Introductions (original thread, now closed)

[Cerianthus 55]

Hi there,

 

Quite recently I joined wetpixel, because i was looking for a proper underwater photography forum.

 

I’ve been diving for 10 years, with most dives at home in temperate waters (Netherlands). I usually rather drive then fly to holidays, so my holidays have been to the mediterrenean (Spain/France), Atlantic destinations such as Galicia and Britanny , and Scotland (where i have visited Scapa Flow twice. The only tropical trip I took was to the red sea.

 

This year (after a false start last year) I started underwater photography using a Minolta dynax 7xi in an Ikelite underwater housing. (50mm macro lens mostly, also have an 24 mm wide angle and a dome port). I think i made about 20 photo dives now.

 

Since there is a HP scanner with a film scan facility at work, (scans might be not that brilliant, but it will be possible to share some pics for feedback) i can pose a bit as a digidiver once in a while.

 

I am a marine biologist turned into an environmental consultant, with the occasional sigh to get back into marine biology. I enjoy cycling every now and then (I was more active in it before), but my main sport next to diving is Rugby Union.

 

My nickname Cerianthus is after a beautiful anemone that is also sometimes present in my own waters. I plan to add a “ home made†pic of a Mediterranean species to my profile. My real name is Gerard.

 

Since starting taking pix under water, my interest in diving has increased, even if it means getting in low viz sand quarries.

 

Gerard

[carib-blu 0]

Welcome to the world of wetpixel! You have arrived at a place where you can gain so much information about our sport. This site is full of "World Class" photographers and World Class people. Very friendly and you can always find answers to questions. Use it, enjoy it, let us know how you're doing! Good Luck Gerard!

 

Aurabest,

john

[deep3dude 0]

Old threads never die they just get added too.

 

I live on Vancouver Island in Victoria BC and have been diving for about 8 years / 750 dives but only with a camera in hand for about 70 of them. I love diving here despite the extra gear but also love warmer, clearer tropical reef diving.

 

I upgraded from a P&S camera and housing with 1 ds50 strobe to a dual ds125, & a Canon 10D in an Ikelite housing recently and somewhere during the process discovered this excellent informant site.

 

 

When I first started diving I thought I would never use an underwater camera but digital cameras made me eat my own words. I take pictures mostly for myself as I enjoy the challenges of getting better. Reading this site has made me realise just how much enjoyment I still have to experience as the excellent work I see here amazes me.

 

Thanks for any help for might provide a relative novice .... Tim Campbell

 

http://www.shutterfreaks.com/gallery/Underwater

[MikeVeitch 0]

Hi Tim, i too used to enjoy those waters....then i got smart

 

Great to have you here, maybe some day i will stop being a chicken and dive the island again...maybe being the key word there...

[deep3dude 0]

I just reviewed your web pages, I would stay 'smart' for as long as you can.

[ornate_wrasse 0]

Hi Everyone,

 

My name is Ellen and I live in Portland, OR. I am a Certified Public Accountant. I have been diving since 1998 and been shooting pics u/w since about 2000. I got hooked when I rented an MX-5 in Cozumel on my first dive trip after being certified. Soon after that I bought a Nik V and currently own the 15mm (Sea & Sea), 20mm, 28mm, 35mm lenses and extension tubes. I have previously resisted going digital, but now I'm ready to make the move. I started posting here so I could learn before I make the plunge, so to speak. I'm thinking of buying a D70 and, if finances permit, a Nexus housing.

 

I have been fortunate enough to have dived in the Sea of Cortez (where I first learned to dive at Club Med) , Cozumel (2x), Curacao, Turks and Caicos, the Red Sea, the Flower Gardens, the Florida Keys, Hawaii, Okinawa and right here in the Pacific Northwest in Puget Sound.

 

I've been posting for many years on D2D at Rodales. I've also been lurking and occaisonally posting on the uwphoto list. The names of some of you are familiar to me. Good to see you here!

 

I took a family trip to Japan this summer and, while there, had the distinct pleasure of meeting Chris Bangs. He had invited me to visit him once he found out about my Japan visit from a post I'd made on uwphoto. I spent a day with him, a day which I will not soon forget. I guess that has been the impetus for me to get back into u/w photography and to go digital. For a few years, my expensive hobby was on hold while paying for my daughter's education at the University of Miami. She just graduated in May, so I can again justify spending tons of $$$ on my hobby Oh, and of course, I went diving in the Keys while in Miami for her college graduation

 

I'm quickly finding out that this is a great place to learn about digital u/w photography. Thanks to everyone for helping to make it all possible.

 

Kind regards,

 

Ellen

[MikeVeitch 0]

Welcome Ellen,

 

Good to have you here.

