View Full Version : How did everyone get started???
Just trying to spark some interesting conversation... I was wondering how everyone got started in this hobby/profession?
Here's my story...
I got my girlfriend a Minolta DiMAGE Z-10 this past Christmas. She specifically requested this camera due to the fact she makes jewelry and wanted to be able to take close macro shots and the Z-10 allows this. So I got it for her and it basically just sat around until a month or 2 ago when I asked if I could use it to take some photos of a family function. Ever since then, it's safe to say, I've been using it a heck of alot more than her. Now... I have had quite a few SLR's in the past (Pentax K-1000, Canon EOS Rebel, & currently a Canon FTb), but I mainly used them for dabbling in Astrophotography(Yes...I'm a die-hard amateur astronomer). But I must say I'm quite impressed with what this Point & Shoot camera is capable of. As you all have seen, it does take a decent picture, but rest assured, I'm hoping for a DSLR VERY soon in my near future.
I always try and let everyone know, I'm literally just a beginner in this arena, and I find I REALLY enjoy the creative outlet it provides and the fantastic various forms of self-expression it gives me. I've never before quite understood what it means to actually create a form of art, other than music, but I'm finding that many of the shots I take & others I see here, are NOT merely just folks taking snaps, but instead, we're all actually trying to enhance our love for the craft & are forever in search of that "perfect shot". I often use the term "capturing magic" when I refer to my photography. And I sincerely believe that every REALLY good shot out of the hundreds we all shoot, contains that "magic"... that special element or combination thereof, that sets that one photo apart from the rest of the frames we shoot. Happy hnting and thanks to everyone here for exceptional words of constructive criticism & guidance.
Kindest regards,
Eric
I started when I was at junior school, with the wonders of a Zenit B, a 50mm lens, and a pokey little darkroom that had formerly been a cleaners cupboard.
The first camera I used was my fathers Voigtlander Perkeo II rollfilm camera (I still have it) and it got me hooked. The first camera I owned was a Zenith E (I stilll have it) and moved on to a Pentax ME Super (! still...you get my drift) :) I've never been a good photographer though I try and the trying is what it's all about after all.
nothing so traditional for me, i got a cheap a crappy little 1.3mp camera, didnt use it but then one day there was a williams F1 car at legoland, and it all kind of spiralled after that, started to show an interest, but the camera was rubbish, then i got a casio qvr40 and really got into it, have lots of books on photography techniques and theeory that i really must read, i found the casio to be not enough and bought a fujis5000 but then that too was not enough, i now have the 300D and loving it....
I really want to do some portraits, but need to find some willing victims first!
I originally bought a Fuji 602z and had lots of funs with it, its only when i noticed everyone on another forum talking about the 300d and how cheap they are now, i decided to buy one. The results are ALOT better from the Canon, and plus i can change lenses for different situations.
silkstone
25-03-2005, 18:31
Started at age of 9 with something called a 'Fulvue' TLR. Hopeless - both it and me. :D Progressed to an Iford Sporti (yes, OK, I still have it), a Halina 126 thingy (still have...), a succession of dubious 35mm cameras which were the pride of the Soviet Union, and then a Canon A1 which is still my favourite camera of all time. I wish they did a digital version. When it finally broke, I got an EOS 50e and a Fuji MX1700 digicam. Later bought a G2 (still have...), then had a 300D for six weeks before swapping to the 10D. Recently bought a Sony P200 to keep in my pocket.
In the A1 days I used to do a quite lot of Cibachrome printing from slides, which was expensive and occasionally frustrating. Did I mention that I still have the darkroom equipment? :shock: Anyway, I gave up film altogether last year, and I'm not missing it at all. I have to concentrate on taking huge numbers of shots so I can save lots of money compared with the cost of film. :P
Silkstone - close?
http://www.marnoch.org/images/fulvue.jpg
:)
silkstone
25-03-2005, 20:18
LOL! Spot on! I never thought I'd see one of those again. I'm not sure what happened to it - it was my Dad's really. It came in a cardboard 'suitcase' with a bolt-on flashgun (magesium bulbs, of course).
Thanks for posting that - it brings back memories of 43 years ago :shock: :) Is it yours, BTW, or did you just have a pic?
