My thanks as a new registrant
Sep 17, 2017 21:04:18 #
In making my first post after following this site for 18 months I have to say it was my good fortune in finding you. You offer consistently good advice from a set of really caring people. I use my own mental filters to skip the posts of the few mean trolls who are regulars. On the other hand, the contrarian discussions and disagreements are often quite interesting and thought provoking. And I have enjoyed the posts about life, retirement, choices, art or not art or documentary, and personal or general histories of photography. And I don’t object to how long your posts are. I have read most of them to their full length as long as the topic was of interest.
Thank you in particular for the recent OLY question and replies from OLY owners and it in fact it prompted me to finally post this thanks after getting so much guidance from this site. This post is leading me to the decision to buy the OMD Mk 2 as an upgrade from the MK 1 body. The post was particularly relevant as it covered bird photography. I am a birder and already own five OLY micro 4/3 lenses including the 300 mm fixed focal length one that received some discussion.
Those of you who want only my short thankyou version should stop her. For those who want the longer version with photography’s intersection with my life may continue.
I don’t want to restart the debate over full size sensor Nikon or Canon SLRs vs cropped sensor SLRs or cropped sensor mirror-less cameras that keep repeating on the site. I fully acknowledge the strength and weaknesses of each type of camera. But I am in my mid-seventies and could not rebuild my upper body strength enough to carry a full-size sensor camera and lens that gives comparable long distant bird photography performance to the smaller and lighter OLY. And I am not one wanting to obtain those incredible wildlife photos that the larger and heavier Nikon or Canon full size sensor units would make possible in the hands of a pro. As so many have said so well here, camera choice is a personal one and depends on one’s history with photography, lens’s one already owns and how one expects to use the camera.
I have been into photography as a hobby since middle school with parents who had good quality cameras and light meters around and trusted me enough to use and care for them. As a result, I looked for such cameras when I was on my own and supporting myself and my family.
My only income produced from my hobby was in high school where my Polaroid photos of couples at proms were popular and earned me acknowledgement and gratitude from my peers. It gained me an entrance to those events for which I wanted to attend but being socially uncomfortable in those venues, I never arranged for a prom date. Yet, that experience helped me in my transition to college where I did ask girls out for similar large social events and I mostly left the cameras in the background for occasional use. Along the way, I found my future life mate and we married in her senior year (still married).
When my kids were small, who else was going to capture them in photos? I had the Pentax ME Super (two bodies for different films) and two extraordinary Asahi lenses that produced some outstanding black and white enlargements (we had a home dark room back then). Yes, the ME Super rather than the more popular K1000 due to its smaller form factor and its one automatic feature. I am going to scan those negatives and thanks to you all, I now know how to do my best by them. They are worth it.
After that I used really small pocket cameras and later used high quality point and shoot units for color prints related to travel. Those documented memories and filled binders. On the trips with my sons along I will scan the great prints and share with them. The digital ones from the Canon point and shoots were saved after printing and the ones worth preserving have already been improved with LR and will be shared.
And during the earlier part of the digital era, I went for video digital cameras to document trips and family events. I edited those and shared the DVDs with participants and others. If the recipient was involved they loved them; if they were not on that adventure, not so much. With the conversion to HD digital I stopped this as filming and editing movies became far too complicated. So with that other focus, I missed much of the quality digital still photography era. Some of you have many years of experience with such digital photography with the result that this site has been extremely useful to me (I started just four years ago as novice with this great technology).
Recently, my family has been very appreciative of my candid shots of them and are anxious to receive and see their photos. One of my daughter-in-laws printed and framed ones for her work area where they shared her children’s activities. And both granddaughters recently posted my photos of them on social media and for one of them one of the photos is now her identifier, so to speak. When people like your work enough to do that and in a family where every generation takes a lot of digital photos, you hardly ever get better feedback as an amateur.
When I am out with birders lugging scopes, few want to also lug heavy photographic equipment (or have it to lug). Again, I gotten a lot of great feedback about their enjoyment and memory creation I have facilitated.
And thanks to you, I know what lens to take and how to protect it on an upcoming safari in Africa!
My life history with photography may be the reason my wife has had relatively few issues on what I have spent and will spend on photographic equipment. As an author said in a LR/PS primer, there has been no better time than now to be a photographer. From an amateur’s perspective, I couldn’t agree more!
Thank you in particular for the recent OLY question and replies from OLY owners and it in fact it prompted me to finally post this thanks after getting so much guidance from this site. This post is leading me to the decision to buy the OMD Mk 2 as an upgrade from the MK 1 body. The post was particularly relevant as it covered bird photography. I am a birder and already own five OLY micro 4/3 lenses including the 300 mm fixed focal length one that received some discussion.
Those of you who want only my short thankyou version should stop her. For those who want the longer version with photography’s intersection with my life may continue.
