Right, so I'm going to start posting all of my shots in here. If you run through the thread and see something I'm doing wrong or something I'm doing well, please let me know. Even if it's something like "You need to focus better". I'm an amateur, plain and simple. I switched from taking pictures to photographs a little over a year ago and have never taken a glass, read a book or had any other formal training in photography. I've read a couple articles (from a google search) about ISO, Aperture and shutter speed.

My rig is pretty basic. I shoot using an old Pentax istDL and primarily keep an old Sears MC 50mm/1.7mm on its nose. Occasionally I'll throw the kit 18-55mm or a Sigma 12-20mm on it, but the manual 50mm is my go to lens for what I like to shoot. I do want an AF 50mm, but life always gets in the way and I usually find some other project I want to spend that money on.

I feel that I have a good eye for composition, a rudimentary understanding of how to capture light and Adobe Lightroom goes the rest of the way to making me a halfway decent photographer. I know that my mind sees when I snap a shot and its usually not what comes off the frame. LR helps me get it close to what my mind saw when I looked at the subject.

Regardless, I'm going to catch this thread up with a bunch of shots I've already done and I'll keep updating all of my shots in here.

Hope you enjoy where I travel to and what my mind sees when I push that button.

[speedfoos]

Last couple pics as I head home tomorrow.

Made my folks a photo for this year's Christmas card.



A shot out off Lake Superior - tweaked a little.




Some rocks.






Getting some brownie points with my wife.

[speedfoos]

Hit another Ren Faire today. Here are a couple from it.

[speedfoos]

Occasionally, even pinestraw can look cool.

[speedfoos]

Been crazy busy lately, but I wanted to take my girls out to the range so they know which end of the guns go bang while I'm in Afghanistan. Needless to say they had a good time. I got the revolver (Ruger SP101 .357) for my wife, but she liked my Sig (P220 in .45) a lot better! My daughter too!

Oh. Kit 18-55mm on Green mode.

[speedfoos]

I haven't had a chance to get out in the daylight since being over here (I work nights) but I had a helo trip get canx'd today so I decided to grab my camera and walk around a little.

As always, my manual 50mm, wide open and the camera handling the rest.






Ah the chains that bind us.




I think this concertina wire counts as indigenous vegetation here.






Big trucks.




And dead flowers.




And one for you signal guys, if there any here on the forum.

[speedfoos]

Tried to catch a little snowfall this morning walking around the FOB. 50mm f/1.7 as always.

Yes I am.




Take cover!




Keeping the water hot.




Do you feel welcome?

[speedfoos]

I lost my best friend to the big C on March 23, 2011. She was 7. We were able to get another year when we found a cancerous mass on her spleen. Best $3500 I've ever spent and I'd do it again in heartbeat.

Here she is, Angel. My bike is named after her.

[speedfoos]

Getting out of this particular place today (hopefully) so I wanted to take a couple shots before I left.

A well-traveled gnome.




Sometimes out-of-focus works.




MRAP alley.







I'm knot going to miss this place.





Think its drinkable?




We have lots of dirtbags around here.




The fun stuff is always behind closed doors.

[speedfoos]

I moved from Bagram down south to FOB Warrior the other day and took a few shots along the way. Hope you guys don't mind some more deployment shots.

Just used my kit 18-55mm on these and ran them on aperture priority mode - typically all at f/5.6. Not a great lens so I don't mind if it gets dinged up.

Waiting at the HLZ. My buddies who used to be in the Army gave me crap because my stuff (foreground) is all in a pile and everyone else's is all neat and orderly. 450 pounds of gear humped a 1/2 mile uphill and I'm a CW3 means I'll pile it however I want!



Some scenery shots from the UH-60 flight.










I'm really excited in this shot. Can't you tell? I'd only been awake for 30 hours at this point.



A couple from the outlook at the HLZ at FOB Sharana. Nice and desolate.



I don't think two sandbags are going to cut it.....

[speedfoos]

Walked around a little this morning.

Met some hot Polish girls - Barbara and Fiona.




That's right folks, no fishing.




Halt! Hammerzeit.



Why I'm here.




My wife wants me to get this and take it home.




I've got some more but the internet is about to go down for the night here. As usual, all with my trusty manual Sears 50mm @ f/1.7.

[speedfoos]

We are the Black Sheep.




At least there's no water shortage.



I don't know if this umbrella will help things.



Just some fun with LR.

[speedfoos]

I stitched together a few shots to make this panoramic and then played with it a little in LightRoom to make it seem like this place is more interesting than it really is.

[speedfoos]

A couple of my troops re-enlisting today.




And a nice little horizon shot.

[speedfoos]

The sun did some cool things today, made me grab my camera and inspired me a little in Photoshop.

Kit 18-55mm lens. Aperture Priority Mode at around f/8.0

Unaltered aside from a vignette and a little white balancing.



Likewise.



Then I started to fart around in Lightroom.




Some boys coming home.




And a pano I stitched up with some minor sat and vibrancy tweaks.

[speedfoos]

Had a little flooding around here today as a result of some crazy weather. Makes for a good sky canvas. All with the kit 18-55mm on Aperture Priority as I don't want to risk messing up my favorite prime lens (only other lens I brought with me).

Aside from a a little white balance and exposure tweaking, this is right off the rig.




Same with this.




Some heavy editing but still fun.




Kept another good soldier in the Army yesterday.




Waterfall. Army style.