LOL! Spot on! I never thought I'd see one of those again. I'm not sure what happened to it - it was my Dad's really. It came in a cardboard 'suitcase' with a bolt-on flashgun (magesium bulbs, of course).
Thanks for posting that - it brings back memories of 43 years ago :shock: :) Is it yours, BTW, or did you just have a pic?
I nearly bought one of those at my local flea market a couple of weeks ago but resisted as it was a bit shabby. Perhaps you might be tempted by this decent-looking example? http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=11716&item=7502292 472&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW
Is it yours, BTW, or did you just have a pic?
Yes it's mine, for my sins I'm a bit of a collector of old tat...erm...I mean old cameras :)
I started at the age of 6 with a folding Kodak 1A , it was my dads camera , he was also a photographer for the local paper at the time , i think he had a 35mm Canon something or other,
as time went by i went through all the formats including a disc film camera and an aps camera ( fantastic camera but the film was way too expensive to use ) and a medium format unit,
then got into 35mm with a Canon AT1 ( like the AE1 but non electronic ) , this served till i got a Nikon F401 AF unit , then a Nikon F601 ( my first Brand new camera!!!! ), both 35mm, then bought a couple of Nikons ( an F50 and F60 ) ,
before that i had a 1.3 meg Fuji, then the Fuji 4800Z, and then the Fuji S7000 , which was replaced a few months back by my Nikon D70
on top of this i did collect old cameras for a while amassing a total of 115
MyPix
btw, its great here in Oz, and have taken over 1200 shots in less then 2 weeks taking up 7 gig on my 40 gig viewer/HD, lol, EosD has seen a few of them so far 8)
silkstone
25-03-2005, 23:52
@ Steep: I bet you don't have the cardboard suitcase! :) I have a small collection of old stuff, but not this. Slightly jealous, if only for sentimental reasons. :oops:
@ Adrian: Ta muchly for the link - it's mine if the price doesn't go too high!
@ MyPix: I have a Kodak 1A Autographic if you'd like to reminisce. :D
@ Steep: I bet you don't have the cardboard suitcase! :) I have a small collection of old stuff, but not this. Slightly jealous, if only for sentimental reasons. :oops:
@ Adrian: Ta muchly for the link - it's mine if the price doesn't go too high!
@ MyPix: I have a Kodak 1A Autographic if you'd like to reminisce. :D
i still have one to , lol
the best vintage camera i have is an Erniman Flim K, this Leather covered mahogany box camera is in mint condition and i have run film through it a few times, it was made in 1898 , and is valued around $200 according to the McOwans Guide i have from 2002, got it for a fiver at the local carboot :wink:
most of the kodaks are only worth a fiver or so in mint condition, and the ' fulview ' there is about the same value if memory servs, but its always best to check, lol
MyPix 8)
First camera was a Pentax Spotmatic that my grandfather gave me when I was 12. He also showed me how to dev and print my own stuff.
That was 1975 and I never looked back.
My mum lost the Pentax after I lent it to her for a Spanish holiday - she left it on a bar somewhere and forgot all about it until I asked for it back!
And she still wonders why I got annoyed...
:) Started with a Zenith E; progressed to a Nikon EM; then got me a Nikon 401S; P-Ex'd that for my first Canon - an EOS 100, inherited another EOS 100 along with a 10 and a 5 from my dad, along with a Hassleblad (500cm) P-Ex'd the 'blad for the EOS10D. Added the 20D and some L glass over the last few months. Along the way I have picked up a few oddments that I just can't get rid of (nor wanted too!) they include a Zorki; a Yashica T4 (lovely sharp little Zeiss lens on it) and an MPP Microflex. I nearly had a Reid with a 2inch TTH lens, but couldn't afford it at the time :cry: .
My godfather was a semi-pro back in the early 60's he stopped for a while and I got him back into it when I got my Zenith. He taught me how to process my B&W stuff (Ilford ID-11 etc) and I still have the Smith's timer he bought me! Had great fun in the school darkroom, printing my own stuff and anything I could lay my hands on (including some glass negatives laying around the school d'room!) Now I "process" on my homemade PC!
Photography for me its a hobbie.
I started with a Kodak with 110 roll, when I was a kid, then I have one with a huge roll, don't remember **** one was, but I remember that camera uses some funny flashes, in a little square, with 4 shots, one each side, then you have to throw it away. It was fun.
