Billy Griffis - Pentaxian Profile

Someone who has done it all

By PF Staff in Pentaxian Profiles on Jul 15, 2011

I've done many things. Machinist, mechanic, carpenter, computer tech, just to name a few but two things have always stayed with me: guitar and photography.

Guitar has always been my primary focus, no matter what else I get involved in, I've played guitar since age 5 and along the way learned several other instruments. I require 3 things for existence. A guitar, a camera and a sense of humor. I started in photography early too, “helping” my father and his friend develop their black and white 35mm shots at around age 7 or 8. I'm prett ysure I was more hindrance than anything else, but at the time I just knew they couldn't do it without me. I dabbled in photography for many years, taking snapshots with instamatic film cameras in 110mm, 126 and 35mm formats, and at times those horrid Polaroids, but never really got serious about photography until someone gave me a 35mm Pentax K1000 SLR around 1980 or so. The K1000 was a great camera, with a built in analog light meter, and the 50mm lens it had did a fine job. I started out by practicing on wildflowers. Great subjects, they don't move except on windy days, lots of color and variation, and no limit to the available subjects. From there I gradually became more and more involved in nature photography in general, and now nature is 90% of my work, along with the occasional sunset, old barn or landscape.

Pentaxian Profile: Camus Wyatt

An accomplished young photographer from New Zealand

By PF Staff in Pentaxian Profiles on Jun 15, 2011

Welcome to our fifth Pentaxian profile.  This time we are hearing from Camus Wyatt, an accomplished young photographer from New Zealand!

The past year has been a big year for me in photography. After picking up a camera three years earlier, I’ve recently had my first solo exhibition, on the back of some of the top youth awards and grants for photographers available down here in little New Zealand.

Around four years ago, studying history and politics and not long out of high school, I found myself increasingly interested in the photojournalism images accompanying the studies of events ranging from the Vietnam War, to the 1930’s Depression, the Spanish Civil War, to 1950’s France. This lead to what has, in hindsight, been a non-stop interest and learning experience in photography.

Pentaxian Profile: Ashraf Saleh

"Reason to Grow"

By PF Staff in Pentaxian Profiles on May 7, 2011

Welcome to our 4th bi-weekly Pentaxian profile of Ashraf Saleh!
Want to share your story as well?  Visit this thread.

Photography was not an inherited love for me, but it was an inherent love that blossomed swiftly. It crept up unawares in the dawn of a new era in my life when both finances were available and the family unit was to expand. I also had no idea I would want to pursue it so fervently as to learn the business of professional photography, but it would become a part-time pleasure to practice.

It was not a difficult decision for me back in 2006, but being an dSLR newbie at the time I realised the virtues of backward lens compatibility with some research and appreciated the solid build in the K100D, prompting me to pick up a twin lens kit to start off with. Prior to going SLR, I’d only ever been shooting with compact film cameras but enjoyed being able to frame and compose images from a viewfinder. I even went back to a film SLR camera (the Pentax ME) and manual fast fifty for an overseas trip that I wanted to sharpen my basic skills with. Digital SLR photography opened my horizons on being able to creatively control all facets of my photographs and inspired me to learn more about the enjoyable vocation. It also complemented the primary work I undertake quite well as it is both analytical and subjectively artistic as medical practice is.

Tommy Evans

Pentax Videographer

By PF Staff in Pentaxian Profiles on Apr 17, 2011

Our third Pentaxian profile is about a Pentax videographer, Tommy Evans.

In college, I saw my first SLR camera. It was a Canon Tlb that belonged to an art major friend of mine. Up until that point, the nicest camera I’d ever held was my dad’s old Argus C3…a decent camera, but nothing like this Canon. There was something magical about looking at the world through that camera and the pictures it turned out were extraordinary! I had to have one! I began reading everything I could find about photography. As a result, I knew about film, filters, and lenses long before I even owned a camera of my own. I didn’t have enough money to buy a Canon like my friend’s, so I had to settle for a used Yashica SLR that I bought from a pawnshop. I always tried to get the best lenses I could afford for my camera, and since my Yashica took thread-mount lenses, that meant putting Pentax Takumar lenses on it. I’ve been a Pentax guy ever since.

Nathan Moro - Sixth Sense Photography

Experienced amateur, new professional

By PF Staff in Pentaxian Profiles on Apr 4, 2011

Welcome to our second Pentaxian profile!  We hope you enjoy reading about Nathan Moro, an enthusiastic new Pentax professional photographer. Alongside the text, we've included some sample photos for your enjoyment!

Going pro. Well not 'going pro', I went pro!

Everything is happening much faster than anticipated, Three weeks ago we did our first wedding. Two weeks ago I registered a business, A week later the 2^nd wedding, it's with this wedding that begins my first interesting anecdote and the subject of this post...

A call comes in at 16:55 I'm mid way through cooking a pancake (yes of all things):

“Hello can you do a job tomorrow?”

I think its a wrong number at first. “Uhhh, what kind of job?”

“Oh! A Wedding at 5pm in Kings Park”