So probably I should introduce myself

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Didzis

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I didn't really want to post anything here until I've made a few posts in other forums, because I wasn't completely sure I'd enjoy APUG (silly me), and then it'd be quite stupid to have a big introduction and no posts afterwards. So now that I think I'm here to stay, it'd be a good idea to introduce myself.
My name is Didzis Veinbergs, I'm 25 and I'm from Latvia (not Russia, heaven forbid). My experience with photography is a pretty long and twisted one. When I was about 11, I took some pictures with my uncle's Zenit EM (he didn't use it that much) and, before I knew it, I was hooked. My uncle was kind enough to lend me his camera, because he did not really use it anymore (unfortunately, he just gave up photography, which is a shame, since he was quite good at it). So for about a year, I shot just about everything I could, but eventually slowed down -- mainly because film was pretty scarce (b&w) or unbelievably expensive (colour). Anyway, people in post-Soviet Union in early 1990-ies had other problems than getting enough film, so I eventually quit.
Then I started shooting again in high school, which was great fun. Film was much more available, so I shot decent amounts of it, both colour and b&w (I've met some people that say that colour photography is somehow less "artistic" or whatever -- I've never understood why, since I really enjoy it). Then I went to Riga (being the capital of Latvia) to study in university, and had to live on extremely tight budget -- I really couldn't fit any film in it, so I stopped again.
Finally, almost two years ago I got a PalmOS handheld that came with a funny attachment called eyeModule2. Basically it was something that, with some stretch of imagination, could be called a low-resolution digital camera. It produced wonderfully blurred and dreamy images, and I started toying around with it. That, of course, again started my addiction. Moreover, now I had a job with a pretty decent salary (for Latvia, that is), so I could actually support my habit. I shot digital (both with my lovely eyeModule2 and a snapshot camera) for some time, but eventually moved back to film Later on, I broke my handheld, and switched almost exclusively to film. Eventually, I even started reading APUG, which already shows a pretty bad addiction :wink:
So that pretty much sums it up. Some of my pictures are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/didzis/, although I must warn you that they are mostly digital (the film ones are in the last pages) -- I haven't updated it in a while. I'm not exclusively digital or film, they are two completely different things, each having its own advantages and disadvantages, although I prefer film right now. I really don't see any rationale behind the film vs digital fights, as I am quite sure film will still be available for those who want it, as well as digital (just my opinion, let's not start a flame war :wink:)
 

roteague

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Welcome Didzis from Hawaii. Thanks for the introduction, I'm glad you decided to join us, and I hope you really enjoy it here.
 

Bill Mobbs

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Welcome Didzis to APUG. I too am glad you joined us here. I checked out your photographs on Flickr.com... Keep taking those pictures! You are doing great.

Bill
 

digiconvert

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How can I not welcome someone who has posted a photo taken with a Lubitel ? Go on be honest the Lubitel wins over the Fuji Finepix every time :smile:

Welcome to APUG
 
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Didzis

Didzis

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digiconvert said:
How can I not welcome someone who has posted a photo taken with a Lubitel ? Go on be honest the Lubitel wins over the Fuji Finepix every time :smile:
Well, yeah, it is a cool camera. And nobody has ever asked "Wow, what is this?" or said "OMG, I can't believe how cool it is" when seeing Fuji Finepix. People tend to say that about my Lubitel.
There's no need to apply large amounts of black tape to a Finepix, though...
 

philldresser

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Didzis said:
There's no need to apply large amounts of black tape to a Finepix, though...
You can use the tape to attach a film to the back :smile:

Welcome!

Phill
 

frugal

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Hello,

I spent 4 months in St. Petersburg back in '98 so I can relate to a lot of the soviet architecture in your photos. Twice I've tried to make it to Latvia (as well as Lithuania) and have only gotten as far as Tallinn, Estonia. I'm planning to do a "10 years later" trip back to St. Petersburg in 2008 so maybe I'll have to make a 3rd attempt.
 

Valerie

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Howdy from Texas!!!
 
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Didzis

Didzis

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frugal said:
I spent 4 months in St. Petersburg back in '98 so I can relate to a lot of the soviet architecture in your photos. Twice I've tried to make it to Latvia (as well as Lithuania) and have only gotten as far as Tallinn, Estonia. I'm planning to do a "10 years later" trip back to St. Petersburg in 2008 so maybe I'll have to make a 3rd attempt.
Well, be prepared to see lots of changes, both St. Petersburg and Tallinn have been developing really fast, and 1998 now almost seems like Middle Ages. And, by all means, do visit Latvia and Lithuania, it is not really that hard but can be a pretty rewarding experience as the countries (and their capitals) are quite different; Tallinn was pretty much destroyed during WWII, which makes it a great place for those who enjoy eclectic Soviet architecture, Riga is really mini-encyclopedia of architecture with almost all the main styles being represented, and Vilnius feels more like Poland (which, in fact, it was for a long time).
 

Michel Hardy-Vallée

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Welcome from Canada, your cold (but warm) neighbour.

BTW I saw you didn't like Kodak Gold 400. One of the creators of this film hangs on APUG. I won't say who that is, but you should find out pretty soon...
 

frugal

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Didzis said:
Well, be prepared to see lots of changes, both St. Petersburg and Tallinn have been developing really fast, and 1998 now almost seems like Middle Ages. And, by all means, do visit Latvia and Lithuania, it is not really that hard but can be a pretty rewarding experience as the countries (and their capitals) are quite different; Tallinn was pretty much destroyed during WWII, which makes it a great place for those who enjoy eclectic Soviet architecture, Riga is really mini-encyclopedia of architecture with almost all the main styles being represented, and Vilnius feels more like Poland (which, in fact, it was for a long time).

I'd imagine there are a lot of changes. 10 years is a long time in any city but given what was going on when I was there I'd expect that things are changing even more rapidly than in other cities.

I have a lot of emotional associations with the time that I was in St. Petersburg so the goal is to go back and explore those emotions with photography as well as how both the city and I have changed in the intervening 10 years.

The reasons for not getting to Latvia or Lithuania the 2 other times were never due to difficulty. The first time I really didn't have enough time to do it over my break from classes in St. Petersburg and I ran out of money while in Tallinn. Fortunately, it was really cheap to stay in Tallinn at the time so I just stayed there for my break and made my way back. The 2nd time was coming via a whirlwind trip through Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland, by the time I made it to Tallinn I was completely worn out and pretty low on money so I changed my ticket and came back a little bit earlier.
 
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