Then I have my first 35mm point & shot when I was in highschool, a PENTAX, I still have it, great for travel.
Some time later I started some classes of photography in school and my mom lend me his Canon A1 with a 50mm lens, great camera to learn the basics. Later my mom give it to me as gift.
Then I decided to study Graphic Desgin, and there in University I have Photo Class, and I needed some lenses, so a friend lend me his NIKON N6006, with some lenses, I don remember **** ones specifically but the kit has a FishEye, A telephoto, and a zoom lens. Actually with that camera I spend a lot of time taken B&W and color photos in class, in the dark room, printing, etc. It was great. But I have to give it back.
Then I buy a Canon Rebel XS with kit lens 35-80, of a friend who give it to me so cheap I couldn't resist, and then a Photographer friend of mine, sold me the lenses and the flash (75-300 USM, 28-105 USM and a Speetlite 430EZ), the same way, sooo cheap that now I have all that. I buy this stuff may be 2 years ago, for only may be US$400 all.
A few months ago, I get my first digital a Canon S70, and now I'm saving to get the 20D. (hopefully soon...)
I wanted to take a picture of a tortoise :? I remember being on holiday with my parents at a guest house when I was about 12 and the owners had this tortoise which just amazed me. They wouldn't take a photo so eventually I persuaded them to let me use all my savings to buy one of the Halina's with the 110mm cartridges you just slotted in. Motor wind and built in flash which was something else back in the 70's. I knew nothing about it but the design just appealed. My mother paid for the pics to be developed and alhough they were rubbish that was me hooked.
Then I saw some of the photos our neighbour took with his SLR and I had to have one so eventually I picked up a Praktica BX20 and a couple of lenses. That did me a few years until I was finished college and on a holiday to the canaries I picked up an Olympus 101, the one with the Power focus which was excellent. Then I became a gadget freak. Canon 1000F was the first autofocus, then a 100 then an EOS5. At various stages I was running a manual system as well and went through an Olympus OM10, OM40, OM2N, OM2SP, two OM4's (not the TI's) which I wish I still had, those Zuiko lenses were fantastic. A praktica BCA came and went during that time as did a Lubitel TLR, never could get the hang of it :(
About 6 years ago though I went into partnership with a work colleague and photography took a back seat until we could get the business established. After a lot of work I finally had time to get back into it and bought Minolta Dimage 7i about 3 years ago. And now I'm back to my SLR, a Canon 10D which I intend to make last for the next couple of years.
I started at around 6 I think, technically speaking. I used to love cameras. When I was 10 I went on a day trip around Birkenhead with an SLR. I took a shot that the guy in charge loved. He said it was really great with good tones and contrasts. We got to develop our shots too in a darkroom. While I was always "into" photography I could never really get into it as a full time hobby. Mainly due to film costs. Each summer I always planned to do more photography but never did. Then the digital age arrived. I got a Kodak DX3700 and took a few shots and started to find my artistic side again. I've always been quite balanced in being able to do geeky stuff and arty stuff. At school I was never really good at one thing more than another. I loved writing stories and creating things, but I had a knack for maths and science. I found this with web design too. I could code sites just as well as I could design them. With photography I found my artistic side again after doing my Software Engineering degree. It kinda brought balance back into my life. After a few months with the DX3700 and its battery issues I decided to get a Canon A70 after seeing what Dave's Canon A40 could do. From here, and thanks to the OcUK competitions and its members (people like Steve and Matt E) I got out more and took pictures on a weekly basis. I never thought I would get to the point where I would spend over £1000 on a camera, but I did. In the summer of 2004 I felt that I was being limited by the Canon A70 so I bought a Canon 10D to use on my Scotland trip. Thanks to photography I leave the house now and actually enjoy it. When I was unemployed I had no reason to and just sat in my room learning web design. Now I go out and spend time with people and see places. I've met a lot of new people through it and made great friends.
In short, I've always been getting started but it wasn't until May 2003 when I bought my Canon A70 and took my first macro shot that I was really hooked. Since then I've come to believe that I can overcome anything, do anything I want to if I put my mind to it and I know that even the worst things in life can make a great photograph. I've overcome problems in my life to get shots. I've never been a people person but I hate to regret things so I push myself to get the shot. Like my recent cowgirls pictures. I would hate to have missed that simply because I was shy. I am shy, but because I know shyness will last 5 minutes and regret lasts a lifetime I push myself on. My life has been changed for the better.
nice one Pete! Better not say too much, dont want to be accused of Ass Kissing!!!
