Aloha from Central Oahu, Hawaiian Archipelago

[orthogent]

My name is Gerry Siegel and I am a wanderer online.Involved in a couple forums now. I have been a member of a site for the learning part, photo.net- almost since it started, back about late 1997 and have enjoyed it MOSTLY. I also have a little on line page at www.orthogent.smugmug.com
They have an Olympus forum which is de facto an OM place, not much E presence. Getting info on the E system is tough at this largest of the large photo web places, photonet. The Canon coloration is very big, almost overwhelming tilt.. I am spending less time at dpreview for reasons well known to most of you.
I use an E-1, have the 14-54, and the 50mm f 2. I am very pleased with the system. I use the FL 50 some, but have bought into a Quantum T5d and the Olympus E adapter, which I am slowly learning. It produces wickedly fine lighiting, more than the likes of me is use to in a handheld flash...
Indoor and outdoor portraits are my passion. But I am ready to try almost anything. I have Much More Time than Money.
I enjoy swimming and the great weather permits it all year.
I give Tony Spore credit for this essentially a startup place and will check in regularly. Be well, enjoy, and keep a harmonious face,like MOST of these icons:-) OH yes..my handle here,orthogent= straightshooting personage
I hope same at least. Gerry

[Pavel]

Hello orthogent. I recognise that name from somewhere but I can't put my finger on where it may have been. Have you been active is other comunities with the same login ID where I may have read some of your posts? FM or Photocamel perhaps?

[orthogent]

You know, it is embarassing to say my friend that I have been on this internet junket so long,- I am a sturdy 69, I can't say for sure where I used the moniker orthogent a couple places. (I have likely signed on to Photocamel at one time, but have forgotten that place am afraid,did not grab me I guess.) I used orthogent once when I bid on something on eBay. i recall..where I registered, but am not active EBAYER..I pay full ticket alas at B and H and buy little and slowly,except-as an aside, I have a thing for Patagonia outerwear lately.
So it could be another orthogent impersonating yours truly :-). No real reason that I used it here to register,except whimsy. But heck, whimsy is in season, huh?.
Aloha again, and hope to get up a photo or two from time to time. Like one I just did of my wife and our German Shepherd yesterday where one gets to see the raw power of a sloppy kiss from a 125 lb "loving companion..". Nothing artistic, just documentary of our day to day householdr life in the tropics on a cloudy day in Mililani Town, a large planned community of 40,00 souls, none of whom cares anything about cameras except me, and I make up for the others sometimes( I jest): PS: I used my C 5050 at the Bishop Museum yesterday. Got to say the slowness of the lens coming out now seems like the upscope of a periscope in an old Cary Grant war submarine saga movie...there may be an E 330 in my future I dare say as a walk0 aound model. Not sure why this link goes only to small image, AND I forgot how to actually include same right in the post,so much to remember. You all told me once and I will recall..no problemo.
http://orthogent.smugmug.com/photos/57578398-M.jpg

[benherrmann]

Gosh, this place is really feeling familiar now. Wasss happenin'? So glad to see you here - at least to check the place out. If you haven't already noticed, tons of folks from the Oly dpreview forums are over here. Some have elected to post only here, while the others will now post in both places.

I know I sound like a broken record, but Jerry...this place will grow on you for sure. At first, it's like anything else - in that you are accustomed to dpreview. After all, we're all creatures of habit. But what you should do (just a suggestion) is to come here daily (or however long you surf) and then become familiar with this site. As the familiarity grows, you will notice several things:

1. Lots of the folks you enjoyed reading about, etc., are here...

2. The friendly feeling here is pleasantly different. I may sound ridiculous, but the stresses that one can feel over at dpreview are not here! This place reminds you of the way the Oly forums were back in 2000 or 2001 - that is friendly, helpful, and a place to park your butt for a few hours!

3. The visual layout (once you're used to it) allows many options in regards to viewing, posting, etc. You have that much wanted "edit" button which means you can now change things such as mistakes, etc., long after you've posted. For example, if I want to change the word "shoot" to just "shucks," then it would be easy....lol .

4. With the aid of various formatting functions, when you post something you can add the meanings that you really want with the help of smileys, etc. This greatly reduces the risk that the reader may get what you are saying totally wrong.

5. Finally, once you've accustomed yourself to this layout and look, when you do go and post back at dpreview, it may be fast - but it will feel...well, shallow because of the lack of options available to do so.

So Jerry, I'm so glad to see you over here. Heck, I've been busy as all hell just welcoming folks over here. Almost sounds like I am a recording of sorts, but I mean every word.

And if you post back over at dpreview, tell them we're all doing great over here...less stress, no trolls, much information, and the site owner and the moderators are "known" to the public (not hidden) and they're all great!

