so much about the indivuals, and it helps us all to grow, and to know and respect each other here.

The diversity of our backgrounds (and everything else) is nothing short of amaziing.

While silver halide photography can bring some incredible moments (some that digital cannot even begin to emulate) the fact remains that we are now living in a world of digital photography, and with come different thrills and spills, so to speak.

Thanx for sharing, and for those who haven't yet posted, please do so.

[darb]

my online gallery http://darb.net/ if you wanna see the stuff i take pics of

serious amateur, usually holidays (I get away a bit.) etc.

[xerubus]

Hi Marvin and all....

My story is very different to others. I have been into photography for all of 6mths. Never owned a camera until I bought the D70, and now photography has taken over my life.

I'm a big fan of shooting nature, whether it be bugs, birds, or beasts. I usually plan what I am after and go and get it done.

As for me, I'm a sysadm for an automotive company, have a wife, two kids, a dog, a cat, and a family of PCs to nurture.

Enjoy.

Cheers

[joet]

Since I bought my D70 last Saturday, I now feel eligible to be part of this Forum.

My first camera was an Agfa 120 rollfilm when I was about 12. I quickly got into developing film and making contact prints because it was cheaper than paying for processing.

This led me to a job as an industrial chemist in Standard Oil (anyone remember Plume Motor Spirit) and with the new found funds a Rolleiflex T and a Durst enlarger.

From there it was the computer industry (IBM, Nixdorf, DEC, etc) as a systems engineeran a collection of cameras that included a Pentax 110 rollfilm SLR system, Minox and Mamiya sub miniatures , Canon T70 and a raft of point and shoot 35 mm. but never digital until now.

I'm in a form of semi-retirement these days so I'm looking forward to exploring my new Nikon.

This is a great forum and I hope to be active and useful.

joet

[Greg B]

Congratulations on your purchase joet.

I enjoyed mention of the Durst enlarger - that brought back a few memories.

Looking forward to seeing your shots in due course

cheers

[PlatinumWeaver]

My story is oddly similar to Onyx's actually.

July last year before going on a holiday to Canada I set about researching digital cameras, ended up with a Kodak DX 6340 point and shoot. I took that over to canada and took about 1500 shots with it over a few weeks, I was pretty much hooked..
I soon ran into issues with the quality of the images coming out of the camera and the restrictions imposed by the camera.

I started looking into getting a dSLR when I saw the 300D coming out. I ummed and aaah'd long enough that by the time I had an idea on how I was going to get it, the D70 had been announced and preliminary reviews were calling it a 300D-Killer. I ended up getting the D70 as a belated 21st birthday present.

I'm loving taking photos, and am hoping to somehow turn this into some sort of profession. So if anyone has any tips....

Good thread.

[Vicareyus]

Hi all. Nice thread this.

when I was a teenager, I really loved photogrpahy - I built a darkroom under the house (the house was on tall piers) - had to dig it out a bit more so I could stand up (lucky the house didnt collapse!). Used black plastic to create a "dark"room. No running water - had a 50litre container of water - damn heavy to carry when you filled it up!! Wanted to leave school at end of year 10 and become an apprentice photographer.

However, things dont always happen the way you think they might - stopped doing the photo thing when I went to Uni. Did medicine and then just got too busy. Have travelled a lot though, and have always had an SLR to take phtos. Then in 2000, I bought a Canon G1 when I was in London, and havent looked back. The whole digital world makes photography so much more accesible.

Interestingly, Im having a house built at the moment - next door to the in-laws (which will be fine - nice people), and I've given the G1 to the father-in-law to take a photo a day - same place same time same focal length of the house as it goes up. So in 6months time the house should be finished and I'll have around 180 photos which Ill be able to string together into a slideshow to show a slow-mo of the house being built!

Vic

[Marvin]

Thanks for the replies guys.

[Greg B]

Interestingly, Im having a house built at the moment - next door to the in-laws (which will be fine - nice people), and I've given the G1 to the father-in-law to take a photo a day - same place same time same focal length of the house as it goes up. So in 6months time the house should be finished and I'll have around 180 photos which Ill be able to string together into a slideshow to show a slow-mo of the house being built!