I started with a kodak instamatic type thing (was my parents but i used it more than they did), took cartridge film, then progressed up to the venerable Zenit E, had a coupel of lenses with that, is a long time ago now, know one was a 3 or 400 mm telephoto. From that i bought a canon ae1 program while on holiday in canada in 1984, still got that, 50mm, 70-210 and 500mm tamron sp telephoto lens (annoyed that the adaptall 2 fitting wont fit the EOS's).
I upgraded to an EOS50E, with a 75-300 and 28-80 lens kit (still got that too), bought the Nikon E995 digital and started toying with that, and kept the EOS running alongside, still wont give film up completely, but now with the EOS20D, i may change my mind on that one ! lol
Never been any good at taking pictures, get flukey occasionally, but like having records of places i have been etc, figured now was as good a time as any to start actually learning how to use it properly ! lol I never really go anywhere without a camera in the car, you never know ! :)
Believe it or not.. I got started by watching Spiderman (the original, not the new hollywood pap), and thinking... Peter Parker has a cool job!
I never got into reportage tho... started with landscape... got bored when I realised that's it's all technique and no story... then got interested in shooting people.
When I was about ten or so, one of the neighbours who was a chemist showed me how to make contact prints in the kitchen sink from old family box camera negatives. I was hooked straight away on the magic of watching that image develop on the paper. Eventually I ran out of old negs to play with and had to get a camera. :click:
marlbenn
16-07-2009, 19:10
When I was about 9 I used to help my father in the blacked-out bathroom to develop FP3 roll films and do prints using his enlarger. A year later I had my own camera (can’t recall what, but I can visualise it perfectly - just like a Hasselblad but only 5% of the cost!!) but it did 2 1/4 square and I was suddenly developing and enlarging my own photos. We used “Ergol” developer which needed the unusually high temperature of 77F. A few years later I acquired a Solida II. Synchro-Compur shutter, as I recall. Even worse, I recall using PHF1 flashbulbs! Then education got in the way. And marriage. In 1970 I purchased my favourite camera ever, a Pentax Spotmatic, the last of the metal bodied Pentax’s - minimal nannying but the tools to do the job. Almost twenty years later, lust set in and I bought a Nikon F401. A lovely camera to hold, but a big mistake. It doesn’t let you control it properly, and I never got on with it. A succession of digital point-and-shoot cameras followed with a couple of CoolPix’s being nice performers until they failed when just out of warranty.
I’ve just bought an EOS 500D to try and get back into the game. I only hope it doesn’t fail the moment it is out of warranty!
MarkydeSad
16-07-2009, 19:27
My Dad's always been a photography nut - he used to develop his own pics, slides etc. So it's been there in the background
Just over a year ago I bought a DSLR (Sony A200). Now all I need to do is learn how to use it properly :D
Mike Hoyer
16-07-2009, 19:37
Bought a cheap compact in 2003 (Fuji A204 - http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/410E-LBrgEL._SL500_AA280_.jpg) when I started going to races regular, just as hobby. Upgraded to a Fuji S5000 in 2004, and got my first published picture in Autosport with it in late '04. Bought first DSLR (Nikon D100) after my dad and made contacts to do more media stuff, til I won the Renault/MSA Young Motorsport Photographer of the year in 2006, and got offered the job with the agency in work for now in Feb. 2007. And switched to Canon.
GarynLea
16-07-2009, 19:38
When I was about 11 , my BiL tried to get me interested with developing and printing his film but I was having none of it. then 18mths ago I was into keeping marine fish and wanted pictures. DSLR's were the way to go so I delved in and haven't looked back since.
Only the one tank left now which will soon be going as I can't afford that and photography.
I started at 4 with an old brownie with no film in it! :) I used to crawl around the garden "framing" shots. Then I learned how to develop and print as school and I was completely hooked. My parents would not allow me to have a camera because they thought it was a "passing phase" It's not passed in 30 years since!
