How many shooters are also photographers ?

[Darkside]

I too shoot both ways.

I became interested in photography in the early 80's when I bought my SLR, a Canon AL1. After that is was an A-1, Followed by a couple AE-1 Programs then finally a F-1 that I shot in college while working on a major in photography, shooting mainly sports. After getting out of college, the real world soaked in, since I didn't have a home darkroom, film cost a LOT of money to get developed. I was used to shooting 15-20 rolls at a football game, at $1 a roll. Then I would go to the college darkroom and develope it for about 50 cents.

I couldn't afford, or have the time, to set-up a home darkroom so the film cameras were sold off.

Then along came digital....WHOO HOO. I started with the Canon DSLR but quickly upgraded to the 20D. I bought a 10D as backup and a couple L's . Now I am back to shooting about 150-200 photos at my son's sports games.

I LOVE DIGITAL.

Darkside

 

[JimAmentler]

I have been a full time photographer for bodybuilding/fitness magazines and supplement companies for the last 15 years or so. Musclemag International, Oxygen (the womens fitness mag), Ironman, Muscular Development, various overseas mags. Also music industry work occasionally. Now have moved on to other full time work involving guns (imagine that!) and medical care.

I still use my Canon's and the RZ for fun. I have a Hasselblad that I never use anymore if anyone is interested in buying it.

 

[ScottsGT]

OK, to keep things gun related........ (most of these were taken with a 2.0 Sony)






Nikon CoolPix 5600:

 

[Mad Man]

Now you can do both!

http://www.meopta.com/index.php?id=132&lang=en

Meosmart™, A Meopta exclusive digital Hunting Scope
A truly innovative and revolutionary new firearms optical sighting product for the 21st century!

When set in the on position, the Meosmart™ automatically captures a digital image of what ever the scope is aimed at when the firearm is discharged or when the manual shutter button is pressed. Allowing the user to capture an image of his intended target that can later be reviewed, saved, printed or shared.

This revolutionary new product utilizes only the finest optical image splitting system available in addition to state-of-the-art electronics, firmware and CCD digital image hardware, which have been seamlessly blended into our renowned top quality Meostar™ riflescope system! Ensuring superior sighting performance and years of quality image capturing! Because of its unique image splitting configuration the optical sighting system is designed to function when the digital capturing system is in either the on or off positions, guarantying that you will never miss a shooting opportunity due to any aspect of the digital capturing system.

The Meosmart™ is ideally suited for serious hunters who want to capture that once in a lifetime shot or the professional target shooters who are always looking for ways to improve their shooting technique or just the average shooter who has to have the most innovative and revolutionary riflescope on the market today!

And speaking of shooters who like to photograph, or photographers who like to shoot guns, check out this guy's (non-gun related) pictures at http://www.peeniewallie.com/slideshows/index.html

​

February 27, 2006: Wyoming Archers Defenseless Against Grizzly Bears​

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January 22, 2006: Ptarmigan Point - Grand County, Colorado​

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November 16, 2005: The Weasels in HR​

His take on digital SLRs is worth reading, too.


Some collections of his pictures can be found at

Jackson 2000

Denver 2001

Havana 2001

Jackson 2001

Jackson 2002

Orlando 2002

Ouray 2002

San Francisco 2002

Amsterdam 2003

New Orleans 2003

Honolulu 2004 - The Second Voyage

San Francisco - Haight/Ashbury to Chinatown

Bahamas 2004

Backyard Deer Hunt 2004

Steve's 1943 Ford GPA


I'd post some of them here, but I'm already at the limit of five pictures, and I don't want to be a bandwidth thief.

 

[gulogulo1970]

I still shoot slides and color print film with my Canon EOS-1n I move them to my computer with a really neat Nikon slide scanner.

I'm trying to become totally digital With a Canon D60 SLR I picked up last year but the image quality is still not up to par compaired to a scanned slide. 6.2MP (D60) verses about 90MP (scanned slides).

Digital is so much easier when it comes to how many images you can have on a 2GB card. Plus there seems to be less waste, just toss the images that are crap. And I'm kind of cheap so sometimes, I might not take a picture if I'm running low on film. But with digital I've gotten more shots because I took the shot knowing if it was bad it wouldn't cost me the price of film and developing.