Vic

Fantastic project Vic, great idea. The results will be excellent to have.

[Marvin]

Thought I might bump this again to see who else is out there! Plus I think it makes interesting reading now that we know each other better!

[Sheetshooter]

Well Marvin,

I am that special sort of person that everybody just hates to meet: I am a FANATIC.

[Marvin]

With that in mind I can safely say that I have never been to work a single day in my life.

Just last week I had a rubbish removalist come and take away 4 tonnes of accumulated crap in readiness for relocating. I filled a i-tonner ute with 3,000 magazines dating back 30 years - each with a picture of mine on the cover. I have always put a lot of effort into my PLAY

Wow Sheetshooter. You are so lucky to be able to have a job that you love! I think it is increasingly rare these days. Did you at least keep the magazine covers? That's a pretty cool story. I will be very interested to find out how (if and when) you make the transition to digital and to hear your thoughts on it. Plus, I'd forgo the darkroom and take the trip!!!

[Onyx]

Inspiring life story Sheetshooter. It's a pity you had to dump all those magazines accumlated over all those years.

Some day, we will know you by a name other than Sheetshooter, so we could look out for magazine covers with pics you took.

[phillipb]

Sheetshooter, if you ever get sick of photography, you should try your hand at writing, you have a flair for it.

[Nnnnsic]

Inspiring life story Sheetshooter. It's a pity you had to dump all those magazines accumlated over all those years.

Yup.. you could've given them to us for inspiration.

[Sheetshooter]

Thanks for the unanticipated response folks, I was simply fitting in with the gist of the thread.

Phillip, thanks for the comment on the writing; I have always used it as a second skill and with the majority of those ditched magazines it was not only my pictures that went west but also my words. Perhaps there is a clue for others wishing to derive a living from their efforts in this but rather than simply take pictures I would produce an entire package of both publishable words and pictures along with value-added services like organising, arranging and synchronising operations - a sort of independent production facility. An Editor and I would meet, go through a short list of possibilities for 10 or 15 minutes and then next thing he would have a package delivered to him of the pics, the story, the documentation all without costing him or his staff time. For that I was rewarded with higher prices.

The covers were not taken off the mags before they went but I still have on file all my copy supplied and all the transparencies in which I retained full rights and Copyright - having only ever licensed single usage rights. As I prepare to relocate, the bulk of the stuff - which proves that there is not much Gypsy in me - is the file of 1.25 million transparencies and B&W negs going back to the early 1970s. As I was sorting through some of them the other day I realised how many of the people I photographed (nearly said 'shot') are no longer alive. I'll have to get sorted and do a retrospective some day.

Cheers,

[baboo]

G'day all, been interesting reading people's experiences and introductions into this hobby.

Like a few people have stated, mine started when I was going to go on an overseas holiday and took the opportunity to buy an SLR camera. Up until 2000, I really had no idea of what I was doing (some might still say the same thing today ) until work put me on a photography course. I dunno if it was fate or what but my instructor was none other than Matt K. (Sorry Matt, hope you don't mind being associated with my work).

From there, I've owned an FM2 (which I still adore and am thinking of getting a second one incase the first breaks ), an F80 and now a D70. Unfortunately the hobby became a little dormant for a period prior the the purchase of the D70. This was due to frustration at the cost of film processing and printing. Now, thanks to digital, there's really no excuse other than competition from my other 'bottomless pit' hobby of 4WDing .

Ray

[Sheetshooter]

What a great combination of hobbies Ray, the 4WDing and photography feeding off each other. The 4WD gets you to good spots and the D70 provides those 4WD events with a memory to share.

Cheers,

[baboo]

What a great combination of hobbies Ray, the 4WDing and photography feeding off each other. The 4WD gets you to good spots and the D70 provides those 4WD events with a memory to share.

I agree, it's a great combination of hobbies. Unfortunately it's difficult to get pictures of your rig in action. Bit hard to drive and take photos at the same time

While others can take the photos, deep down inside you know they're not 'yours'

Ray

[Sheetshooter]

A good case for a radio release along with a tripod and a clamp with ball-head.

[Aussie Dave]

What a great thread.....and very interesting reading !