When I started working I started getting cameras. OM10, OM40. EOS100F (which I was really bad with) Back to OM's. Then digital arrived and I got an Olympus E100RS (I worked for them back then and got a bargain!) Then onto Canon with a 20D, 5D and 1Ds. Added a Mamiya MF and a Hasselblad because I'm still a film whore!
Went semi pro in January and gearing up all the time to a fully supporting business which takes time.
trapper501
16-07-2009, 19:46
I've always had cameras of one sort or another since I was a kid. I bought my first ones secondhand, I wish I still had some of them.
My Dad was into photography, he used to take a lot when he was a teenager and working as a draughtsman. In WWII he was getting frustrated being in a reserved occupation so engineered a way out of his job so that he could join up.
He was still frustrated by that as he ended up in the RAF police and never got to go anywhere. One day early on they asked if anyone had taken any photos and he foolishly put his hand up. Next thing he knew he was a Scenes of Crime photographer.
Got to use loads of great kit apparently and earned extra money doing wedding photography for a while.
I was amazed when at my aunt's funeral years ago looking through old photographs of her wedding to find they had all been taken by my dad. Quite weird seeing his signature on things. (he had died years before)
Started with my Dad's Exacta 127 rollfilm, bought my first slr (Practica LLC,) upgraded to the Olympus OM system (two bodies and several lenses,) - all of which some skank nicked. Started again with Canon, an EOS 5, then went digital starting with a 350d, finally bought a 1d. Down the years I've had Rollieflexes, Leicas, you name it.
I can still vividly remember holding E6 transparency film in a (dripping) spiral in front of a 500 watt photoflood lamp doing the reversal exposure. Happy days.
I used to enjoy watching B&W prints being developed in my fathers darkroom, then started developing my Kodak Brownies 127 film in a Johnson tank. Soon upgraded to a Kodak Twin Twenty using 620 film, then inherited my fathers Ensign 12-20 folding camera when he bought a 35mm Zenit SLR. I still have that Ensign, last put a film through it around 4 years ago. I then bought a Praktica Super TL2 and an MTL3, then an Olympus system, 2 OM1's and and OM2, then a Yashicamat 124G. At that time I used to print B&W via a lovely Beseler 23CII enlarger. When my daughter was born my interest in serious photography faded, all my kit was slowly sold and for many years I just used a reasonable wide angle zoom compact. Once a reasonable film scanner was available, a Polaroid Sprint Scan 35, my interest regenerated. I bought a used Canon T90, a Mamiya C220 and Toyo 45A 4x5, an Epson flat bed for scanning the larger negs and an Epson 740, then 1200 for printing. 3 years back I dipped my foot into digital with a Sony DSC-R1, an amazing bridge camera with an APS-C size sensor, and am still using it. Am currently looking to replace it, but can't find the camera I want. This would be a Nikon D300 or D90, but with a flexible screen as with the Olympus E30 or E620. Perhaps a future model?
HappySnapper
16-07-2009, 20:48
When I went on holiday to Australia in 2007, my friend's parents got me into Photography and I’ve had the photo bug ever since :)!! I purchased my first DSLR camera in 2007 and haven't put the camera down since :). I probably sound sad saying this :lol: but I couldn't live without my camera, with Photography I've found something that I love doing and get a buzz out of (wildlife photography is definitely my favourite and always will be :)!!) :). Photography has been great for my confidence, before I got the photo bug, I didn't think I was good at anything because I found some things difficult at school. I've realised that if I don't give up at the first hurdle, sometimes I get a photo that I'm happy with.
mastertrinity
16-07-2009, 20:55
with me it started when i was seven years old and i made stop motion movies, my dream was to be the next spielbergbut i realised that i did like art. i never took art GCSE as im not good at drawing but photography was the medium i was unique at and since then ive been getting a camera every year to upgrade, and this year i got my a300 which i can safely say i wont be upgrading for a long time.
grumpybadger
16-07-2009, 21:12
Started with a Kodak 127 Brownie (http://www.onetwoseven.org.uk/cameras/kodak/b127.html) that my folks had lying around when I was about 7. Then at 9, I moved on to my Dad's old Ilford Sportsman rangefinder (http://www.photomemorabilia.co.uk/Ilford/Sportsman_Style4.html). This was a real learning experience as I had to use a separate lightmeter and binocular focus finder. All shot using Ilford FP-4.
