john.brink's photostream  

I'm 49, living in Des Moines, Iowa.

Mayhem #2328972
Photographer
MM URL: www.modelmayhem.com/JohnBrinkPhotography

I've been an ameteur photographer since the summer of 2008 when I picked up my first SLR camera, a Nikon D60. It's been a serious hobby since then that allows me to be creative and technical at the same time.

To be honest, I am trying to develop my skills in photography with the intention of making a new career for myself. I have some lofty goals and they evolve with time. I realize it's going to be a long process. At this time I'm trying to decide if I want to specialize in children's portraiture or wedding photography.

Ok, browse through my photostream if you like. Comment if you want, I really enjoy comments and welcome constructive criticism. I try to comment on others' as best I can because I know we all enjoy the comments. I really enjoy when people include a little bit about their photos, like how they set it up or what they were trying to accomplish or anything beyond just posting the picture. But I sometimes do that too.

My equipment: (what I started out with)

Camera Nikon D60
Lenses: Nikkor kit lens, Nikkor AF-S VR Zoom, 18-55mm, f/3.5-5.6 G
Nikkor AF-S VR Zoom, 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G IF-ED
Nikkor AF-S VR Zoom, 55-200mm f/4-5.6 G ED
Filters: UV, 67mm, multicoated - Promaster
UV, 52mm,Tiffen
Flash units:Nikon SB-600 speedlight
Flash accessories: Lumiquest ultra-soft bounce card
Gary Fong lightshere (cloud) with white dome, amber dome and chrome dome
2 DIY bounce cards roughly based on www.abetterbouncecard.com
A 60 inch Phototec Softlighter II
Several reflectors
Two muslins: one black and one white along with a background stand.

a cheap tripod, can't remember what brand, it's out in the car right now. Will update later.

Software Nikon's Capture NX2 for converting RAW files to jpg (I currently do the vast majority of my post-processing in NX2. I always shoot in RAW format, even when I'm just messing around.

Nik Software's Color Efex Pro 3.0 plugin for NX2 (some really neat filters in there - love it)

Corel's Paint Shop Pro 2. I barely know how to use it but have on occasion when I want to do something I can't do in NX2. But I have to convert to jpg first.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0 for Windows.

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**Update: I've added a new camera and some lenses. **

Camera: Nikon D3s
www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Digital-SLR-Camer...

Lenses:

AF-S NIKKOR
14-24mm f/2.8G ED

Fast aperture, high-performance, ultra-wide-angle zoom optimized for FX- and DX-format sensors featuring Nikon’s exclusive ED Glass and Nano Crystal Coat.
www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Camera-Lenses/216...

AF-S NIKKOR
24-70mm f/2.8G ED

Fast-aperture, high performance wide-angle zoom optimized for FX and DX-format sensors and features Nikon’s ED Glass and Nano Crystal Coat.
www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Camera-Lenses/216...

AF-S NIKKOR
70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II

Fast aperture, f/2.8 zoom features VR II image stabilization, ED glass and Nano Crystal Coat. Excels at low-light sports, fashion, portraits and more.
www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Camera-Lenses/218...

AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4G
(well not exactly. The lens I have is the previous version with the aperture ring)

FX-format ultra-fast classic portrait lens with high picture quality, high performance, beautiful Bokeh (background blur) and outstanding reliability
www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Camera-Lenses/219...

AF DX Fisheye-Nikkor 10.5mm f/2.8G ED

This ultra-wide-angle, frame-filling fisheye, designed exclusively for use with Nikon’s DX-format, delivers incredible images with a 180-degree angle of view.
www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Camera-Lenses/214...

AF-S Teleconverter TC-17E II

AF-S Teleconverter TC-17E-II multiplies the effective focal length by 1.7x of select compatible NIKKOR lenses, offering an affordable and portable gateway to extend telephoto reach; ideal for sports shooting, wildlife, surveillance and more.
www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Camera-Lenses/215...

I also have three SB-900 speedlights and one SB-600 by Nikon

SB-900 AF Speedlight
The SB-900 i-TTL Speedlight leads the Nikon Creative Lighting System delivering the portability, power and versatility to support any photographer’s creative lighting imagination.
www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Flashes/4807/SB-9...

SB-600 AF Speedlight
A compact and versatile Speedlight for expanded creative lighting control and remote flash photography.
www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Flashes/4802/SB-6...

And for triggering the speedlights I use a
SU-800 Wireless Speedlight Commander

Nikon’s compact, portable wireless commander unleashes the full potential of Nikon’s Creative Lighting System.
www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Flashes/4794/SU-8...

I have a slew of umbrella's and other light modifiers along with stands, reflectors and backgrounds. I'm set up primarily for on-location portrait shooting.

I can also rent studio space for studio portraiture.

Friend me on Facebook !!!
www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100000384801352