Greetings from California Shutterbug

<p>Hi there! I just signed up for photo.net, and I wanted to take a minute to introduce myself. I'll try to keep it brief, but no guarantees.<br>

I immersed myself in photography in junior high, when I took a class in it in 7th and 8th grades. At that time I was introduced to SLRs, developed and printed my own B&W film (would set up my enlarger in the one family bathroom, with trays over the bathtub--so I had to make sure everybody had relieved their bladders before I got started!), and got my first "real camera"--an Olympus OM-1. When I got to high school, there were no more photo classes, so I was on my own.<br>

I started shooting more color film, but I never "graduated" to the point of developing my own...so I became dependent on sending off to lab. As I exited the darkroom, I started using point&shoot cameras--so my photographic skills started to erode. Then the move to digital point&shoots, and I spent the next decade or so shooting lots of mediocre shots of vacations.<br>

Then in 2012 my wife and I planned a trip to New Zealand, and in prep for that I decided I needed a DSLR. I ended up with a Canon EOS Rebel t3i. Got some extra lenses, some filters--and pretty soon I was running all over NZ getting back into my photo groove! After that, I found that there was a photo club in the town where I lived, so I joined. I have learned SO much from being in the club, and from participating in their exercises and photo assignments.<br>

In 2015 I entered the club's photo contest, and I came away with one 3rd place ribbon. I made lots of notes about what kinds of things the judges were looking for, and I kept on working on taking better photos. In 2016 I entered more of my photos, and came away with six ribbons--including three blues! Based on this success, I began entering my photos in the county fairs in my area, and also the California State Fair. I have numerous showings coming up, have picked up more ribbons--including five from the State Fair. Two of those were blue! So I'm looking forward to attending my first California State Fair in a couple of weeks.<br>

I shoot mostly with my DSLR--I tend towards landscapes, but I also enjoy astrophotography and light painting. (Two of my prize-winners at the State Fair are light paintings). However, something happened last year that got me going back to film--and back into the darkroom! A friend of mine sent me an old camera that had belonged to her father-in-law, who sadly passed away last July 4th. She knew I liked old cameras, so she sent me this Ciro-Flex TLR that was in nearly perfect working condition. So long story short--I have started shooting more medium format B&W, and developing the film myself (I scan the negatives and work with the images in Photoshop--I got rid of my enlarger over a decade ago).<br>

Then a couple of weeks ago I was given another camera--a Hasselblad 500c that had been sitting in a box for nearly 50 years! It is in beautiful shape, though the body mechanism is completely gummed up. So I'm attempting a restoration project on it. I truly hope to be able to shoot with that beauty soon. I really think that messing around with 120 film and B&W again has made me a better photographer! Something about having to force yourself to think about your shots, and making each shot count (as opposed to the shotgun effects of taking hundreds of photos on SD cards).<br>

Anyway, I tried to keep it short and failed. But I do hope to be able to get to know some folks around here and share tips and experiences. I look forward to meeting you!</p>