Photography is my second favorite hobby after guns and shooting. It is similar in the way that you can have good and bad days shooting guns and cameras. When I shoot poorly I think why did I spend all this money on something that I suck so much at. When I have a good day with either it makes me feel really great.

I like the gear aspect of both hobbies as well. Owning really good glass is almost makes me feel as good as owning a Colt. Using both to good effect is the best.

 

[AStone]

...I move them to my computer with a really neat Nikon slide scanner.

I've got one of those also: a Nikon Coolscan IV that I bought a couple of years ago to try to archive my 35mm slide collection.

The images in my 3 posts on page 2 were scanned in using it.

It's very sweet, but it carries a steeper learning curve than I anticipated. For some naive reason, I expected to be able to scan about an image every minute and be happy with it.

Banish the thought. After pre-scan, one then has to tweak colors, effectively telling the scanner what is the darkest portion of the image and what is the lightest portion. The entire process winds up taking 5 -8 minutes per slide.

Even then, the color reproduction is often less than desirable.

Since I'm trying to archive a few hundred of my best slides, it's going to take me a while.

But I do agree with you: the detail possible by scanning a real 35mm slide seems to exceed what one can get from all but the best digital cameras. (I'm betting some digital photographers will already argue with me there, and if not now, then undoubtedly soon...the digital photog technology is evolving at light speeed, so to speak.

Nem

 

[84B20]

Nematocyst-870,

I have two of the older Nikon Coolscan and have used them for years. You should probably just scan the images as raw as possible and use Photoshop to do the adjustments. I think you'll find it faster and will give better results. I'm not sure if it is available for your model but there is a feeder made that will hold about 50 slides at a time for mass scanning.

 

[KrankyKraut]

I like Mauser, Mosin and Minolta.

Actually, I prefer Nikon... But, anyway, I have been shooting film for thirty years now as my major hobby. Shooting milsurps is a more recent thing. Must have something to do with my (advancing) age; I won't touch wunderplastik digital cameras or plastic guns. They just don't feel right to me.

 

[AStone]

84B20, thanks for the suggestion.

The problem seems to be that if I scan them totally raw, without setting the end points for 'lightest' and 'darkest', then color information is lost.

By at least setting those two points, then when I get the images into PhotoShop, life is easier.

I'll admit freely that I'm far, far, far from being a Photoshop master, so I'll explore & experiment with 'raw' images at your suggestion.

Nem

 

[84B20]

Nematocyst-870,

It must be something with the newer Nikon scanner because that didn't seem to be a problem with my older ones. They were in the $2300 price range though. I bought them when I was a pro and could write them off.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

Shoot both, but have been into guns much longer. Got my first decent camera in 1980. Minolta XG-1. Bought a 2X teleconvertor within the first year that had a removable lens so I could use it as an extension tube for macros. Bought a 87-200mm lens by the next year and I was on my way to great fun. My pictures used to adorn the walls of the FoMoCo building I worked in due to a beautification program they had going. What you got in return was the mounts to take home after 6 months. They now hang in various places in my home. My first digital was an Olympus D-100, that I practically got for free. Nice to experiment with but only 1.3 MP. The wife just got me a Kodak C-340 5 MP with printer dock for Christmas. Very cool, so far. I still use a 35mm for vacations and such, but now it's mostly an Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 DLX. I still have the Minolta, though, and will never part with it.

 

[LHB1]

Nematocyst,
While researching scanners I read that the Nikon Coolscan ICE software did a poor job in scanning Kodachrome slides. Since all of my slides (40 years) are K'chrome I postponed buying the scanner. Can you try turning OFF the ICE software and scan some K'chrome slides to see how the Nikon CS IV works in that mode? Would appreciate a PM to let me know the results. I still have a desire to scan some of my more memorable slides. Thanks.

Good shooting and be safe.
LB

 

[AStone]

84B20, I'll bet your Nikon was more of a professional model than mine. This one was - AFAIC - around $1000 or so. More prosumer than professional.

Can you try turning OFF the ICE software and scan some K'chrome slides to see how the Nikon CS IV works in that mode? Would appreciate a PM to let me know the results.