For my 12th birthday, I was offered the choice of a brand new Zenit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zenit_(camera))or a secondhand Fujica ST705 (http://www.photomemorabilia.co.uk/Ilford/Sportsman_Style4.html). Since the Fujica came with a Fujinon lens and offered TTL metering, I took that. The through the lens metering was a revalation. There was a little needle in the viewfinder and when you stopped the lens down the aperture was set to get the needle in the middle of the range. The problem was that at small apertures, the viewfinder could get so dark you could hardly see the needle.
I acquired a Tokina 200mm f/2.8 lens in M42 fitment and that was my introduction to long lens photography, mainly for aeroplanes and motorsport where you had to prefocus and hope the target took the route you had planned for.
After my Dad died when I was 19 I inherited his Olympus OM-10 (http://licm.org.uk/livingImage/OlympusOM10.html) with a manual adaptor. This finally gave me the choice of aperture priority or fully manual.
Finally went autofocus with a Canon EOS500N (http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/eos/eoscamera/EOS500nRebelGKiss2/index.htm) in 1997 for a trip to Jordan. Had that with the 28-80 and 75-300 kit lenses. Added a EOS300 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_EOS_300) and a Sigma 28-200 and 170-500mm lenses for a safari in 2002.
Wanted a better camera and upgraded to a EOS30 in 2003.
Went digital in 2004 with a 10D
Started with a Kodak 127 Brownie (http://www.onetwoseven.org.uk/cameras/kodak/b127.html) that my folks had lying around...
Wow, same as that, nearly fell off my chair with reading that camera number, jeez, I used to pushbike for miles round country lanes with that camera and black n white film. Flowers, trees, insects, all blurred and out of focus.
I still have many of the dogeared tatty photos from that camera now. In fact, I'll search my parents loft at the weekend as I'm sure the camera is still there somewhere too.
This thread is from March 2005 :eek:
Rovers_Andy
17-07-2009, 05:12
For me it all started in 2006, newly qualified as a marine engineer i went to work for P&O Cruises, I'd been wanting to get a P+S for a while but hadn't got round to it. Anyway the 2nd day onboard i got chatting to one of the female photographers onboard a lovely spanish lass :love:
Bought an Olympus Miu from the onboard shop and ran ashore at the next port to start playing with the camera (and hopefully impress said Spanish Lady :love:)
Hit a pretty rough patch with work so decided i was going to teach my self photography alongside the day job. When i got home i pestered/nagged a guy at my church who runs an advertising company and he said he would speak to one of the commercial photographers they use.
6 months passed and eventually the guy rang out of the blue and invited me down to the studio
Since then he's taken me on lots of outside shoots, is happy for me to give input on adjusting lighting and basically lets me pick his brains. Lets me use his studio and gives me free tuition in return for me giving a few days each week helping out.
I would say i have been pretty fortunate and i hope i'm able to pass on things i have learnt to others
Bruce120
17-07-2009, 06:19
I was travelling around the world in 2005/2006 and had been snapping away for months then I took the photo below with a PAS of course. I had handled a D70 two weeks prior and knew I wanted to get into taking photos with something better
I don't think I have taken a better photo since :(
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v502/Bruce120/382035-Wellington-Harbour-0.jpg
swanseamale47
17-07-2009, 06:27
My dear Dad was responsible for my intrest in photographer, he was a keen snapper most of his life, I grew up with cameras and lightmeters draped around the house. Everywhere we went it'd be "wait while I take a reading" etc. I suppose it was only natural he got me a camera for my 10th birthday (a Cosmic 35, I still have) it was downhill ever since LOL.
theMusicMan
17-07-2009, 06:48
2 years ago today when my wife bought me a (pretty awful by comparison) E-400 for my birthday. This was soon replaced by an E-510, then a few months after that, the E-3 which I still have now.
Got one of the first digital's from Kodak for Christmas, 1.2 mp I think it was. Only really used it to take pictures of my bikes and general p&s usage. FF a few years and I was struggling to think of a decent present for the mrs so I ended up buying her a Kodak bridge 6mp 10x zoom and blahblah. She sort of got into it for a little while then like everything else she gave it up completely, camera sat in the draw unused for a couple of years. Then took it on holiday to Barbados where I started to really enjoy using it, and realised I had an ok eye for a picture.
Then a couple of years later the inevitable question came "What do you want for your birthday?" Me "well id like a DSLR please :D".