I don’t want to restart the debate over full size sensor Nikon or Canon SLRs vs cropped sensor SLRs or cropped sensor mirror-less cameras that keep repeating on the site. I fully acknowledge the strength and weaknesses of each type of camera. But I am in my mid-seventies and could not rebuild my upper body strength enough to carry a full-size sensor camera and lens that gives comparable long distant bird photography performance to the smaller and lighter OLY. And I am not one wanting to obtain those incredible wildlife photos that the larger and heavier Nikon or Canon full size sensor units would make possible in the hands of a pro. As so many have said so well here, camera choice is a personal one and depends on one’s history with photography, lens’s one already owns and how one expects to use the camera.
I have been into photography as a hobby since middle school with parents who had good quality cameras and light meters around and trusted me enough to use and care for them. As a result, I looked for such cameras when I was on my own and supporting myself and my family.
My only income produced from my hobby was in high school where my Polaroid photos of couples at proms were popular and earned me acknowledgement and gratitude from my peers. It gained me an entrance to those events for which I wanted to attend but being socially uncomfortable in those venues, I never arranged for a prom date. Yet, that experience helped me in my transition to college where I did ask girls out for similar large social events and I mostly left the cameras in the background for occasional use. Along the way, I found my future life mate and we married in her senior year (still married).
When my kids were small, who else was going to capture them in photos? I had the Pentax ME Super (two bodies for different films) and two extraordinary Asahi lenses that produced some outstanding black and white enlargements (we had a home dark room back then). Yes, the ME Super rather than the more popular K1000 due to its smaller form factor and its one automatic feature. I am going to scan those negatives and thanks to you all, I now know how to do my best by them. They are worth it.
After that I used really small pocket cameras and later used high quality point and shoot units for color prints related to travel. Those documented memories and filled binders. On the trips with my sons along I will scan the great prints and share with them. The digital ones from the Canon point and shoots were saved after printing and the ones worth preserving have already been improved with LR and will be shared.
And during the earlier part of the digital era, I went for video digital cameras to document trips and family events. I edited those and shared the DVDs with participants and others. If the recipient was involved they loved them; if they were not on that adventure, not so much. With the conversion to HD digital I stopped this as filming and editing movies became far too complicated. So with that other focus, I missed much of the quality digital still photography era. Some of you have many years of experience with such digital photography with the result that this site has been extremely useful to me (I started just four years ago as novice with this great technology).
Recently, my family has been very appreciative of my candid shots of them and are anxious to receive and see their photos. One of my daughter-in-laws printed and framed ones for her work area where they shared her children’s activities. And both granddaughters recently posted my photos of them on social media and for one of them one of the photos is now her identifier, so to speak. When people like your work enough to do that and in a family where every generation takes a lot of digital photos, you hardly ever get better feedback as an amateur.
When I am out with birders lugging scopes, few want to also lug heavy photographic equipment (or have it to lug). Again, I gotten a lot of great feedback about their enjoyment and memory creation I have facilitated.
And thanks to you, I know what lens to take and how to protect it on an upcoming safari in Africa!
My life history with photography may be the reason my wife has had relatively few issues on what I have spent and will spend on photographic equipment. As an author said in a LR/PS primer, there has been no better time than now to be a photographer. From an amateur’s perspective, I couldn’t agree more!
Sep 17, 2017 21:32:31 #
Sep 17, 2017 22:05:52 #
Sep 17, 2017 22:21:31 #
Welcome to our forum. I enjoyed reading your take on your photographic journey.
Yes, there is a lot to be learned here, you just have to sift the wheat from the chafe.
will
Yes, there is a lot to be learned here, you just have to sift the wheat from the chafe.
will
Sep 18, 2017 01:24:16 #
Whateveritakes wrote:
In making my first post after following this site ... (show quote)
You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's the signpost up ahead - your next stop, the Hedgehog Zone. Welcome!
Sep 18, 2017 05:27:38 #
Sep 18, 2017 06:20:06 #
I have also read your entire post. So as to not try to sound corny, I will say that we have traveled similar roads, however with no so similar interest with photography subjects. I look forward to seeing your work and enjoy your prospective....
Bob
Bob
Sep 18, 2017 06:34:46 #
I have read your post from "In," to "more." You have had quite a life. Welcome openly to the hog and I for one am looking forward to seeing your posts. I am glad you were able to get the knowledge you were looking for, here. There is sooo much more. Again welcome.
Rich...
Rich...
Sep 18, 2017 06:49:27 #
Sep 18, 2017 07:24:24 #
Sep 18, 2017 07:43:08 #
Sep 18, 2017 09:19:03 #
Sep 18, 2017 09:21:37 #
Sep 18, 2017 13:43:30 #
Sep 18, 2017 14:22:05 #
If you want to reply, then register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.