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lightman-73
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"Francesco Marini"
# Statistics
Favourites: 28; Deviations: 41; Watchers: 21
Watching: 43; Pageviews: 18787; Comments Made: 1119; Friends: 43
# Comments
Comments: 318
Thank you so much for the watch!
I really appreciate your support. ^^
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Thanks so much for all the thoughtful comments, and the favourite!
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Hey!!!! You're still alive ! 
How'ya doin' ?
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Havent dropped off the face of the planet just yet
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thanks for the comment!
you really have an eye for nature photography, great gallery!
I see you have an F70 - so do I, I'm going through a hate/love-relationship with that camera... There are some things I really like (bright viewfinder, metering with old lenses, no shutter lag etc) and then some things I hate about it (no X sync contact, counter-intuitive control lay-out).
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Yeah. Well, the things I miss more are the lack of mirror lock-up, a dof preview button (sure, you can have the same effect with a trick, that is, by slightly unblocking the lens and rotating it, the diaphragm closes to the selected aperture) and the fact that it's not possible to select the aperture via dialing (and thus preventing the use of aperture-ring-less lenses)...
Other than that, it's an amazing camera for the price...
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Thanks for the friends listing.
You have a beautiful gallery.
Cheers
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Hi Franz!
You got me drooling with lens-envy, but still, with all of it's faults, the Olympus IS an amazing camera. I don't know if all manufacturers support this feature, but I can upgrade the camera's firmware from Olympus' web site, but that isn't the most coolest, I can also upgrade the lens' firmware, too! Lens options would be nice (cheap lens options would be even better), but I'll not be trading any time soon. Nice try! Wanna bet that the lens in question won't be mine in the next three months? (Don't take THAT bet!)
Thanks for the exchange of information and the nice chat.
Have a great DAy!!!! Rob the Swash
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Hi Franz!
GREAT GREAT addition to my journal! The Olympus lens does sound very nice, and in several ways better than my current 50-200. I've noticed that some of my longer shots (esp. when the subject is quite small) aren't as sharp as I'd expect/hope. I think this new lens would "do the trick". I've got the money, and the desire, and quite a few upcoming opportunities to use the new lens. I've seen a fair drop in price since the lens was introduced, I may wait another month or so to see if drops more.
I made a mistake buying the Olympus. Extremely nice camera body, better than most, but that lens compatibility issue, sure makes Canon look attractive!
Have a great DAy!!!! Rob the Swash
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Well, if you're not so sure anymore about the Olympus, you could always sell it (along with the lenses), and get, say, a Nikon D200 with a Sigma 120-300 f/2.8 (an amazing lens), a Nikkor 12-24 f/4 or a Nikkor 28-70 f/2.8 ... You would gain access to a lot of amazing lenses, and some incredibly long ones (like, e.g., the Nikon 600 f/4, or the Sigma 800 f/5.6, or the Sigma 300-800 f/5.6) ...
I would think about it, if I were you
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hey, thank you for adding a piece of me to your favorites.
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Hi Franz!
Thanks for your kind words on my journal! Much appreciated!!!
Have a great DAy!!! Rob the Swash
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hahah really! seriously...to me he is amarketing genious (wether you may like him or not)...I am willing to discuss it!
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I think it's well deserved 
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Thank you for the devwatch!
I hope not to dissapoint!
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Hi Franz!
Wow, more fantastic comments! Thank you!! The collections were a "cheat". Rather than submit 16 huge, print pieces, I thought I'd let the community decide which to select down to. Your input helped alot. I liked all 16, plus a few more! I didn't want to flood DA with that much.
Keep up the great comments, stop by anytime!
Have a great DAy!!! Rob the Swash
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Hi there
Thank you so much for the watch
i'll try not to disappointed you...
rgds
-----
sigit
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I hate leaving generic messages on user pages, but itβs a hard habit to break β and since Iβm writing to so many people there really is no other way to go about it. Sorry if this all seems redundant, Iβll do my best to make this letter as warm and personal as possible.
The year is drawing to a close; so much has happened over the past twelve months in my life, and in some respects Iβm still trying to make sense of it all! DeviantArt has played a major part in my life over the past year β it has shaped me as a person more than University ever has β and I have all of you to thank for that.
During high school my father handed me a leather bag β I didnβt know what the contents were. When I opened it up I found to my delight an old Pentax 35mm with an assortment of lenses. I was thrilled. I had never tried my hand at photography before but immediately went out to the nearest store, picked up some film and joined the school newspaper. A week later I got my first rolls of film back β all underexposed and ruined. I had failed miserably and put the camera away in my closet.
In early 2003 I took a trip to Quebec City for the Winter Carnival β and I took the camera with me. In April of that year a good friend from High School introduced me to DeviantArt. I submitted some of my photos from the trip (that were not underexposed β hurrah!) and a handful of pencil drawings of Totoro. It didnβt take long for me to become hooked and soon I was taking pictures again and learning from other photographers. That summer I bought my first digital camera, and I havenβt looked back since.