Well, I started to dabble in photography when I met my Wife, around 10 years ago, as she used to be a wedding photographer. I'd steal her Nikon F90 or 801 and go waste film. I used to help with her photography studies and I guess that's where I picked up all the basics.

My first experiences with digital were with a Kodak DC290....which I still have (somewhere ???). Not the greatest camera, but I got a kick out of manipulating the images on the PC (which is my 2nd main hobby) and being able to preview your shots straight after I'd taken them....WOW, what was the world coming to ?!?

My interests also extend into the world of computers and I have been playing with these since the early 90's. It is such a joyous thing that both of these come together now and I equally enjoy taking the pics and then PP'ing them on the PC.

The D70 was purchased primarily to save us money....as we new a family would not be far away and the rate I like to take photos, I would have needed to get a 2nd job to pay for all the film processing. So now the F90 & 801 sit in the cupboard and the D70 takes pride of place on the PC desk

One day I hope to perhaps look at something more semi-serious with photography, but for now it is purely a hobby.

Other interests include playing my guitars (electric & acoustic), used to be my drumkit (but I had to sell them to buy the D70), cycling, various sports & Seinfeld (yes, I am a Seinfeld addict - I can't believe I'm admitting this ) - and of course my NEW family !

Dave

[stubbsy]

Dave. You're amongst friends here. If Seinfeld is your worst addiction you're doing well!

My story is odd (bit like me really!). I managed to get through 47 years without ever owning a camera (film never appealed - too expensive & wasteful), then in 2002 the geek in me (there I've said it ) discovered there were digital cameras of near film quality. I've been into computers since uni. Bought my first computer (an Apple II) in 1979 and my hobby became my profession somewhere along the way. But I digress - so I bought a Kodak DC4800. Started easy then decided that (a) I could actually take some pictures people other than myself thought looked OK and (b) this photography thing is fun. By 2004 I was well & trully hooked. In December 04 a friend asked for advice on a camera he should buy when travelling OS- I did his research for him and advised him to buy a Fuji Finepix, but while browsing read some reviews on the D70. Long story short I bought a D70 a week later - strangely my friend ignored my well reasearched recommendation and bought himself a D70 while OS.

On the non camera side I'm a programmer. As I said first computer in 1979 with 48 Kilobytes (sic) of RAM. Started programming in 1980 and have been writing software ever since. I am also a bloody good cook and like to entertain. And I've been an avid science fiction reader since age 11 (hard science not that girly fantasy stuff ) and have been a serious wine collector since 1980 with my cellar currently holding just under 1,00 bottles of wine. I'm currently drinking my way through 1995-1998. Favourite winery - Tyrrells in the Hunter Valley.

Favourite colour: Blue
Star Sign: Leo

Did I miss anything?

Oh and if you're still reading this - I'm a talkative bugger!

[BBJ]

Well might as well join in. As a high school student i was hopeless didn't like it and only liked a few subjects i guess like most kids but i was a farm boy and enjoyed photography at school.

Many years after i left school for a few xtra bucks and i took on the job doing photo finishes at the local trotting ground and horse racing track. I had my own darkroom and had to take the pic, develope the negative and then open a trap door and project the image below into the judges box to confirm placings. Then after this process make a photo for the window for the office and this process was done rather swiftly before next race.

From here i didn't touch a camera for awhile as life got busy, worked as an assistant chef and discovered trucks inwhich i have done most of my working life as well as busses working for different companies and was away all week and no time for much else, if only i had a camera then.

Brought a sony cybershot to take away and take pic as my hobbies was fishing, building and flying reomote control planes and riding motorbikes.
Decided it was time to upgrade and so much wanted the D70 but at the time they were not cheap so opted for the Fuji S7000 untill i could afford a D70.

