Flickr: fishingcat aka llamavan

Introverted, big time. Complex and seemingly contradictory, but ultimately congruent.

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Cameras:
Nikon D700

Sony DSC-H1

Nikon FE
(purchased new in 1982)
Nikon FE
(purchased in "like new" condition in 2008)
Nikon FM3a
(purchased used in 2009 as an upgrade to the second FE)

Gla$$:
A range of very nice Nikkor manual-focus primes covering 24mm to 300mm :-)
Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 AIS
Nikkor 28mm f/2 AIS
Nikkor 35mm f/1.4 AIS
Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 AIS
Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 AIS (my first lens and still the workhorse)
Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 AIS
Nikkor 105mm f/2.5 AIS (a favorite)
Nikkor 200mm f/4 AIS
Nikkor 300mm f/2.8 AIS

Nikkor TC-201 & TC-301 teleconverters

Zoom-NIkkor 50-135mm f/3.5 AIS

AF Nikkor 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5D macro zoom (replaces an AF Nikkor 28-85mm f/3.5-4.5D macro zoom, which was my second lens ever, bought new in 1994)

AF Nikkor 70-300mm f/3.5-4.5G zoom (received in trade for work on a friend's van)

AF Micro-Nikkor 200mm f/4D

Newest toy: green Nikonos V with 35mm and 80mm lenses :-) (look out, fishies!)

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Started with black-and-white film and mom's 35mm camera (a Kodak, possibly a Retinette 1A, but I don't remember for certain) that didn't have a light meter or any kind of focusing feedback. Obviously more "miss" than "hit". I was fascinated anyway, and hooked for life.

Despite my shiny new D700, I'm not an equipment-upgrade addict; rather the opposite. Aside from a Nikon D70s that disappointed and frustrated me (and thus lived in the closet for most of the two years I owned it), the above equipment list covers all the cameras I've ever owned. I bought the D700 because it is what I had always envisioned a digital SLR should be ... not because it's the newest DSLR on the block. I will probably be shooting with the D700 until either it or I croak, whichever comes first. :-)

After more than a quarter-century of shooting film on a limited budget and never having the time or money for a darkroom, I'm heavily biased towards captures that require minimal to no post-processing to render the scene as I recall seeing it. I'm not against manipulation (I have one on this site) or more extensive Photoshopping to improve the end result (got one of those, too) ... I'm just a realist who prefers to see reality as it is, and who generally has better things to do (like take pictures) than parking myself in front of a computer when I'm not feeding animals, working on vans, or holding down the night job.

I'm not a pro, nor am I aiming that-a-way. I pursue photography for personal pleasure, but always desire to improve my captures, both technically and artistically ... that journey is part of the pleasure for me. Some (a minority) of my Flickr uploads are for the benefit of friends, and thus the subject matter supersedes image quality (those should be easy to spot). I'm also very captivated by showing animals' and birds' expressions, so sometimes I choose to live with lesser image quality if that's the best I could manage in a particular situation.

With those minimal caveats in mind, your constructive comments and questions are welcome and much appreciated. Please understand that I'm not really able to participate in the whole awards and invites scene because of time constraints. I'd rather save my scarce time for making thoughtful comments on photos, particularly those of my contacts. :-)

~ Gwen