Introductions (original thread, now closed)

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

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

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.

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

Hi Y'all and welcome to Wetpixel.

James

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

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

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

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...

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

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

Welcome Ellen,

Good to have you here.

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

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

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.

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.

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!

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

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

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