"It is my intention to present - through the meaning of photography - intuitive observations of the natural world which may have meaning to the spectators"
Ansel Adams
Ansel Adams
This where I am suppose to tell you that I am a “gun” photographer. Well, I am not! But I am a “gunna” photographer. I am “gunna” get out and do some photography and hardly ever get out there and do it.
My sporadic journey over the years in photography began as a youngster when I began to play around with my Mum's KODAK Box Brownie without any film in it. Over the following years, I owned KODAK, YASHICA, KONICA and finally PENTAX film cameras. Most of which their insides hardly saw the 'light of day'.
Prior to my change-over to digital in 2008, my first foray into digital was back in 1997/98 when I had a chance to work for the Australian Antarctic Division on Macquarie Island - "Macca". Back then the AAD had , if I remember correctly, KODAK EOS DCS-3 1.3MP digital cameras, one of which I was able to use from time to time as part of my work as a Communications Technical Officer.
While I was at Macca I had the opportunity to learn the E-6 process to develop the Fujichrome Sensia colour slide film that I was using with my KONICA Autoreflex TC camera. Learning the E-6 process piqued my interest further into photography and I went on to learn how to develop and print B&W at TAFE after my return from Macca.
In late 1998, following problems with the KONICA and the cost of repair, I decided to buy a PENTAX MZ50 film camera with SIGMA AF 24-70mm f/3.5-5.6 AND 100-300mm f/4.5-6.7 kit lenses. About 3 years later, I decided to upgrade to a PENTAX MZ-5N film camera.
Sometime in 2000, I decided to join a camera club in an effort to learn more about photography and to advance my camera skills. It also gave me the opportunity to enter the club's monthly competitions and to get feedback on my images. I remained with that club for 18-24 months. Then, in 2004, I joined another camera club which was much closer to where I was then living and have remained being a member with that club ever since.
My progression into the digital age in 2008 started with my on-line purchase of a PENTAX K10D 10.2MP APS-C camera. They say that you should be wary of buying 'grey imports' which I found out to be the case with the K10D. What I thought to be a case of having 'soft' lenses, I found out later after buying better quality lenses that I had an variable front/back-focus problem with the K10D. After many attempts to have the problem fixed, I ended up with a demo PENTAX K20D 14.6MP APS-C as a replacement, courtesy of the camera store through where I was trying to get my K10D fixed.
The benefits of belonging to a camera club is to see the images that are being submitted in monthly club competitions of other like-minded photographers and to talk with them about their images and cameras. Of those members who had digital cameras, some had 'cropped' sensors and other had 'full frame'. I started to see the benefits of a 'full frame' camera and decided that was going to be my next acquisition. Unfortunately PENTAX did not offer a 'full frame' camera at that time. After much research, the choice of a 'full frame' camera came down to either NIKON or CANON.
After much saving and waiting due to the cost of a complete new setup, I was fortunate enough, in early 2016, to buy a refurbished kit consisting of a CANON EOS 6D and a CANON EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens at a reasonable price from a camera store. No 'grey import' this time around. I have since added the following lenses to my kit: CANON EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM; CANON EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM; and SIGMA 105mm EX DG macro.
It could be asked of me, "Do you have a specific area of interest in what you photograph?" Although I have no specific genre, my interests basically lie in several areas: landscape; seascape; panorama; macro; and lately, minimalism.
So ....... where am I 'gunna' go from here? As they say .......
'Watch the birdie!'