Hello Steemit and big hugs from Marlow. So excited to join such a great community of steemians!

Hello everyone,

I have recently joined the Steemit community and I would like to introduce myself. A few words about myself - I am a father of three (a 4 year old Maria and 7 months old twins, Alexander and Juliana), I've been an IT Security consultant by trade for over 15 years. I also enjoy taking pictures, particularly analogue photography with a few of vintage cameras that I've collected. I love skiing, cooking, wine and beer, particularly Belgian and craft and enjoy travelling and spending time with my friends and family.

I was born in Russia back in the days when it was still a part of USSR. When the collapse of USSR happened, I have spent a year in a high school in USA, in a little town called Sandusky, Ohio. This has been my first experience living outside of Russia and it has been a very exciting times for me being 14 years of age.

After that I came to United Kingdom to study in a college and lived in Brighton for 2 years. I've spent further 5 years or so living in Canterbury while studying at the University of Kent. Have very much enjoyed the student life that UK has to offer and met a bunch of new friends and experiences. Since leaving the university I have lived in Bristol and London and has recently moved to a lovely town in Buckinghamshire called Marlow overlooking the River Themes.

Marlow bridge and church. (Picture borrowed from Google Images)

Picture taken by me around Christmas 2016.

The history of Marlow goes long back. The first records appear to be dated back to 1015 and the town has been mentioned in the Domesday Book that has been completed in 1086. Here is what it said about the town: "The manor of Marlow, which had belonged to the Earls of Mercia, was given by William the Conqueror, to his Queen Matilda..." Nowadays, the town is full of life, particularly on a sunny day when people tend to gather in the parks and alongside the river. The town is very lovely and has a number of excellent schools, which was one of the reasons for moving outside of London.

As I've mentioned at the beginning I love travelling and taking pictures. The last year or so I've started taking pictures on a film rather than digital as I like the looks of the vintage photographs. There is something about it that appeals to me. Perhaps that colour tones, softness and the pop that you rarely get from digital photos. Perhaps it's just me, but I enjoy it very much. Here are a few of my favourite vintage cameras (will create another post with my small collection of vintage gear) that I am using on a regular basis.

Zorki 3, made in 1956 in USSR. It comes with a Jupiter-8 lens 50mm f2. (Picture borrowed from Google Images)

Pentacon 6 a medium format camera made in East Germany in 1980s. Using Carl Zeiss Jena Beometar 80mm f2.8 lens, which is amazing! (Picture borrowed from Google Images)

I develop all film in my home made darkroom (aka kitchen). The scanning is done on an Epson V600 scanner, which is a reasonable and not too expensive scanner that does 35mm and medium film negatives. There is still a lot for me to learn! I am hoping to share some of the pictures with the steemians and hoping to get some feedback from the community so that I can learn and improve.

I also enjoy skiing and have been doing it since about 16-17 years of age. Living in Europe (at least for now brexit) I mainly ski with my family and friends in Alps and Dolomites, in Austria and Italy. I enjoy the scenery, atmosphere, local food and seeing many happy people while taking slopes down the mountains. I believe that skiing is one of the best family sport one could have. I used to love skiing fast down the black pistes, but now I prefer to take my time and enjoy the scenery, not just the adrenaline rush you get whizzing down the slope. Perhaps getting wiser with age, who knows...

Dolomites in the goldenhour. (Picture borrowed from Google Images)

Dolomites in winter. (Picture borrowed from Google Images)

Dolomites in winter. (Picture borrowed from Google Images)

I also enjoy good quality food and what comes with (mainly wine or beer). I have been learning to cook for sometime and enjoy making simple dishes (Italian style) and when time permits some more time consuming meals such as with my cooking gadget Anova Sous Vide. The steaks you get with Sous Vide are just amazing, soft, juice and full of flavour! So, if you like cooking, give it a try, I highly recommend it (no affiliation with Anova)! I also use this gadget during my colour film development to keep the chemicals under a constant temperature, which is very handy )

With good tasting food you've got to have a good drink and I prefer the old world wines. I love both French and Italian wines, particularly from Burgundy and Piedmont areas. The Pinot Noir from cold climates and Nebbiolo are my favourite grapes, but a nice claret would also do with a nice steak or BBQ. Belgian beer is my second favourite drink to go with food after the wine. The Belgians make so much good bear that I pretty much like them all. I am yet to drink a Belgian beer that I didn't like!

That pretty much sums up the information about me and what I like. I am hoping to learn more about Steemit and its community and exchange thoughts and ideas with all sorts of people.