New Member from Illinois, USA

Lets get to know each other better. Here's a forum to post images and short autobiographies of ourselves as well as any other info you would like to post about yourself.

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acbees
Posts: 16
Joined: Thu Mar 05, 2009 5:47 pm
Location: Lowder, Illinois, USA

New Member from Illinois, USA

Post by acbees »

Signed up a few days ago, but honestly am somewhat intimidated by the excellent quality of so many of the pictures posted. Was not even aware of "stacking" until I read about it on here a couple of weeks ago when I first found this forum.
My wife and I are hobby beekeepers with over 40 hives at present (and growing) and the real drive behind my macro and closeup work is taking pics of the bees, the hives, and the critters around them. Usually just try to document life in and around the hives. I'm not limited to that, but that's the main focus. Bought my first Pentax somewhere around '79 and just got my first digital last year. Haven't seen many Pentax users on here. Hope they're allowed.:) Bought my first macro lens about a year and a half ago, a Super Macro Takumar 50mm f/4 and a set of M42 bellows. Have since added more lenses including some Tamron SP's and a Lester A. Dine 105mm. All but one of my lenses are manual focus. Lighting has always been a real challenge to me and was surprised by the creativity in making diffusers by you folks.
Will try to get some pics ready to post soon. Looking forward to learning a lot.
Arvin

rjlittlefield
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Post by rjlittlefield »

Arvin, welcome aboard! :D
Haven't seen many Pentax users on here. Hope they're allowed.
I know you're joking, but equipment is a non-issue. If somebody can get an interesting image with a Brownie box camera and a magnifying glass, we'd love to see it -- and especially to hear how it was done!

We look forward to seeing some of those bees. Springtime coming on, I hear... :D

--Rik

Aynia
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Re: New Member from Illinois, USA

Post by Aynia »

Welcome aboard.
acbees wrote: but honestly am somewhat intimidated by the excellent quality of so many of the pictures posted.
Me too!! :D

I'm definitely looking forward to your bee photos.

I haven't tried stacking (yet)... 8)

Cyclops
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Joined: Sat Aug 05, 2006 5:18 pm
Location: North East of England
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Re: New Member from Illinois, USA

Post by Cyclops »

Welcome aboard Arvin. Friendly guys on here!
acbees wrote:Bought my first macro lens about a year and a half ago, a Super Macro Takumar 50mm f/4 and a set of M42 bellows. Have since added more lenses including some Tamron SP's and a Lester A. Dine 105mm. All but one of my lenses are manual focus.
See now that's what I love about Pentax and why sometimes I wish I'd gone the Pentax route. All those lovely manual lenses,freely usable on any Pentax camera,new or old!
Canon 5D and 30D | Canon IXUS 265HS | Cosina 100mm f3.5 macro | EF 75-300 f4.5-5.6 USM III | EF 50 f1.8 II | Slik 88 tripod | Apex Practicioner monocular microscope

Harold Gough
Posts: 5786
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2008 2:17 am
Location: Reading, Berkshire, England

Re: New Member from Illinois, USA

Post by Harold Gough »

acbees wrote:Signed up a few days ago, but honestly am somewhat intimidated by the excellent quality of so many of the pictures posted. Was not even aware of "stacking" until I read about it on here a couple of weeks ago when I first found this forum.
My reaction too when I joined. :shock: It's very friendly here. They even tolerate me!
acbees wrote:My wife and I are hobby beekeepers with over 40 hives at present (and growing) and the real drive behind my macro and closeup work is taking pics of the bees, the hives, and the critters around them. Usually just try to document life in and around the hives.


That was a major interest for me too when I worked with them as an ecotoxicologist. I even set up a colony in my garden for this purpose but gave them away when developers said they wanted to buy this land. We are still waiting, several years later.

Welcome.

Harold
My images are a medium for sharing some of my experiences: they are not me.

lauriek
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Post by lauriek »

I've always been interested in Beekeeping but the Mrs is allergic to Bee stings so I thought it wasn't the best idea to proceed with!

Welcome to the site, I look forward to seeing more of your bees! :)

acbees
Posts: 16
Joined: Thu Mar 05, 2009 5:47 pm
Location: Lowder, Illinois, USA

Post by acbees »

Thanks to all for your welcome! After just a few days here and a couple of posts, Rik has already helped me twice with great info on Elements. You folks do realize that it was some of your pics that I was intimidated by? I'm not sure stacking is even in my future plans. Never know, but am certainly fascinated by your results. I feel one of my biggest battles right now is consistent lighting (among so many other battles). It seems from what I've seen here so far, depending on the situation and desired results, is that whatever works, use it! And I was feeling funny about using a yogurt cup for a diffuser.:) We'll see what happens. Will try to slip in a few different things so you won't get tired of seeing just bees!
Thanks again everyone,
Arvin

Harold Gough
Posts: 5786
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2008 2:17 am
Location: Reading, Berkshire, England

Re: New Member from Illinois, USA

Post by Harold Gough »

acbees wrote:Have since added more lenses including some Tamron SP's and a Lester A. Dine 105mm. All but one of my lenses are manual focus. Lighting has always been a real challenge to me and was surprised by the creativity in making diffusers by you folks.
I use the Olympus OM system, with OM4 manual focus film bodies and the full range of TTL flash, from rings to hammerhead, and OM bellows, telescopic extension rings, bellows and shift lenses (one bought last week). Otherwise it is Tamron SP MF lenses.

Like you, I don't contemplate stacking.

Harold
My images are a medium for sharing some of my experiences: they are not me.

rjlittlefield
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Post by rjlittlefield »

acbees wrote:It seems from what I've seen here so far, depending on the situation and desired results, is that whatever works, use it! And I was feeling funny about using a yogurt cup for a diffuser.:)
Ah hah! You've caught on quickly! There are many forms of magic*, and they're all fair game.

For much of what I do, stacking is wonderful. It's not so great for live bees. :roll:

Yogurt cups, on the other hand, are useful in all situations. :)

--Rik

[*] Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Arthur C. Clarke, "Profiles of The Future", 1961 (Clarke's third law)

Cyberspider
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Location: Kehl/Germany
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Post by Cyberspider »

Welcome Arvin,

your first pictures I've seen in the forum... very nice...
Arvin wrote:All but one of my lenses are manual focus.
I think it is the best way to shoot macros :lol:
Arvin wrote:My wife and I are hobby beekeepers
A neighbor of me too...that is very interesting... it is fun to put on a suite and looking over the shoulder of a beekeeper...
best regards
Markus

SONY a6000, Sigma 150mm 2,8 Makro HSM, Extention Tubes, Raynox DCR-250

visit me on flickr

Harold Gough
Posts: 5786
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2008 2:17 am
Location: Reading, Berkshire, England

Re: New Member from Illinois, USA

Post by Harold Gough »

[quote="Harold Gough
I use the Olympus OM system, with ....... shift lenses (*one bought last week). [/quote]

*Maybe I shoudn't have done so. My bank is one of "The Big Four" in the country and the only one not to ask for £billions from the government to get them through the financial crisis.

True, the price of the lens is the highest I ever paid, but I was surprised
to learn, the day after I sent the payment, that the Bank had announced that it needed government help after all. :shock:

Harold
My images are a medium for sharing some of my experiences: they are not me.

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