[james 0]

Hi Ellen,

 

Welcome to Wetpixel! I'm glad you got to meet up with Chris. We stopped over in Japan on our way back from Bali and met up w/ Chris also. We only had enough time to tour around Narita, but it was well worth it:

 

 

You got to see their hotel and everything right? I'm jealous!

 

Good to have you here.

 

Cheers

James

[ornate_wrasse 0]

Hi James,

 

Yes, I went up to their hotel, traveling up to the Nasushiobara stop on the shinkansen (bullet train) where Chris picked me up. I spent the night actually at his home and then we went to the hotel for breakfast the next morning. Got a chance to see some of his pics displayed on the walls of the hotel. Pretty impressive to say the least. Chris also took me to the onsen (hot spring) where his wife and I went bathing. To top it all off, he gave me a copy of his anemone pic that currently graces the centerfold of the Sport Diver September issue. You can easily see why it was a day I won't soon forget!

 

As soon as I can figure out how to post a pic here, I'll post the picture I took of Chris at the hotel. He must like to wear the shirt in your pic, because it looks like it's the same one he's wearing in my pic!

 

Thanks for the warm welcome.

 

Ellen

[Dozindave 0]

Hi everyone

My name is David I am an Engineering manager at a Tool and Die shop where I also am a Die Maker I live in Michigan and dive inland lakes and the Great Lakes and manage to go to the caribean a couple times a year (gota thaw out). I have been shooting film untill my recent investment in a 20d and am currently rounding up equipment for it. I am eager to learn what I can.

[Rocha 0]

Hi David, welcome to Wetpixel! I am sure you will find tons of useful information here, this site helped me a lot during my transition from film to digital.

[Chris Bangs 0]

Hi James,

 

As soon as I can figure out how to post a pic here, I'll post the picture I took of Chris at the hotel.  He must like to wear the shirt in your pic, because it looks like it's the same one he's wearing in my pic!

 

Thanks for the warm welcome.

 

Ellen

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Hi Ellen and welcome!

 

I only have one shirt with buttons! A polo is formal for chris!

[ornate_wrasse 0]

Hi Chris,

 

Hmmm.....fancy running into you here

 

So that explains why you were wearing the same shirt.

 

Probably a good policy to have only one. Leaves more money for u/w photography toys

 

All the best,

 

Ellen

[dashark 0]

Hello,

My name is Danny , and I am a Firefighter for Los Angeles County. Me and my wife try to get wet as often as possible. She is not a big fan of cold water diving, so, we try to travel as much as our 2yo son will allow. I end up diving the channel islands without her as much as i can in between trips.

Our favorite place to dive so far is Fiji.

We just got back from Belize and were dissapointed with the diving.

As far as Photography, we are waiting for our first uw setup. I have used this forum to help guide me in the right direction.

Thanks to everyone for all the help. I'm sure i will frequent the sight in the near future to guide me through using our new setup.

Stay safe....

Danny

[pixie 0]

Hi my name is Julia and for my sins I dive in the lovely green and murky waters of the UK, this makes being an underwater photgrapher a bit of a challenge but hey, it makes it all the better when you get some decent results.

 

I used to have an olympus 5050 but i drowned it... I have just taken delivery of a 7070WZ to replace it.

 

I took it to the Farne Islands last weekend (off the North East coast of England) and got the opportunity to take a few pics of grey seals.

 

 

 

I am pretty happy with these for a first outing.

 

I am starting to have a go with shooting in RAW and have started using RAW Shooter Essentials so I am right at the bottom of a new learning curve with both trhe camera and processing. Looking forward to getting hints an dtips from you guys

 

Jules

[yzer4 1]

This feels a little like one of those AA moments you see in the movies

 

My name is Pieter and I joined in April. I've started diving in 1996 when I was on holliday in the Philipines. After that I did not dive for 6 years and started again when on holliday in Egypt.

2 years ago I bought a little sony camera and the housing along with it a few months later. Ever since I've been hooked.

I upgraded to a Nikon D70 last year and bought the Ike housing last August.

I've taken it on it's first dives now and have found out how much I still have to learn.

 

The road to becoming a better picturetaker, I'll not call myself a photographer yet, will be long, but on the bright side, also quite enjoyable.

 

Thanks to all for the invaluable posts that have helped me a lot already.

There are some UW pictures on My Webpage, the D70 ones are in the Egypt section

 

 

I always welcome comments, especially if they can help me improve my pictures.

[Augusto_Valente 0]

Hi All, my name is Augusto Valente and I just come in to this forum.

I'm from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and I take pictures on underwater since 2001. I started with a MMIIex!! Now I have a Nikon N80 on hugyfot housing.

 

regards

[rbonner 0]

Hello All, My name is Bob Bonner and I'm from South Dakota. My profile lists most of my interests. I'm an "Adult Industry" Photographer / Videographer who is about to get his feet wet and hopefully not his cameras jumping into Underwater Photography.

