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David K7DMJ

@thedavejohnson.bsky.social
1.1K followers 1.7K following 1.1K posts

🇦🇺 🇺🇸 mineral exploration executive and geophysicist. Married, 3 kids. Likes adventures. Amateur photographer, ham radio nerd, hiker, angler, traveller. Learning to draw. Cares deeply about politics, but chooses not to post or read about it here. No DMs.

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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 8h
Yep. One more activation should do it. Trying to decide. Should I do an easy summit where I can haul a 20W radio and lots of antennas, or do a gnarly first activation in the High Uintas where I'm hiking all day at +10,000 ft?
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 15h
I just started using one of those cameras. I feel like you have to intentionally over-expose a lot of the time to get decent looking shots with it.
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 22h
Deseret Peak at the head of a steep valley with autumn coloured aspens glowing in the afternoon sunshine. I took this on the way down from my #SOTA activation of South Medina Peak #hamradio Hoping that it was just this hike that caused my high WBC blood result. #photography #landscape #utah
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
It's been on my previous panels, but always within the normal range. I guess I'll learn more tomorrow.
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
How quickly should White Blood Count (WBC) return to normal after a hard hike? Just got my blood work and WBC is 14.9 10*3/uL. I hiked on Saturday and blood was drawn on Tuesday. I feel fine. Haven't been ill. Just stressed over work. Waiting to hear back from the doctor.
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Aspens on Mt Timpanogos are past their prime, but still pretty. A bit like me, really. #photography #landscape #trees #autumn
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Aspen glow like jewels among the dark conifers on the steep mountainside. In the foreground, a grove of aspen colonize an otherwise bare meadow. Deseret Peak Wilderness, Tooele County UT #photography #landscape #utah #hiking
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
High Creek Lake, Cache County UT #photography #landscape #hiking #utah
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Ancient guardian of the mountain. #photography #landscape #utah
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
I woke at 2am like I always do these days, and went downstairs to my home office. Feeling like something had broken. I sent an email to the chairman of the uranium exploration company, notifying him that I'm terminating my contract. I feel better. But what to do now? I turn 59 next month.
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
No, the bristlecone is a different species, though they grow in the same environment. I saw limber pines and bristlecone pines growing in the same area at Great Basin National Park in Nevada.
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Limber Pines take hundreds of years to reach maturity and can live well over 1,000 years. #photography #landscape #trees #hiking #utah
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
"I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that" HAL 9000
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Doesn't everyone just curse at the chatbot until it connects them with a human that can actually solve their problem? They seem like a waste of money and a great way to piss off customers.
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Already?
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Thanks. They do point at the subject. But a lot of photography instructors tell you to avoid having stray items protruding at the edge of your picture. Hard to achieve in practice.
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
I thought about it. But then I'd lose most of the dark mountain ridge in the background, which I feel adds to the composition. Suppose I could use AI in Lightroom to remove them. That's a whole other conversation.
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
I've been using a FX-4CR made by Yu. For this activation, I used a 17 ft whip with radials. Nice low takeoff angle and quick to tune to 20/17/15/12/10m.
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
...and a station just outside of Heidelberg.
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Worked both of them!
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Thanks. Will be nice when my legs stop aching!
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Tragic grandeur Pine killed by wildfire. The tree survived centuries, only to be destroyed by a fire likely started by some careless redneck. How do people feel about digital b&w? Also, do the intruding branches on the right wreck this photo? #photography #landscape #utah
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
It's nice when you can make trans-Atlantic contacts with a little battery-powered radio and a telescoping whip antenna from a mountaintop in Utah.
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Nice hike yesterday to South Medina W7U/TO-002 in the Stansbury Range for a #SOTA activation. Over 3,100 ft elevation gain and 6.7 miles of hiking. Worth it! #hamradio #hiking #utah
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
😂
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The thing I've always struggled with in landscape photography is that the places I hike are beautiful but I find it very challenging to identify something that fits into a rectangular box and encapsulates what I'm seeing with my eyes. It's helpful to discuss the merits of compositions with others.
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Sounds like a worthy contender for the Shitty Camera Challenge.
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Thanks. It's an effect I've been trying to capture because it's one of the best things about being up in the mountains just after sunrise. But finding a good composition has been hard.
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Morning light on the way to Naomi Peak #photography #landscape #hiking #utah
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Autumn maples, Deer Creek Overlook #photography #landscape #autumn #fall #utah
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Chokeberries #photography #plants #utah
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Yeah, I posted some Zorki 4 photos from when I was walking around Prague snapping shots like a 1950's Soviet tourist just before I moved back to Utah. But they didn't get much of a reaction from Bluesky. Camera not shitty enough, most likely.
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Lense could be better. But it doesn't matter if you are going for the lo-fi esthetic. I just need to treat it more like one of my pinhole cameras and have a strong subject instead of just shooting landscapes, etc.
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Bonus #shittycamerachallenge photo. Turns out, this Sprocket Rocket takes pretty good panoramic photos to record my hikes Took this from the summit of Roberts Horn near my place in #Utah. Think I should use a faster film 🎞️ Lomography 100 #photography #lomography #filmphotography #landscape #hiking
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I'm just going to make my last post for the #shittycamerachallenge now. Ends 30 September, but I don't know if there's even a formal cut-off. Whatever. Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah 📷 Sprocket Rocket 🎞️ Lomography 100 #photography #landscape #lomography #filmphotography
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Spending six weeks camping in the Gobi Desert with a crew of Mongolians is not everyone's cup of tea.
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
All manner of things could be concealed in these old underground gold mines in the Nevada desert.
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Thanks. Just try to ignore the sketchy-looking discarded mattresses in the foreground. Gotta love rural Nevada... I could become a real enthusiast for this kind of lo-fi photography.
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Before long, I'll be getting a Holga...
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
10 Mile gold mine headframe, Winnemucca NV 📷 Sprocket Rocket 🎞️ Lomography 100 #photography #landscape #shittycamerachallenge #lomography #filmphotography #nevada
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
This photo resurfaced today on Facebook. From my days working on a mineral exploration project in the Gobi Desert. Breakfast of champions: mutton stew, fermented camel milk, anti-diarrhea pills and vodka. #breakfast #mongolia #gobidesert
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Double exposure experimentation. Sunflowers over the Lehi Roller Mills, Lehi UT 📷 Sprocket Rocket 🎞️ Lomography 100 #photography #shittycamerachallenge #lomography #filmphotography #doubleexposure
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Just started using one of these cameras. Love it. Now I have to find a lab that will keep the negatives straight when they scan them...
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Same with my 7.1MP Pentax digicam. Seems to excel at photos of flowers.
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
How do you rate those NBD cameras? I really like this photo you've taken with one. Only a shitty camera by virtue of the 12MP sensor?
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Double exposure experimentation. Sunflowers over the Harley Davidson dealership in Orem UT 📷 Sprocket Rocket 🎞️ Lomography 100 #photography #shittycamerachallenge #lomography #filmphotography #doubleexposure
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I've polished it with fine grit sandpaper, followed by steel wool. Improved but did not fix it. Will try again. I think that I need to lubricate the rollers. They might be sticking slightly, which would contribute to the scratching.
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Just received my half-case. I like it!
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Winners Casino, Winnemucca NV 📷 Agfa Synchro Box 🎞️ Kodak Gold #photography #shittycamerachallenge #winnemucca #nevada
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David K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Was a perfect day.
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