[quote=Dennis833]1. What initially attracted you to photography?

Hiking and the love of the great outdoors. This inspired me to become the first person to fully photograph the Great Western Tiers, Tasmania. Many areas have since been protected in National Parks.


Dennis,

I love Tasmania, been there several times. My wife is from Ipswich, Qld and one of our favorite spots in Tassie is the Cradle Mt. area.

I have sold hundreds of photos at shows that I have gotten printed with Sharpprints out of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Just wonderful folks to work with, photos are usually printed the same day I upload them. I do sizes from 5x7 through 20x30, shot with two Nikons: old D5300 with 18-400mm and D500 with Tamron 150-600mm (G2)

"But the D750 is already too heavy for a long walk…"

I am 74 and a few months ago bought a Nikon 500 and the Tamron 150-600. I also have the Tamron 18-400 (which I love). At my age, the 500 and the long Tamron has taken a lot of repetition to be able to use it for birds in flight because of weight and the initial difficulty of finding flying birds through the lens.

This combo is not something I would readily walk around with but is great for what I brought it for.

My wife and I are hoping to take our 15th trip to Australia (her home) early next year and the weight factor means I will take the long lens for Aussie bird photography but my walk around combo will be something a lot lighter. As we age even if we are active, the weight is definitely a factor to consider.

I bought the Nikon d5300 for a number of reasons but I also wanted the GPS as I roam all over the countryside shooting barns. Easy to use and I shut if off when taking informal shots that I don't need the location. Wish I would have had the gps/camera a couple of years ago rather than trying to guess where I was. When my wife (Aussie) and I travel in Australia, without a gps I have found I can't remember half of the places where I took photos unless I kept a journal that day that gives me a clue.

I also looked at add-on gps products and decided at my advanced age that was just one more thing I did not want to deal with.

Papa j wrote:
I am debating between these 2 lens. I believe the 18-400 is the newer of the 2. Does anyone have experience withe either your generous help is always appreciated. I primarily shoot with the Nikons 7200 and 750. I am thinking of either of these for travel. I have the Tamron 18-270 Pzd which I like but I would sell and replace with either of these

Thanks in advance
Joe



I used the Nikkor 18-140 for a couple of years, now have the 18-400. As I travel a lot, I find it very convenient to get long shots I could not with the 18-140 and have not noticed the extra weight at all. I carry it with a wrist strap. Having the two extremes, I don't have to worry about carrying another lens with me.

https://www.sharpprints.com/


20x30 for 7.95 great service and quality.

[quote=shirleyhogan]

As an old farm boy, two years ago I picked up my first DSLR and started shooting barns in Minnesota and then, a few other states. I have between 500-1,000 now and still find great satisfaction in taking photos of the work centers I hated growing up.

(Download)

[Anyone wanting to know how I got to this point can read this little diatribe that I shared almost 3 years ago: http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-327835-1.html]

What a great story! Thanks.

What company have you found that does metal prints well?

Great to read all the replies. I have gotten some good ideas. I am an old feller that picked up my first DSLR several years ago and now have around 70,000 photos stored in hard drives and online. As a 70+ year old farm boy, without any other intent than enjoyment, I started taking old barn photos and placed them on a couple of social sites online. All at once I found myself responding to a lot of people who wanted copies.

Started doing a couple of art/craft shows and now have sold hundreds of photos. I do smallest at 5x7 up to largest at 20x30, loose backer boards and enclosed in a plastic envelope from Clear Bags. I don't aim to make money but simply to recoup basic costs and some extra toward news lens and camera equipment.

My 20x30s sell for $20 and that gives me enough profit to keep it fun for both customer and myself. In 2018 I am introducing both canvas and aluminum prints. By the time I croak, I will probably have things decently organized.

Here is one online site with some of my barn photos: https://500px.com/hhinter

In 1976, I returned to Australia to meet my wife's family for the first time (long story). I took a 35mm film camera and when I first got down there, my camera developed a hitch that I could hear in the mechanism. One Sunday afternoon I sat at the kitchen table in my father-in-law's home and as I was talking with him, I took the shell off the camera and readjusted something that didn't quite look like it was working correctly.

During our month long stay, I took 18 rolls of film (36 exposures per cartridge) and due to the much higher cost of developing film in Australia, I waited until I got home to develop them. You know where this is going.

When I picked up the photos, they handed me 18 envelopes with photos inside. I had 7 photos that were developed and every last one of the others was blank. My "fix" turned out not to be.

My father-in-law was killed due to a coal mining accident before we got back again so we only have two photos of him that we took when he was alive.

The pier surely is still there. My wife and I try to winter on Mustang Island, missed last year. Two years ago when we were there, someone caught a 12 foot shark off the pier. Great area. Not nearly as crowded as Florida for old folks like my wife and I. Tons of birds and if you are a fisherman, this is nigh unto paradise.

If you choose to go to the Corpus area, don't miss the Padre Island National Seashore. Beautiful area, lots of birds and we have also seen dophins and stingrays. The stingrays were within 10 feet of shore and very visible.


https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60927-d106383-Reviews-Padre_Island_National_Seashore-Corpus_Christi_Texas.html

I absolutely love this shot!

Bless the Chinese. I was told this was a knock-off of a $700 tripod. Don't know if that is true but after going through a half dozen thrift store tripods, I am very happy with this one. It easily handles my Nikon D5300 with both a 18-140mm lens as well as my Nik 70-300 with no slippage and very steady in our Minnesota Siberian winds. It also has a self-contained mono-pod.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NSEKEMO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I use Sharpprints out of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Delighted with quality and service. If I get my photos uploaded in the morning, they are printed and shipped out the same day and arrive a day or two later. I print a lot of 20x30s for art shows and use ClearBags for backboards and protective envelopes.