Shackattak's Bio

[SHACKATTAK@xxxxxxx]

My bio:
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- Name: John (Shack) A. Schakel, Jr. 

- Profession/Study: Retired US Navy Radioman 1st Class (21 yrs), Sport Scuba
Diver Instructor (inactive) SSI-2018-S, Now work for US Postal Service as
Letter Carrier (in Tampa Florida), Have small part time Freelance Photography
Business (5K,10K & Marathon races and Nature both above and below the water
along with anything else I can get infront of my camera). I have taken two
B&W photography 3 hr semesters in collage (was already doing everthing they
were, ended up help the instructor with the other students). Mostly self
tought. 

- Country: USA

- Personal history of photography:  I first started with a Kodak Brownie
camera that I got with new custormers from my paper route. I then went to a
35 mm camera when I went into service. A  member of my watch section got me
interested in the darkroom and showed me how to do B&W. I then taught myself
(from books & hit & miss) how to do color prints and then color slides. I
built my own water bath system to keep my cemenicals at correct temperature
using equipment form fish tanks and plexeglass. then I have just been reading
and going to different semenars and taking a little from each to make my own
working system.  I am now with two different stock agency, one in the USA
(since 1990) and one in Germany. I have been published 9 times by the USA
stock agency and just started today submitting to the Germany stock agency.
Two of my slides have both sold twice to the same company. 

- preferred subjects: My first love is "Anything Underwater", Then Nature,
then anything else that I can get in front of my camera. Do very little with
people unless it is candad, most of the time I forget to get release. 

- materials (film, filters, paper, chemistry): Film: I use mostly Kodak
Lumnier LPP-100. Don't like the X to warm even for underwater. I use Kodak
Professional Color Negative ISN-400 for my races. I have not used the
IFRA-Red film yet. Hope to start soon as I get my darkroom set up. I wander
what it would do underwater?

- format (35mm/medium format/large format): I use 35mm format. Would like to
try 4x5 some time but will have to wait till I can get some money for it.

- Other strange hobbies: Scuba diving, Sailing, Canoeing, hiking, wood
working, riding motocycles, fixing cars, building electronic equipment,
designing and making things. 

- How did you find out about this list: I saw a notice on the Nikon List
Server

- Expand on anything photographic you like: For any of you that have access
to American On Line computor service you might want to check out the Nature
message board. It covers everthing from A - Z about photography and just
about anything else that comes up. If you have a question about how to shoot
something or get a special effect this is the place to ask it. Some one is
sure to give you the info you need. We got a lot of talent out there. The
Nature board is the only board on AOL that has two Message Boards, "Nature &
Nature II" . We fill up the Nature board with more messages than AOL can
handle so they have made an overflow board for us (Nature II). To get to the
Nature board do the following. Click on "Go To", then Click on "Keyword" type
"Kodak" and hit enter, Then Click on Message Board, Then double click on
"Photography Message Board", then scroll down and double click on  "Nature" .
You might want to use the Log Session to copy the post then read them off
line. We have been know to post over 500 messages a day with no trouble.

   The other think is the Nature Message Board people are haveing our fourth
"Off Line & Off Beat" photography meeting Oct 12th in the Serria Navada's.
This is about 3 days of photography with a Satureday night getto geather for
show and tell. The first meeting was at Yosemite May 1995. It was a blast. It
was the first time anyone of us had met each other. It was like old home
week. We had a ball, learned a lot about oursellves, about each other, and
shared a lot of good photo tips with each other. A few months later we had a
photo exchange with all the people that went to Yosemite. One person put
everyone's submissions in a big book and then we mailed it to each other so
we all could see what each of us had done at Yosemite. We also sent E-Mail to
everyone about what we thought of each others work and how good or how we
thought it could have been impoved. We have done this for each of the other
two meeting that we have had since then. .
  
   For more info about the trip contact "LJ Rack@xxxxxxx". He will be happy
to tell ya all about it. I want to make sure you understand that is is not a
hand guided trip. You have to make your own travel & lodgeing arrangments. No
transpertation is provided, you are free to come as early as you want and
leave as late as you want or anytime in between. You can stay with the group
or go off by yourself or with another small group. You are not committed to
anything and that is what makes this trip so great. Some forget to bring
camera's (after driving 200 miles, then opening truck of car and no camera.
Was on his bed at home), other's lock keys in the car, (7am, Sunday morning,
Mother's Day, In the middle of Yosemite National Park), You never know what
will happen on one of these trips. :-)) Shack

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