Introductions (original thread, now closed)

[fforbes 7]

Hello, like a couple of others here, I didn't twig to "Introductions" meaning a place where we introduce ourselves. A civilized concept!

I am Fletcher, from L.A. and the Florida Keys. Started Scuba in the freshwater lakes in central Florida a loooong time ago and underwater photog about when the first Nikonos V came out, whenever that was. You would think I'd be better at it after all this time, but I learn or see something new on every dive. I experienced a fortuitous flooding of my Nikonos 8008S and Aquatica housing last year. Oh darn, might as well move to digital. I bought the D100 and, after practicing on land for about 6 months, got the Subal housing for it. There was never a question that I would stay with Nikon, I've got all these lenses. Besides, Nikon has been good to me.

I absolutely am in awe of this camera. I know that newer cameras have more gadgets, but the D100 will stay with me for a long time, I hope. You all helped me decide the WA lens I should get and, if I can figure out how to post a pic, I'll show off the results some day.

Thanks for being here!

[smash 0]

Hello everyone! I just recently registered here but I've been lurking for quite awhile. I'm Patricia from Houston, Texas. Been diving for almost 4 years. Started carrying a dinky little Sealife Reefmaster with me almost immediately. Last year for my birthday, I treated myself to an Oly C5050 and PT015. Its maiden voyage was to Hawaii, and I was amazed at how well the photos turned out. That's the funny thing about beginner's luck. Ever since then, I've been experiencing that frustrating and exhilarating climb up the learning curve, goofing around with my set up and adding to it in a piecemeal fashion -- a strobe here, a lens there. Thanks for all the guidance and instruction. This place is invaluable!

[james 0]

Welcome you guys (and gals) to Wetpixel. I think this introductions thread is great. I especially like it when folks talk about where they are from and what the diving is like there. That way I can hit them up for a place to stay when I travel...:-P

 

Good to see another Houstoner as well (about time you registered Patricia!) - I think there are lot of us here on Wetpixel.

 

Cheers

James

[Marjo 8]

Good to see some fellow vikings as well!!! Soon we will have a full scandinavian fraction of wetpixel!

 

Lycka till med projectet Johan. Du kommer sakert att bli en varldsberomd undervattensfotograf sa smaningom. Om du har vagarna forbi jungfruoarna, sa posta personligt meijl via denna sida till mej och jag skall visa dej alla vara smultronstallen

 

Marjo the Mumin Trollet

[jawsk2 0]

My name is Ken. I live in Houston. I've been certified as a dive instructor for 10 years, but only taught 2 classes. Mainly because I don't have the time or patience to deal with some of the people who get forced into the sport by their spouse! Also, the freakin insurance is outrageous!

Up until recently I only messed around with video: Amphibico w/Sony Hi-8, then Light and Motion Hi-8, then Light and Motion DV. I just sold off my video setup and am going to be bugging everyone on here to find just the right setup for my Canon 20D. It seems like Nikon has the edge on underwater stuff, but I've got too much Canon stuff to switch

My wife is a divemaster and we got married on the beach in Cozumel, which was EXCELLENT; wouldn't have done it any other way.

I plan on spending many many hours reading the posts and trying to digest as much info as I can!

[Johann 0]

Thank you Marjo, I will come by some time

 

vi ses

 

// Johan N

[underexposed 0]

we got married on the beach in Cozumel, which was EXCELLENT; wouldn't have done it any other way.

I plan on spending many many hours reading the posts and trying to digest as much info as I can!

 

Hi jawsk2,

 

My wife and I were married on a Cozumel beach as well. It was perfect. Enjoy the board, I've learned a lot.

[SkroOob 0]

Hi fellas ASSALAM ALAIKUM .

 

 

My name is Saad Al-Afaliq (i know its unusual :-)) I am from Saudi Arabia, 24 years old, finance student. I`m a rescue diver who started diving in 2003 and fell in love with it as well as underwater photography ever since.

 

 

I have an Olympus c-60 and just recieved my brand new Ike ds-50 strobe , which I cant wait to use. Unfortunantly, I can`t dive in winter, we Arabs really can`t handle cold :oops: ,we are only ok with hot or warm . So until april, my camera is going for a long deep sleep. And until it wakes up I guess I`ll stick around and learn from the masters.

 

 

excuse my bad english

Saad Al-Afaliq

[scubajunkee 0]

Hi everyone,

 

My name is Ericson, aka The ScubaJunkee. I'm a SF Bay Area resident and have been diving for the past 5 years now. I've been interested in UW digital photography for quite sometime and have been using a very basic point and shoot housed 35mm camera. I just got a new (used) Canon Powershot S40 camera for Xmas and I'm eager to get it housed and wet. One of my regular dive buddies have the save camera, housed with an Inon D180 strobe and his pics are awesome. I hope to shoot great pictures as well.

