Howdy from Post Falls, Idaho,
I am the sixty six year old son of a US Navy photographer. As a matter of fact both of my parents were WW II US Navy veterans. My dad was sent to Pensacola, FL to naval photographer's school. He told me that he (and my mom) were stationed at Port Hueneme Naval Weapons Testing Center. After that, he told me, he spent some time at China Lake. My dad was Thomas Hylant Van Valkenburg and he married Wanda Mae Dorris-Van Valkenburg. Dad was from San Diego, CA and joined the Navy on his seventeenth birthday. I have been searching for military service records for both of my parents through Ancestry.com, but can't get any records due to some fire in 1956. I do have a clipping out of the base news letter from Pensacola; showing an award that he received for his micro/macro work.
I retired early this year, after driving 18wheelers in the "lower 48" and nine out of the ten lower provinces in Canada.Prior to that I was in law enforcement. I got my first lessons in photography at the police academy. When I started driving long haul, I used my camera to just take photos of my loads. My dad was always a sailor and a photographer till his death in 2011. He gave me my first "real camera"; a Canon DLSR , "starter kit". I now have a telephoto lense and a tripod. I am also into astrophotography. I have an old 144mm x 900mm telescope with a camera attachment for my Canon.
I live just down the street from a gentleman (87 yrs old-Navy vet) with law enforcement photography experience. I am trying to learn as much as I can from him before he's gone like my parents. My parents split up when I was six and I didn't know my dad until the last five years of his life. I have photography in my blood and wish to learn as much as I can in my retirement.
TH Van Valkenburg Jr
Welcome to the HOG.
Enjoy.
Welcome to the Photography World.
Great story of your family background, you do indeed have the photo blood! Welcome and have fun with it!
Welcome! Looking forward to your posts and pictures. Happy shooting!
Glad you're here and good shooting to you!
Welcome to the Forum Van, enjoy.
Welcome to UHH Van, glad you joined us. That is quite a story, thanks for sharing with us.
Have fun, learn and enjoy the forum.
Don
jpgto
Loc: North East Tennessee
Welcome, enjoy the journey
Welcome to the forum.
Jack
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