Then i found this forum and Birdy and then just over 7 months ago i got 1.
I am alway's at the motorbike and was taking photos with the s7000 and mate said i should sell some and help make a few bucks while i enjoy watching the races. This i did and still do, never miss a day at the track and well i dont class myself as a pro but i say i love photography,bikes etc.. and make some money to help buy gear.
I sell a lot of photo's and well i am so addicted to my camera that my partner always say my camera is the love of my life and of course i tell Lisa how true she is.LOL

This forum has helped me so much, has helped me get out of the house as once i didnt like leaving the house after being ill, now lisa cant keep me home or away from the computer.
Cheers
john
BBJ

[marc]

I have 3 passions in life (apart from trying to please the wife!) Fishing, Photography and Travel.
My first camera was a Kodak Instamatic (early 70's)and then progressed to my first SLR, a Minolta X700 for that first big trip o'seas to Europe/Asia for 12 months (1982). Then in preparation for an O'land trip to Africa (1993)and Sth America (93/94), I purchased a Canon Eos 100 and Sony Hi 8 Camcorder and managed to fund a small part of that trip thru selling some pics+video to the company I travelled with.
Then last year I purchased an Olympus 8080 and yet another camcorder (Sony Hi Def Dig) for our honeymoon in a couple of game reserves in Sth Africa (Sabi Sands). My eventual frustration with the Oly, led me to purchase the D70s earlier this year and haven't looked back
My job life has spanned everything from Gold prospecting to Franchise owner, basically jack of all trades, master of none!
I guess I see myself as a keen amateur with still a lot to learn who would love to get my head around this frustrating piece software called
Photoshop  BTW ....fav shows/genre : Twilight Zone (B+W), Night Stalker and Mission Impossible/Man From U.N.C.L.E.


Cheers
Marc

[Nnnnsic]

Alrighty... I may as well attack this thing.

I've grown up around parents who at one point ran a wedding photography business so I've kind of got the darkroom in my blood.

Both Mum and Dad have a whole ton of creativity in them, whether it be from writing or music or visual arts or whatnot, so both myself and my brother have kind of been quite lucky to get some of that in our veins.

That said, without getting into one of those boring sappy who-gives-a-damn-about-my-life-story sorts of things, I remember at one point when I was living in America that Dad and I went to an Italian car meet in a small town in Arkansas called Hot Springs... there was just about every type of Italian car there and some of them screamed through the town for that weekend.
Regardless, Dad gave me a camera to use... I think it was the F801... and I would have been around 13. I'd used some of his cameras before this as I was growing up, but I really remember this time as it kind of set me up. I remember taking photos of these cars from weird angles with sunlight bouncing all over the place... I found it a lot of fun.
When we got back to Dallas and we had the film developed, Dad took the shots in to show the people at his workplace and I remember being told that they preferred my shots to his.
While that didn't start the passion, it kind of helped it.

You don't live with a guy who really loves his cameras nor do you grow up with one and not get tainted by the sickness.

Besides that, I've done photography in high school, got a photographic work shown at the AGNSW for Reconciliations Week with a friend of mine the first year I was back in Sydney and at high school here, became obsessed with film and writing (having a friend whose Dad was a screenwriter probably didn't help that one), did some film editing and submitted film and video projects for my evil HSC as well as the school video festival and Tropfest (evil!), and then went to National Art School where I graduated recently with a Degree of Fine Arts in Photography.

Aside from all that photography crap, I've grown up on computers and am pretty decent with them (:roll: ). I'm interested in new and upcoming technologies and love to learn new things. I'm usually working on improving my skills in animation, web development, coding, singing, photography, writing... just about anything that takes up my interest for more than 10 seconds, and I hope to be a writer and director eventually.

Oh, and I love to be myself (seriously fucked up) and love making people laugh and smile.

[embi]

Bloody hell its daunting just thinking about writing this, anyway here goes.

Back in '89 my then girlfriend was into photography. I had always been interested but never tried it.

I remember in primary school having electives chosen by the teachers, must have been one day a week, and I always wanted to do the pinhole camera one, but lucked out.

Anyway the ex g/f taught me a few things and I can remember one of the 1st shots I took (under a pier at Queenscliff) looked great. I had it blown up and framed and I entered it into the local rags photo coloumn and had it critiqued. Almost full page. Interesting comments and I still have the article.

Time went on and I ditched the ex. I was working for Telstra at that stage and hated it. I wanted to be creative so I enrolled at PSC in Melbourne and studied there for a couple of years part time while I worked. I bought my first Nikon, an FM10 student camera, and had a ball learning.