 

I look forward to chatting with all of you.

 

Ericson

[castropix 0]

Greetings.

 

After several weeks of being an ANON user I decided to join. I currently live in West Palm Beach Florida and work as a civil engineer.

 

I actually purchased my current camera and housing with out ever diving or thinking about u/w photos. My thought was that it would serve as good protection from the sand when at the beach or around the pool.

 

But after seeing the potential my wife and I decided to learn SCUBA diving at our local dive shop http://www.thescubaclub.com. We only have a handful of dives so far but look forward to filling our dive book. I'm on hold with pictures for now b/c our dive instructor says we need to concentrate on our diving skills, punctuated by the fact I was on the boat 20 mins before anyone else on our last dive.

 

For 2005 I'm looking forward to NITROX, purchasing some strobes and learning some of the techniques highlighted in the forums. Thanks for all the great advice and encouragement to us beginners!

 

Harvey

 

---------------------------------------------------

Canon Powershot S1 IS --WP-DC20 Housing

[dmoss 0]

Hello everyone !

 

My name is David, and I'm an addict. Scuba and more recently UW photography that is. :wink:

 

I'm from southwest Missouri and am fortunate enough to have some nice clear lakes and quarries close by. I started diving 4 years ago and finished my SSI DiveCon certification last year. Currently studying to be an instructor. Sharing my love of scuba by teaching new students is so rewarding.

 

My first ocean dive convinced me that I needed to take a camera underwater to capture all the beauty. I started with a Reefmaster and not long after that a friend told me about this neat website called Wetpixel. IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT ERIC & JAMES !!!

 

I started reading every post I could (my wife is convinced I have read them all). I upgraded my equipment to an Oly 5060, Ikelite housing, strobes, dome port and anything else I could drag down there to give me the aerodynamics of a '54 Buick.

 

I try to make 2 or 3 trips to the warm Caribbean each year. My favorite place thus far is Bloody Bay wall in Little Cayman. I had plans last fall for Grand Cayman and checking out Cathy Churchs' classes, but Ivan took care of that idea. My calender this year includes St. Lucia and Saba.

 

I am grateful to all the talented photographers that share their knowledge on this site. No question is ever too dumb. The fine folks here will always offer genuine and helpful advice. I have picked up more information on this site than I could have on my own in several years. The learning curve is really improved, thanks to Wetpixel.

 

Keep up the good work !

[gavinparsons 1]

Hi All

 

I thought i'd just say hello as I've just joinefd the forum. My name is Gavin. I'm based in the UK. I do quite a bit of work for Diver magazine over here.

 

It's good to find a forum full of likeminded people.

[jmeoud 0]

Hi, I just wanted to introduce myself.

My name is Jacqueline and only recently got infected with the scuba virus.

I live in the netherlands and work as a marine engineer or navel architect.... so the sea is my living.

I own and operate a fuji f700 including underwater housing and am starting to get the hang of things. I'm currently a rescue diver but hope to start my divemaster by the end of this year. I dive both in the netherlands and in any other locations where there is something to see. recent trips included Malta, turkey and egypte and in the up coming year i'm planning a trip to the seychelles.

hope in the future to get some feedback on my pictues as well as good advice.

happy bubbles, jacqueline

[Viz'art 0]

Hi my name is Jean, and although I have been posting for a while, I never took the time to formally introduce myself, as you probably noticed, my signature always have Aquatica attached to it, even if I am not a full time employee for them, I feel that my involvement with them warrant the signature, I am bias toward our product and figure it's only honest to let readers know where I stand, I hate innuendo or false motive... on the other hand I enjoy the fact that i'm forced in a neutral zone, as I will never comment on a housing question except if the question is in regard to u/w photography per say and not about the product.

 

On a personal note: I'm married to a Venezuelan, so a lot of my diving is over there, been certified since 1990, bought my first u/w camera Nik V in 1988, been doing photography since 1971 (found a camera on a park bench!), now work as a full time photo instructor in Montreal and been associated with Aquatica since the early 90', just landed the position of photography columnist for the magazine Scuba Press and did its front page in the same stride and finally recently started doing technical illustrations to spice up my courses or articles and must admit I enjoy that very much.

 

Wetpixel deserve a big round of applause for permitting all of us from every corner of the world (the expression applies here) to be able to exchange ideas and point of view. BRAVO !

[Scubaskeeter 3]

I'm a new user but have lurked for a year, infrequently. Turns out I know a couple of you, hello to Frogfish and ScubaDru. I'm a frequent poster and pest on the the Rodales board. Got digital in Oct. 2002, currently shoot a Canon S50. Recent trips to Indonesia (Flores Sea) and Cozumel. Live in Minneapolis, MN.