Best regards,

[benherrmann]

Ya gotta be kidding me. Either that photo you posted of yourself was taken 20 years ago, or you're doing something uniquely right.

Ben

[AnnF]

Aloha. I used to live in Oahu, windward side (Kahaluu). My girls were raised there. Miss it sometimes. I still have friends there. Wish I was there now with my E-1 now! All I had back then was an old Kodak digital. I left before they finished the new highway.

Ann

[lonewolf]

Hi Gerry, nice to hear from someone who lives on the same rock as me. I live in Kapahulu and grew up in Makaha. I go to the Honolulu Zoo very often to take pictures.

Also nice to hear from Ann also. My brother lives in Wai'he'e Valley, not to far from where you were living.
Aloha!

[orthogent]

Ben is too generous in his comments. I am an analog guy, traditional, and like to imagine I have been "Digitally Restored." My goal is to do something to improve my mind at least once a week, and my body as often as I can force myself to work out. My photos have lately been snapshots, like the one taken by my wife who agreed to use the E-1 on me and the Queen Mary this week at Honolulu Harbor.
Attachment 531

Carole: "I don't promise anything, now hold that gut in!"

[lonewolf]

Gerry, I wish I had known about the arrival of the Queen Mary 2. I found about it too late and didn't get to see it. Glad you got a shot of it. Maybe next time.
Aloha, Bryan.

[orthogent]

My faithful canine companion.
Attachment 574

[AnnF]

What a beautiful dog!

I had a GS some years back, but I ended up giving him back to the K9 cop I got him from before I left GA. He's sniffin drugs in TX somewhere now. He was/is all black. I named him koa (Kekoa). His parents came from a long line of search & rescue dogs in the Czech Republic and W. Germany. I love German Shepherds.

Ann

[orthogent]

I just have a time despite Tony's advice getting a smugmug photo to link into the text,-half hour and zippo success, although some days it works and sometimes it doesn't so I perforce have to go from my hard drive today...
I hope I get it someday, the little window popup after the mountain click just won't accept the URL from smugmug, never today and I printed your last instructions,they sound right,but they will not perform for me and I feel adrift (sob), Tony, could it be Netscape I wonder? And worse,it crashed my program on me...blechhh...and dropped me back to a Netscape error and the desktop to start over. Ahh well, we have to have something to irk...
Well, here is the upload from a larger file on my hard drive--just a devil to figure out and it bugs me today, so I gotta be missing something.
Anyway, same dog, better representation of color, better f stop choice with the same E-1 on my Bogen tripod, Foba head,fomecore bgrnd, 14-54 at 20mm, Think dog potraiture is easy, try it with a "supermodel" canine with canine teeth and lots of drool...PS: Just took delivery on Studio 1.2,felt it was about time to have a feel for this item.. and the joys of anothere software installation. If I have to uninstall a Window update, It may cause hives :-)
Attachment 656

[AnnF]

Oh I love that shot! I just want to reach right in and hug him! Does he have a dark spot anywhere on his tongue? Mine did.

Thanks,

Ann

[orthogent]

Yes he does, any idea what that pigmentation means...I haven't asked the vet or anyone. Strange you mentioned that...like a birthmark almost..Morgen is so big I can't allow him to jump anymore after his ball (he athleticall does the Barishnikov leap all fours to catch it mid air) and since 70% weight is on front twp, I have found he was getting some athletic injuries, or perhaps worse, connective tissue problems. Had paneostities as a growing pup..signals problems unless I restrain diet and the leap impulse,Ann.
Big dogs have their problems. Big people have problems sam same. Big cars too:-) I guess. Aloha and thanks for the compliment to my handsome big fellow.

[AnnF]

I don't know what the pigmentation means, but I know it's common in German Shepherds.

Ann

[orthogent]

I guess everyone has carved an office away from an office. I share my dwelling,but this is MY WALL. It has my Mt Fuji climbing pole, my PIC lightstand converted to a floor lamp, and my Seth Thomas ships' bell clock, and a few photos and whatnot..and a vintage IBM orange "think" plaque.

Attachment 817

How easy it is to take a bounced flash shot with the E-1 and the FL 50. Minus compensation on flash and the histogram was almost perfect, love my flash and my camera...I also dropped down the wide angle diffuser for this one,what the heck..as always, the colors look just like real life to me with no fussing afterwards. The photo lacks yours truly, but the wall tells more than the person with the cheese smile anyway...say Ann, an idea for a weekly photo theme: Show us your wall,etc...

[AnnF]

The photo lacks yours truly, but the wall tells more than the person with the cheese smile anyway...say Ann, an idea for a weekly photo theme: Show us your wall,etc...

Hmm, Yeah! Mine...my dad built me some 6' long shelves and put them above my desk for me (which he also built). I've got room for 3 of my printers and 2 computers, jewelry making supplies and more now..

Ann