I went to PNG while my sister lived there and took some shots of a cutural festival. I had them published in the air new guinea in flight magazine. 4 pages of pictures and captions. I earned my first photography based wage of $400.

I did a few other things and got published in a magazine (A PJ story on a Blind kids camp), a book on festivals of the South Pacific (Front cover and a chapter image). I then decided I had enough of working for Telstra so I quit, bought a Nikon F5, 2 lenses, flash, manfrotto monopod and went to England for 12 months

I only took my holiday pics (slide film) while away and then came back and started cooking. Sold the camera gear thinking it was a 'fad' and dived head on into cooking.

So for the last 7yrs I have barely touched a camera.

Only this year my fiancee said she wanted a DSLR. I tried to convince her it was a waste and a great P&S was the way to go.

How wrong was I. I picked up the D70 and was hooked. We bought it that day and I dont think my fiancee has had a chance to get near the camera since. I have the bug back and I am not stopping again. She now describes it as "the money pit".

Where to from here??? Time will tell but I wont be giving it up again.

[Doughnut]

Hi Marvin and everyone,

Thanks to Onyx, he guided me to this forum (Onyx was very helpful with me at OCAU when he was pricing a lens for me at HK - Thank you Onyx!). My primary passion is bushwalking and hiking - I also want to take pictures of my hikes as memories, so photography is a hobby for me. Because of my hikes, I damaged a lot of my cameras and lenses beyond repair. It is only recently that I got a Nikon D100 and only just started to build up my lenses again. Digital photography opened up a new world for me and I am still learning. I am still hesitant to take my D100 with me on my hikes because I fear I can easily damage it. Maybe I should save up to get a pro body such as D2H or D2X which can take a beating

Cheers.

[nito]

Hi Marvin,

I am a scientist conducting researcg into arthritis. More exactly, I look at the reason why arthritic cells invade and degrade bone and cartilage. Hopefully, it may help find a cure/treatment for arthritis. Currently, there is no real or feasible treatment.

I have always been interested in photography. My parent's bought me a point and shoot canon sureshot at the age of 8 years. Spent most of the shots taking pictures of my cousin jumping on my parent's bed
Funny thing is I have a picture of me standing next to a nikon display at the age of 8!

Then came the silent period where taking shots was replaced by computers, gadgets and oddly science. I still enjoy photography, but from a composition point if view. Always like exploring different prospectives of everything. I had a simple point and shoot olympus at the time. I didnt even know what a SLR was back then. Just enjoyed taking shots that were different.

Just last year, I meet my post-doc mentor who loves photography. In fact, there are 3 scientists that I work with that are trigger happy. Just talking to them convinced me that a slr was the way to go.

The D70 was the right price for a mere scientist salary. I bought a D70 in Feb 2005 and never looked back. It's an expensive hobby, but I really enjoy learning about photography and taking pictures. I am not trying to be a pro, just wanna enjoy life through the camera. No regrets, it was the best purchase I have made all year!

[avkomp]

my story is similar to quite a few on this forum.

I started in photography at school and was fascinated by it.
So much so that I had a darkroom at home and spend lots of spare time and lunchtimes in the schools' darkroom.

I went to all the sporting events of my school shooting the pictures,
I did all the official school photography also. I just couldnt get enough of it.

In the fullness of time I graduated to photographing weddings and portraits. I worked for a couple of studios and also on my own.

I began to get sick of shooting what essentially became the same shots most of the time. Slightly different feel, different light, different people but still began to wear thin.

When shooting for other people all the time, sometimes shooting over 100 rolls a week and dealing with people and schedules, I began to regard the cameras as tools and so when going on holiday or other places you would definately take a camera, I didnt because my holidays were to get away from working.

This eventually led me to become all photoed out and I just put the cameras down and didnt take a photo for 20 years. I just went back to electronics and began playing sports again on the weekend.

In the fullness of time working with electronics led me into computers and finally I work on computers and network engineering full time these days.
As digital cameras evolved I sometimes installed the software for clients and got to look at how the quality became better and better.