 

My long time wife, and Adult Model / Actress Yvette Wilde (My Avitar) after spending the last 10 years as a Clive Cussler fan (Dirk Pitt Novel Reader) decided we were going diving. Her interest is Marine Life and Adventure (interacting and or gamefishing) and mine is Photographing Females of our Species interacting with their environment, wherever that might be. Quite possibly a perfect marriage.

 

After getting our certifications I realized renting equipment netted me questionable and semi-unreliable gear so I began purchasing and purchasing and purchasing. I haven't even gotten to the camera gear yet. I realize that my housings are probably going to be more expensive than my cameras and dive gear.

 

It is our hope to do world travel and shoot in the most beautiful places on earth. Hopefully, I won't get the business end of Yvette's speargun; the good news afterwords is I will probably have filmed it. She'll most likely make millions on the movie rights.

 

I'm starting to think Dry Suit after 54 degrees for today's high and at this minute it is 35 degrees here in Sioux Falls. Unfortunately our Cozumel Vacation for Thanksgiving week was cancelled due to... High Wind and Rain. I was really looking forward to that trip all summer! Our local highlight was Sunday's underwater pumpkin carving contest. I would have liked to film that.

 

The shops here do cameras and accessories, however they aren't professional photographers. I found this website and was instantly JAZZED. I'm hoping to learn from those here on Wetpixel and possibly share some of my experiences.

 

I hope my jovialness is welcome.

 

Sincerely,

 

RB Bonner

 

I shoot a Hassie 500C in the studio, a Nikon D70S, Kodak DC-290 (my first digital) and a Canon XL-1 DV video.

[Drew 0]

Welcome Augusto Pieter and Bob.

Augusto, I am still trying to get down to Rio. Apparently there's a very magic spot known only to fishermen. Carioca style diving.

 

Pieter, If I may suggest. Put your best u/w images together and post at the Photo/Gallery Forum for comments. I loved Philippines for diving although it's one of those places which is deteriorating rapidly in many places.

 

Bob

Please skip still photography and get the XL HD. We need someone who shoots something different in the video forum(something other than Sony). Jovialness is very welcome here.

[Elli and Ted 0]

Hi,

We Elli and Ted just want to say hello to everybody.

there is a saying "When was the last time you did something for the first time". We started diving last year in May 2004 and we love it. The beginnig of this year we started taking UW pic's with our coolpix 4100 and now we are ready we think (gulp), for your critical opinions.

 

Have a nice dive and don't forget to put the chipcard in the camera

Edited November 8, 2005 by Elli and Ted

[Rocha 0]

Welcome to wetpixel Augusto, Pieter, Bob, Elli and Ted! Wow, lots of new people!

 

Elli, Ted, coincidentally another member is asking opinions on the use of the coolpix 4100 underwater. It would be great if you guys could give him your opinions. Here is the link to the topic:

 

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=10489

 

Also, you may want to resize your images to a smaller size before attaching. I can't see the one you attached in your last post because apparently it is too large. An image of 500 pixels (on the longest side) saved in photoshop with the "Save for Web" command will work fine, and it will be alot faster for us to download and see it.

 

Luiz

[cosky 0]

Hello i am chris cocks from malta. i need some tips about using a flash gun with my digital canon camera. can some body answer me please?

[Rocha 0]

Hi Cosky,

 

Welcome to wetpixel! You should be more specific in your questions, otherwise we won't be able to help. My suggestion is that you start a new topic on the "Lights, Strobes and Lighting Technique" forum. Tell us what camera and strobe you have, and what problems you are facing, and I am sure someone will be able to help you.

 

Luiz

[frogfish 5]

Welcome Bob,

 

It's interesting - we have one other member who previously worked as a photographer in the 'adult' industry - I believe for Penthouse. I'll let him comment or respond if he so desires, though the truth is that many active members don't check the "introductions" very often, if at all, particuarly those of us with slow modem connections.

 

There are a number of people here who dive areas where a dry suit is mandatory, or at least a good idea. I'm not one of them, however - call me the original Warm Water Wimp.

 

While I'm here, also hi and welcome to Julia (great seal shots), Ellie and Ted, Augusto, Danny, Chris and everyone else. I hope you'll find this site as valuable and interesting as I have.

 

Frogfish

[davichin 18]

Hallo all! I´m a diver from The Canary Islands, Spain. We are a big group of UWPs that dive everyweek and take a lot of pictures trying to improve everytime...If you ever happen to come to Gran Canaria let me know so we can take you diving around...

For some reason I can´t use my real e-mail to register but it´s where you can contact me:

 

davidbarrio@yahoo.com