Hey all! I used to be CameraMan back on the old POTN. As you can see, I've moved my interests elsewhere... hence, the new nickname.
I've been playing drums since I was 8 years old (1974-ish). But in 2005 (just before I signed into POTN the first time I think), I moved to another state and had to leave all my drums behind. So, as a way for me to release my creative outlet, I got heavily into photography and I found POTN. I had been using cameras since high school and maybe even before then. I built a camera in the late 70s. It was just this little 110 camera that you snapped together as I recall. It took pretty decent photos too for a little snap together camera.
So, when I got into high school, I was more of a drummer than I was a photographer. But I still loved the process of loading 35mm film into my Pentax K1000, shooting off around 37-38 photos on a 36 exposure roll of film. Then getting them back a couple days later developed and printed. It was pretty amazing. After I graduated HS, I really got into drums when I bought my first kit in '86. Yes, I took photos of it. I need to find those. But now a days, I take photos mostly with my phone. I rarely pull out the DSLRs anymore. I've thought about selling them. My Canon 5D Mark II and my 40D and all of its lenses and doodads I've bought for them over the years. I've gotten a lot of use out of those 2 cameras and the accessories I own. I shot MANY weddings from 2008-2012. I was a main wedding photographer for a local wedding venue and I would have 4 weddings during a weekend sometimes. 2 on Saturdays and 2 on Sundays. I was working it pretty heavily back then. I must have shot 12,000 wedding photos alone in those 4 years. It was nuts. But the pay was pretty decent.
But, after that ran dry (the wedding venue I worked with closed down. Owners moved away, retired and didn't sell the business to any competitors) so, I was kind of out of work on the weekends. I had a full time job but that weekend money was really nice to have!
But I pretty much stopped doing photography stuff in 2013, 2014. My equipment sat in my nice camera backpack. Staying dust free all these years. But in 2020, I received a pretty good deal on some drums and I figured I'd give it a go again. It had been 15 years sine I sat down behind a drum kit. I was unsure if I could even play them again like I did when I was younger (15 years is a long time)!
So, I received these drums and I started playing them. It took me a couple weeks to get the feeling again. Sitting behind drums and being able to play them cleanly. That was a little tough at first. But after 3 weeks, I was pretty much back where I had been when I stopped. Being 55, there was a couple things I had issues with but working on those in the process has improved a lot too. Motor skills at 55 was pretty interesting and challenging. But I had fun doing it.
Now, in 2025, I am expecting my first grandchild in a couple of weeks. I'm so excited. I've made sure all my batteries are charged up in my 5D Mark II and my little point and shoot Canon G7X. It's a really nice little camera. I should be able to get some really nice pictures with that camera of my grand baby and her parents (yes, they already know it's a girl).
So, yeah, I've been quite busy over the years with photography and new hobbies which sort of took photographys place. I haven't completely left photography. I still think it's a pretty neat thing to take photos and have them processed within minutes and being able to share them online. But at the same time, at the moment, I'm not going out of my way to grab a camera and go take photos of anything. I did that a lot. And I think I have MANY photos... GREAT Photos of some great locations near my home. Some hang on my walls. Others are canvassing my Facebook page and other sites. I'm still proud of the work I've done with a camera both professionally and personally. Great memories indeed!
But yeah, I'm going to check out the rest of the site here. I may upload some photos if I see a place to add them like the old POTN had. I'll add a couple here...
I took these with my phone.
I've been playing drums since I was 8 years old (1974-ish). But in 2005 (just before I signed into POTN the first time I think), I moved to another state and had to leave all my drums behind. So, as a way for me to release my creative outlet, I got heavily into photography and I found POTN. I had been using cameras since high school and maybe even before then. I built a camera in the late 70s. It was just this little 110 camera that you snapped together as I recall. It took pretty decent photos too for a little snap together camera.
So, when I got into high school, I was more of a drummer than I was a photographer. But I still loved the process of loading 35mm film into my Pentax K1000, shooting off around 37-38 photos on a 36 exposure roll of film. Then getting them back a couple days later developed and printed. It was pretty amazing. After I graduated HS, I really got into drums when I bought my first kit in '86. Yes, I took photos of it. I need to find those. But now a days, I take photos mostly with my phone. I rarely pull out the DSLRs anymore. I've thought about selling them. My Canon 5D Mark II and my 40D and all of its lenses and doodads I've bought for them over the years. I've gotten a lot of use out of those 2 cameras and the accessories I own. I shot MANY weddings from 2008-2012. I was a main wedding photographer for a local wedding venue and I would have 4 weddings during a weekend sometimes. 2 on Saturdays and 2 on Sundays. I was working it pretty heavily back then. I must have shot 12,000 wedding photos alone in those 4 years. It was nuts. But the pay was pretty decent.
But, after that ran dry (the wedding venue I worked with closed down. Owners moved away, retired and didn't sell the business to any competitors) so, I was kind of out of work on the weekends. I had a full time job but that weekend money was really nice to have!
But I pretty much stopped doing photography stuff in 2013, 2014. My equipment sat in my nice camera backpack. Staying dust free all these years. But in 2020, I received a pretty good deal on some drums and I figured I'd give it a go again. It had been 15 years sine I sat down behind a drum kit. I was unsure if I could even play them again like I did when I was younger (15 years is a long time)!
So, I received these drums and I started playing them. It took me a couple weeks to get the feeling again. Sitting behind drums and being able to play them cleanly. That was a little tough at first. But after 3 weeks, I was pretty much back where I had been when I stopped. Being 55, there was a couple things I had issues with but working on those in the process has improved a lot too. Motor skills at 55 was pretty interesting and challenging. But I had fun doing it.
Now, in 2025, I am expecting my first grandchild in a couple of weeks. I'm so excited. I've made sure all my batteries are charged up in my 5D Mark II and my little point and shoot Canon G7X. It's a really nice little camera. I should be able to get some really nice pictures with that camera of my grand baby and her parents (yes, they already know it's a girl).
So, yeah, I've been quite busy over the years with photography and new hobbies which sort of took photographys place. I haven't completely left photography. I still think it's a pretty neat thing to take photos and have them processed within minutes and being able to share them online. But at the same time, at the moment, I'm not going out of my way to grab a camera and go take photos of anything. I did that a lot. And I think I have MANY photos... GREAT Photos of some great locations near my home. Some hang on my walls. Others are canvassing my Facebook page and other sites. I'm still proud of the work I've done with a camera both professionally and personally. Great memories indeed!
But yeah, I'm going to check out the rest of the site here. I may upload some photos if I see a place to add them like the old POTN had. I'll add a couple here...
I took these with my phone.
- motorola - motorola edge 5G UW (2021)
- 5.9 mm
- ƒ/1.9
- 1/20 sec
- Center-Weighted Average
- Auto exposure
- ISO 1792
- motorola - motorola edge 5G UW (2021)
- 5.9 mm
- ƒ/1.9
- 1/20 sec
- Center-Weighted Average
- Auto exposure
- ISO 2192