Greetings, from Central Virginia!

xMachiavelli

Senior Member
Greetings Nikonites!

My name is Richard and I live in Central Virginia - Lynchburg specifically. I have lived in the area my entire life and enjoy the area. I also went to school here in Lynchburg and studied Criminology. I currently work in the field of Loss Prevention/Asset Protection.

I am am a big gamer! I started playing video games when I was two years old with my mother. She started me on the Super Nintendo (SNES) to build hand eye coordination. I was growing so quickly that I had trouble running with my rapidly growing legs! I have continued to be an avid gamer to this day. I also am into the production and custom knife community/industry. Believe it or not, there is a passionate community that appreciates high level pocket knives.

I was an iPhone camera user for many years. I appreciated excellent images but did not know what went into creating a beautiful image. I knew nothing of composition, exposure, gear, etc. In November of 2017 I purchased my first DSLR, a Nikon 3400 kit. It came with a AF-P 18-55 VR lens and a AF-P 70-300 lens. I read and absorbed as much information on photography as I could. I watched videos explaining Shutter, Aperture, and ISO. I listened to podcasts. Read articles. Stalked forums. The immense amount of information intimidated me - I was so familiar with iPhone photography: point and let the phone handle the rest.

I quickly discovered that I enjoyed images at a longer focal length that featured some sort of wildlife or my personal pets. I love wildlife - why not capture images of what I enjoy? I found myself using my kit 70-300 exclusively capturing images of my two puppies and local wildlife. I felt myself becoming more and more interested in photography. I truly enjoy it!

I recently upgraded (I know, a little quick) to a D500 and a Nikkor 200-500. I plan to continue shooting wildlife and perhaps some summertime sports.

TLDR; I'm new to photography and I'm absolutely loving it. I can't wait to see what's next to learn.
 
welcome to the forum. Now let's see some images

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Andy W

Senior Member
Welcome to the forum!

"Believe it or not, there is a passionate community that appreciates high level pocket knives."

I believe it, I have several friends who are knifemakers.
 

RocketCowboy

Senior Member
Howdy Richard and welcome to Nikonites!!!

I love views out in your area. It's been a few years since I've been over that way, but for a few years I would get out that way via motorcycle to catch the leaves changing colors ... just stunning.
 

xMachiavelli

Senior Member
Welcome to the forum!

"Believe it or not, there is a passionate community that appreciates high level pocket knives."

I believe it, I have several friends who are knifemakers.

Same here! It's a pretty decent community. I've been into it for almost six years now - it's a tool I carry with me each day, why not have a nice one? :)
 

xMachiavelli

Senior Member
Howdy Richard and welcome to Nikonites!!!

I love views out in your area. It's been a few years since I've been over that way, but for a few years I would get out that way via motorcycle to catch the leaves changing colors ... just stunning.

Hey there! The views here are excellent. I live about twenty five minutes from the Blue Ridge Parkway - if you start heading north on the parkway towards Lexington, VA it is just amazing.

I went up this fall and winter a few times. Being in the mountains is one of favorite things to do. Now that I'm learning about photography, perhaps I can bring a little bit of the experience back for others to enjoy. :D
 

RocketCowboy

Senior Member
Hey there! The views here are excellent. I live about twenty five minutes from the Blue Ridge Parkway - if you start heading north on the parkway towards Lexington, VA it is just amazing.

I went up this fall and winter a few times. Being in the mountains is one of favorite things to do. Now that I'm learning about photography, perhaps I can bring a little bit of the experience back for others to enjoy. :D

And that's an excellent subject to capture and share! Looking forward to seeing your captures!!!
 

MorkC68

Senior Member
Welcome to Nikonites!

I started out my journey with Nikon, like you with a D3400 and the same, 18 - 55 AF P VR lens but to compliment it, I added an AF-S DX 55 -200mm VR II, which I am thoroughly enjoying!
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Dawg Pics

Senior Member
Welcome.
Post some knife images, there are people here who like that sort of thing. My Dad loved knives and regretted not learning to make them. I still have the pocket knife my brother gave me for Christmas more than 20 years ago. It isn't high-end, but I like it anyway.
 
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