As of this moment I have been taking on small commercial jobs, doing commission work and creating a portfolio that I will take to local galleries in early 2005. I have started to sell prints both online and offline, and I have started to think of photography as a serious profession down the road. Perhaps it will be as a photojournalist, perhaps as a researcher β maybe simply as an artist trying to capture the beauty around me. In the course of just over a year photography has become my one true passion β I canβt put the camera down, and I canβt stop flipping through books, magazine articles, collections etc. It truly is addictive, and it changes the way I view the world around me.
I owe this tremendous change in my life to all of you. Since the very beginning you guys have been incredibly supportive, and incredibly inspirational. The amount of constructive feedback that I have received is overwhelming to say the very least. The other rich aspect of this community is the ability to see what others see β I have enjoyed viewing your work since joining β there have been some very moving / thought provoking / gorgeous imagery produced. This artistic community is a blessing for those starting out as an artist, or for those who simply want to share or observe work.
I donβt want this community experience to end anytime soon β I hope to remain an active member of the site and play as much of a part in your lives as you have played in mine. Sometimes I do get busy with school etc, but donβt ever feel that Iβm ignoring you! Leave a message; kick me from time to time (even a slap to the face will do). I say this from time to time, but Iβll say it again here β if you ever want feedback on your work just let me know β I really donβt mind stopping by to comment / offer input! It is always nice to see what other people are using their imagination and creativity to produce.
Regardless of what your background is, I hope that you find the time over the next couple of weeks to relax and sneak away from the hectic pace of life - enjoy the company of family & friends! All the best to you in 2005
Cheers,
Evan
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Thank you Franz for your kind support - the watch addition is much appreciated!
You have some very nice nature photos in your gallery. I'm pressed for time - but if you ever want feedback on a particular piece of work just let me know - I'd be more than willing to stop by again!
Cheers,
Evan
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Hi Franz!
My Sony won't take upgrade lenses (well, not of any significance), that's why I went into digiscoping. My Olympus is "in the shop", it's having TIFF problems, but it can take large lenses...but it's the cost thing. A 300mm lens for it is something like $8000. I'm not able to justify that much for a hobby.
Good news! I take LOTS of pictures, chance and perponderance of data, well, I do end up with a few gems (lots and lots of sucky things, but a few good ones). HA! So much for jury-rigging.
Well, thanks for the chat! I've enjoyed it.
Have a great DAy!!! Rob the Swash
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hey there. You have some really nice shots in your gallery. In partiular I like your Ocher formation with flare, and Mill wheel in provence. Just stunning.
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Hi Franz (again!)
Nothin new on the fundraising. I've got another set of framed bird photos ready for auction, but no word. Thanks for asking.
Have a great DAy!!! Rob the Swash
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Hey Franz!
Goodness, thank you for the deluge of comments! 
Also, thanks for the watch!
You have a great gallery yourself, I'll have to come back when I'm not so busy! I saw some shots I really liked!
Hope you have a great week!
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Hi Franz!
Thanks for the comments. Digiscoping (the technique I use for birding) limits my camera severely, so my range of manual settings to take pictures is very small (F-2 to F-4.5 and often no faster than 1/20th of a second). Plus shooting through all that much glass takes away some details that I'd rather have, but my subjects don't often come up close enough to shoot without the huge spotting scope. I'm still attempting to learn better techniques, hopefully, some day I'll have a perfect bird photo for you!
Have a great DAy!!! Rob the Swash
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Hello Franz 
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Thanks, sweetie!
Hope you're enjoying the holiday season!
When you coming to visit?
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Oooh... is that some of the krafty kisser coming by to visit me?!
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thank you for dropping by my page and leaving those nice words. also, for the honest comment
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Hi Franz!
Thanks for the great comments!
Hawk - yes, it wasn't perfect, best of the few I got of it. Tail is more in focus...oh well. Post processing - Photoshop to size, then Neat Image to remove the grain, then back to PS to enhanse the color in Layers/Channel Mixer, then I use Focal Magic (a PS plug in) to enhanse the focus as much as possible, (without adding back the grain removed in NI). Seems a fair formula, but better data offers better results, the hawk wasn't perfect by any stretch.
As for the Barn Swallow, I powered up the green a bit, but I think the bird's head is a touch too dark....
And the fundraiser! Thank you. We've been down a fairly long road already, but here's where it gets expensive! Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!
Very good eye you have, your comments were right on!
Have a great DAy!!! Rob the Swash
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hey!
first thank you for the comments 
hmm...I haven't been doing too great. Just the season getting me down I guess? But I'll be fine.
and...and...don't hate me!
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