I just received my Westcott Apollo 28" Softbox in the post today from www.imagemelbourne.com.au. This is a great store, Leo's (the owner) dedication to customer service is almost unmatched, as are his prices. They have a good range of products and are worth a look.
Anyway, back to me. I'd seen this thing in action a a Strobist meeting and was blown away by the light. Unfortunately at that time they weren''t availiable in Australia and had to be imported through B&H or somewhere similar in the US for a ridiculous amount. (Shipping's about $50!!)
So I had to use it straight away. A simple self-portait. Just gotta get a little practice with it before I unleash it onto the world.
I'm an amateur photographer (and I use the term photographer lightly) and picked up my first decent camera on about the 2nd Jan 2008. A Nikon D40x digital SLR.
I've never been all that interested in the finer points of photography until I started getting involved in an online photography forum shown to me by a friend. This was full of inspirational photos by budding photographers, they would post up their latest efforts and everyone would comment and critique. I liked what I saw and was instantly inspired.
So, after 10 1/2 years in the Royal Australian Navy, stagnating as a Mine Warfare sailor, This is my journey from a point and shoot, cut off the tops of heads style camera user, to (hopefully) a professional photographer employed by the R.A.N.