 

I'm a consulting business analyst with emphasis on management information reporting.

[frogfish 5]

Turns out I know a couple of you, hello to Frogfish and ScubaDru. I'm a frequent poster and pest on the the Rodales board. reporting.

 

Hello Scubakeeter. And thanks again for the help with the synch cord.

 

Frogfish

[Scubaskeeter 3]

Hi Robert,

 

I was glad to return the favor you showed us in Bali. I was also impressed by the customer service provided by Ike. IF (big if) I ever go DSLR, it'll be with Ikelite on the outside!

[thatporchdawg 0]

Hey y'all. I'm a former lurker turned member. I've been diving four years and been shooting UW digital about 2 or 3 years. I've been shooting a Canon A10 and A40 with marginal results. I returned from Cozumel a few weeks ago and after reading a bit on here, I realized my backscatter infested shots were all due to bad strobe positioning. I hate it when you learn the lesson after you've had the test!

 

I'm also the proud owner of a shiny new Canon 20D. I'm in the market for a housing, but I'm patiently waiting on that until I figure out how to use my new toy.

 

I'm designer/programmer for electronic content management systems by day here in Houston, TX and I don't spend nearly enough time underwater.

[bucear 0]

Hi folks my name is Ron and I have recently celebrated my 47th year of diving. I am an MSDT. I got into UW photog about 20 years ago and into digital UW 2 years ago. I am a retired IBM Exec and currently run a non-profit called ITDC (international Traded development Center) in Tucson, AZ I look forward to learning and sharing photos and expereiences.

 

Ron

[Paul Wix 0]

Hello all,

 

I am Paul, and my wife and I hail from Sydney, Australia.

 

We have been diving for quite a few years now, and have only in the last year found underwater photography. Since then we have started paying off (!!) an Olympus c-5060 and a Sony HC40, housed in a PT-020 and Amphibico Evo Dive Buddy respectively.

 

I am an ex-IBMer (there's a theme here on this forum....) and am now studying to become a sworn officer with the New South Wales Police (yes, at my age!!). My wife is still at IBM earning enough to help us renovate, study and dive as much as possible ;-)

 

Our favourite dive site locally is Shiprock and we have just returned from Kapalai in Sabah, Malaysia - wow, Sipadan drop off.......Mabul critters.....

 

Hope to chat or dive with you soon!!

[carib-blu 0]

A toast to Eric and all the admins.....wishing all that you wish for be the least that you get!!!! St. Paddy's on the morn and all of us in the Cayman Islands wish you fair winds!!!! This site just keeps getting better and better....so much talent, and the obvious passion for what we do! Keep going kids!!! See you on the safety stop!

 

 

Aurabest,

john

[mdshope 0]

Hello, I am new to this board although I have been observing as a guest for some time now. My name is Michael Shope. I live just outside of Charlotte, NC in the small town of Dallas. I am a Network Manager for a telecomm Co. In my spare time I am a Dive Master for Sea World Divers of Hickory, NC (still trying to transition into an instructor) I have been diving for awhile now. Taking pictures with a Sea and Sea Motor Marine II EX for the last nine years. I am about to jump into the world of Digital, SLR, and Dual Strobes all at once. My 20D, Ike housing and strobes are on there way I will spend my spare time looking through out these forums trying to gather all the knowledge I can get. I can't post images to critique yet as I have no digital ones. I look forward to that day though.

 

Regards,

Michael D Shope

www.scubashots.net

[cuberoot3i 0]

hi, i john. currently unemployed and loving it. stuck in pa. (girlfriend thing) been diving since '82 when i was in the marines. just stated taking pictures(girlfriend thing again) during an ice diving trip.i mostly like to dive lomg and deep but will settle for diving anywhere. got season pass for dutch springs for those in the northeast, maybe we can meet some sat. night.

[morrisr 0]

Hi there,

I'm new to the site, but already I've found it to be really useful, thanks!

I'm a 26yr marine biologist working for the smithsonian in maryland...I mostly dive for work (AAUS certified), and have actually done very little 'fun' diving. Had to dive in lakes in canada to take sediment cores for mecury analysis, and dove in bimini for reef surveys. Currently I'm doing projects in Belize at Carrie Bow Caye, which is amazing...and also working on Chesapeake Bay jellyfish, but diving there is not so much fun. I have to take underwater stills and video for work, but photography in general is one of my hobbies. Another favorite hobby is belly dancing, and I'm in a performance troupe that dances in the maryland area.

Thanks for all the friendly support and info!

Becs

[james 0]

Hi Y'all and welcome to Wetpixel.

 

James