Hello fellow Photography Enthusiasts

[chknltl]

This is my first post here and by God it will not be my last! I wish my first post here to be an introduction of myself to you.
I have been lucky to see some of you posting your stuff over in the Lounge and GD so I know already that I am in the company of same damn fine artists and experts. I have enjoyed photography for many decades. For the last 15 years I have been blessed with a nice array of Nikon equipment. Up until a couple of years ago, I concentrated on using it for the benefit of the local music industry here in the Pacific Northwest. I have yet to make the switchover to digital but when finances return it is my desire to do this. (Hell I just learned how to use this computer last spring). Sadly, I do not own a scanner yet so it will be awhile before I can share my stuff. I have a LOT of "stuff".

The fact that I live in the Pacific Northwest means I have access to some spectacular scenery. I fully understand that there is beauty everywhere on this planet, sometimes one has to look a little harder for it in some places, but where I live it jumps out, grabs you by the shirt and commands you to pause and admire it. A lot of famous landscape and nature photographers have been through my area, John Shaw, Art Wolfe and Galen Rowell are some who have inspired me. No I have never met them but through their books they have become my living heroes.

There have been times in my life when for some reason or another I did not own a camera. It was during these periods that nature would conspire to let me know how stupid I must be to not own one. That time I witnessed 2 children holding hands and looking off into an apricot sunset, that time I watched firemen up on a ladder removing the body of a homeless person who passed away in his makeshift home sandwiched between two billboards or that time I watched from the bow of a boat in Boundary Bay as an enormous school of salmon were leaping from the water frantically trying to escape a pod of killer whales. Do I have any of those photos to share? Hell no, and yes those memories are mother natures way of letting me know that I must never be far from a camera.

I am aware of the value photography is to the public. I know for instance that should one's house catch fire the first thing the the occupant goes back for, (after all the people are out of course), are their pets, the second thing they run back in for are their family photos, the third are their valuables. When considered in this light we shoulder an awesome responsibility. It is no wonder that some of you wedding photographers command the high wages that you do, you've earned it and earned my respect. The few weddings that I have assisted in were tough, the few I did on my own were insane!

So this is who I am, this is how I feel. I have posted this so any of you who may read it knows and understands that I am not an expert nor am I a point-and-shooter, like most of you here I am somewhere in between. Expect to hear my 2 cents worth often enough and I promise to soak up anything that any of you are willing to teach me.

c

[ET Awful]

1. Welcome aboard :)

And thanks for the great introduction.

You just described why, despite the inconvenience, I still pick up my camera bag every day on my way out the door, even though it feels heavy some mornings, it always goes with me :).

[chknltl]

2. Thank you for the welcome ET Awful.

In those cases I mentioned, I was too poor to own a camera. The firefighter scene was a "Pulitzer"(sp?), well in my minds eye it was at any rate. I swear that scene with the salmon was unearthly, if someone else had described to me the very thing I saw I would have thought this person was exaggerating. These memories plague me more for not owning a camera than for forgetting to bring one along. For me, it is especially painful to be unable to document those rare special things which come along now and then because I mismanaged my life. (Don't get me wrong, I chide myself often enough for being a dummy when I see cool stuff going on and my gear is at home too.)

I know what you mean about that heavy camera bag. Mine was hard on my back, a common occupational hazard among us photographers. I ended up switching to a camera equipment case(s) which I could customize for the shoots. (Really cheep ones can be found at Home Depot, they are meant for tools and gadgets but they serve well enough for camera gear). When I wanted to go out on bike rides, I generally threw my oldest Nikon and a 24mm in my fanny pack and off I would go.
There is a wonderful sense of freedom this way. I got that notion from a story I read by Richard Avedon. He used to put together something small and lightweight like this, only I think he was using a Contax or a Leica and a 24mm.

[Ms. Toad]

3. Welcome!

I look forward to seeing your work.

[chknltl]

4. Thanks for the welcome Ms Toad....

I REALLY want to show it off to....I am working on that one. It is a financial thing at this time.

[Ms. Toad]

5. A lot of commercial developers

will digitize your images - then you can upload them. I haven't tried them, so I can't vouch for the quality, but I suspect they're decent.

Existing film images are harder to manage...

[chknltl]

6. When you said "commercial developers" I at first thought:

http://www.rfdevelopment.com/
(sorry...all those hours in the DU lounge will do that to you).

I am actually working on tracking down an old photography buddy of mine. He works in sales at the place I buy most of my equipment at. He will be able to assist me on the cheap, "cheap" is an important word for me at this time..."free" is even better and likely he can hook me up there too. If it wasn't for the fact that he was on a three day vacation, I believe there would be some of my stuff here already.... btw: Good luck with "Potential" Ms. Toad

edited for spelling only

[Ms. Toad]

7. Thanks n/t