I haven't done any scanning in a while, and am not doing any presently. (I've been up to my ears in a remodeling project for my business for the last five months - going on while I work in it. Before that, I spent three months looking for a business location in another town, but that fell through.)

I'm hoping to get back into some scanning in another month or two. So I'll try your idea then. In fact, it seems like I may have toyed with turning off the ICE software...honestly can't remember, but will check my notes.

Once i get back into it, I'll do my best to remember to let you know the results.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Nem

 

[Valkman]

Not a Pro, just got a Canon Rebel XT mostly to take pics of the knives I make for my website. I love shooting in RAW!

Here's a pic with the Canon:

 

[halfgone]

Me too! Me too!

Yep, I do both as well. I've done photography longer, even did a bit of time 'wedding photography range', but with school making money an endangered species I had given up for a while (I still shoot old-school cameras, you know, ones with film), but then my doofus for a schoolmate got me hooked on handguns and now I just took home my first pistol the other day.

Why can't I find cheap hobbies?!?

 

[JMusic]

Crime scene Photo shooter. Still working on the artistic side of the buisness. Oleg's the master here.
Jim

 

[Frandy]

Amateur since around 1969. First with a Minolta SRT-101 and then for years with Nikon F2, then F4 and 6006. Messed with 6X6 also with a Mamiya TLR (best value!) and then a Bronica SLR. Sold all the film cameras when I realized I no longer would win a Pulitzer (HA!) and now just dabble with a Nikon D100 so I could use those lenses, a Canon G5, which is my everyday camera, and mst recently a Casio Exilim S600 for parties, family gatherings, and so on. Not the best resolution, but it's not used for much more than 4x6 prints or online viewing. Lots of fun features.

One from my F2 days:

Bronica and a bit of Photoshop:

Now that I'm 100% digital, I mess a lot:

Oh, I guess I need something weapon-related. G5:

 

[swampsniper]

I'm an amateur for sure, but I have a good time. I can't hunt the way I did when I was younger, just try to save some of my memories for my grandkids.
http://photobucket.com/albums/v244/tsiya/

 

[Curare]

Butterfly

 

[Curare]

Rolex Sea-Dweller long exposure

 

[Curare]

Big Horn (out of focus)

 

[beaucoup ammo]

IMPRESSIVE PHOTOS ALL

I'M AMAZED AT THE TALENT "THR" MEMBERS HAVE WITH REGARD TO PHOTOGRAPHY. OLEG'S WORK AND EVERYONE ELSE'S MAKES ME SWING BY THE CAMERA DEPARTMENT MORE AND MORE.

OF COURSE, IT WAS "THR" THAT JUMP STARTED MY RENEWED INTEREST IN FIREARMS. IT HAS BEEN VERY EXPENSIVE. NOW, WITH PHOTOGRAPHY GRIPPING ME TIGHTER EVERY DAY..I WAS WONDERING IF EVERY "THR" MEMBER SENT ME JUST ONE (1) DOLLAR..JUST 1..IT WOULD GO A LONG WAY IN DEFRAYING THE EXPENSES THESE ADDICTIONS ARE COSTING ME!:O)

THANKS IN ADVANCE!

 

[NateG]

When I was about four, I was over at my great-uncle's (a hunter) house with my extended family. My immediate family didn't hunt, and somehow I ended up talking to my aunt about hunting, or something. She, urban, sophisticated New Yorker was horrified at the thought of hunting said that sometimes she shoots animals, too. But with a camera. I (in my four-year-old way) informed her that, "that wasn't as good."

Although it doesn't put meat on the table, you don't have to wait for a season to stalk and shoot critters with a camera.

 

[84B20]

Curare,

It looks more like camera movement from too slow of a shutter speed than focus to me. If you don't have one, get a monopod for shots like this one. They also work as walking sticks. I got one that has changeable heads so I can use it for a rifle as well. Just a suggestion.

 

[gryphon]

I shoot both ways!!



I've been shooting firearms for quite a while(1997), but photos only since 2003.

The wife supports me in both pursuits. I've got a Fuji S5100 and a Nikon N90s w/ a 35-70 lens. Saving up for a D50 and a couple of lenses. I'm working on a website, so I'll post a link for pictures after that.