I bought my partner a small digital compact for xmas present and amused myself in the backyard learning to use it and felt the time was right to get back into it, so I bought myself the D70 because my 35 mm stuff is all nikon ( and I still have it)

I have decided that if at all possible I never wish to take a photo of another person so I decided that I want to take pictures of animals and birds in particular especially because it can be hard but also because it means that I get to move away from the computer and get out in the bush etc. I find that IT causes you to become a slave to the computer and you sit around way too much. The animal photography kills two birds with one stone.

Whew..... and you thought war and peace was a big read

Steve

[mic]

Well well well,

My name is mic and I might be an Inverted Chic

I have played around with Camera's all of my life but until this last year in which I purchased my D70 / Mac Computer & a whole lot of gear of Birdy I haven't really done that much with my Hobby / very small Business.

I shot my 1st Wedding in March this year & I'm just about to unveil the Album to the Bride in the nest few weeks, I belong to this Forum and don't really contribute much advice, but I think I make a few smile & a few to say " Whats this dude on "

I'm about to unveil my new Web Site differentimages in the up an coming weeks due to a great Member of this Forum who has been working away on it with pain in the Ass directions from me ( Piro ) AKA : Wayne Wong.

I haven't posted many images lately mainly because I have been working on this & other things : Wife / 2 kids / work / wedding / hobby / and trying to learn this high tech digital stuff. This last year my brain has swelled to a size of an acorn.

I will be posting a lot more images in the months to come as I have a home for my somewhat strange creations of Images to live.

Over N Out.

Mic.

[nat]

Great thread - I'm finding it fascinating hear about everyones background.
My story is quite brief really. I am a rank amatuer!! As a 12 year old in the mid 80s I saved up all my pocket money to buy a Hanimax 110F - a really cheap point'n'shoot. This got me through until my 21st when I bought a Ricoh Super KRII 35mm SLR. I learned the basics by trial and error, but as a uni student the cost of film processing held me back. For the next 8 or 9 years it was used irregularly, but usually just when on holidays. My interest in photography really came when on 4WD trips with a club. There were other members who took fantastic photos so I tried to hone my skills using their knowledge. Two years ago I made the swich to digital, a Nikon Coolpix995. This was shortly before my wife and I were expecting number one so that we could keep preesing the button without breaking the bank! This was a good camera and I got some good results with it - except when indoors. Its flash was aweful and we became frustrated trying to take good shots of our daughter. I missed the features of an SLR and so when a healthy tax return came in this year, it enabled me to trade the 995 in on a D70s. Since then (about 3 weeks ago), as my wife will atest, my enthusiasm for photography has returned. (I think I have spent on average 2-3 hours a night on this forum trying to learn more about tips and techniques to improve my skill!) I will always be an amatuer who does this just for fun. (As a secondary school teacher I need this escape!!)

[chris1968]

ok - time i pitched in then....

got intersted in photography in my early teens - used to visit a lot of airshows and was fasinated by my uncles aluminium camera case and his huge range of screw fit pentax gear, and he was geting great slide shots of planes - i was just in awe when they were projected.
Bugged my dad so much he bought an Olympus OM10 which i tried to use for a good while but never did understand DOF etc etc.
Skip forward a good few years and i get a Nikon F50 - i'd always coveted the Nikon brand. learnt a bit from magazines then signed on for a nightschool course.
7 years on, the course is long finished but a lot of folks on the course liked our group we had but were not at all keen to move on to either of the 2 local camers clubs so we set up our own Community group - essentially we rent a room off the council during the std nightschool year and do our own thing which is great. i'm not known for being a prolific photog - my buddies at focal point think my cameras are agoraphobic but that i changing with digital.
As for the future - watch this space, someone recently saw the shots i did for a friends wedding a couple of years ago and has decided to book me for their wedding next year....over the years i've done 4 friends weddings for free (it was their present from me) this couple are paying and i think i could get used to that.....

[Bilka]

Newbe to this great board.

My interest in photography began 38 years ago and it never dwindled. I began in wedding work and got tired of seeing white dresses by 1986. Since then I’ve been involved in a growing business of photographic consulting and commercial photography. I also do considerable theatrical and entertainment work. I’ve found it very rewarding marrying my engineering background with photography, especially in this digital era and setting up workflow and color calibrations for my clients.

Bilka