Decided I wanted a D60, she nearly fell over when I showed her how much it was so I ended up paying more that half for it myself, and my folks bought me the 200 VR to go with it.
That was my birthday in august last year, and its spiralled out from there.
pragmatist
17-07-2009, 08:14
Started with the good old Practika BMS then the BX20, Needed a good camera for my fishing photos. Canon Eos 5, Then Eos1vhs, Nikon F100, Nikon D2x, Canon Eos 1D mk2, Canon eos 1Dsmk2, Canon 5d mk2 and finally settling on the Canon 1D mk3...Phew!!!!
EdinburghGary
17-07-2009, 08:25
Holy Thread Revival Batman!!! :D
August 2007, my best friend sent me a photo of a dragon fly, and it amazed me. I then bought a D200 a few hours later (http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=41963). It then gathered dust until Xmas, then I took a few photos, fluked some shots that I really loved, and came here. Been addicted ever since :)
My first ever CRIT request here:
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=41774
Fun times :)
Gary.
Andysnap
17-07-2009, 08:49
Blimey, the thread that rose from the grave.
For me it started on a beach north of Inverness when I got talking to a photographer called Charlie Phillips. He showed me some shots of the dolphins he'd taken and I was stunned. Got home and found some git had robbed all the power tools out of my shed so bought a D40x with the insurance money. Now I'm a gear whore and feel its been a bad day if I don't take a photo.
Andy
I think I may have posted this on an earlier thread?
I have enjoyed photography ever since I asked my father for an air rifle back around 1960 and he told me he would get me something to shoot with, come Christmas morn theres me all excited opening what Santa had bought me and guess what, yep you’ve guessed it not an air gun but a camera a Kodak Brownie 127, are well the rests history as they say. The history trail took me from the 127 on to a Hallina Paulette Electric, Yashica Minster 3, Praktica Super TL, and then a flag ship of a camera the Canon A1 followed by probably the best prosummer 35mm camera I ever had and still use today along with the A1 the fabulous Canon T90, In addition I have had a Yashica mat 124G with wide and tele attachments and some rolli filters ( red, green, yellow/green, yellow.), a Yashica Electro and a Mamiya C330 with all the gummages needed for weddings and such, but the world went digital and for someone who never went auto focus this would be a ginormous step but it had to happen sooner or latter so I jumped and bought a Nikon 5700 plus the two add on lenses, and I now use a D200 with an Nikon18-200mm and a 50mm for portraits. I probably take more photos now then ever. I use Photoshop to edit my images; my darkroom equipment ( Based around a LPL 7700.) went 6 or 7 years ago. I’m pretty much self taught from books and mags on photography and computers.
The picture below was taken with the 127 in 1961 of my life long friend, he is now about to retire, oh how time flies!! And you cant have a second of it back. So, you young uns use your time well, as you will have it only once and when its gone, its gone forever.
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/data/1433/john-brooks_cooky_-my-first-photo-with-brownie-127.jpg
Since it's time for confessions, I can remember the moment it started very clearly. I was 14 on a school trip in the late 60s and one of the teachers had an Exa SLR. That was cool, and so were his pictures. I borrowed £30 off my dad and bought a Zenith 3M with 58mm f/2 Helios lens. It was crude and simple, but I took some great snaps with it. Some of my best ever portraits of school mates. I was very lucky with that teacher, who knew more about photography than just about anybody I have met since. He ran an evening class and together we started a photography club at school. A darkroom is a wonderful place for all kinds of learning when you're a teenage lad :naughty:
The limitations of that Zenith soon got the better of me and I saved like heck for a Minolta SRT101, 50mm f/1.7. It cost £174 in 1970, which is over £4k in today's money :eek: My portfolio got me to college, and then in photo magazine journalism.
Kids came and my darkroom turned back in to a bedroom, and it was family snaps for a long time, mostly with a compact. Then digital came along at just the right moment and here I am again. The technology today is just amazing, and so cheap!
I think I'm lucky in that I enjoy everything - the final images, the wonderful kit, and the art and craft of creating. Photography is fabulously versatile and enduring. There is very little that you can do that is not made better with a camera :)
Wow - 4 year thread revival - is this the record :lol:
I started out as a child mimicking my Dad who has always been really into his photography.
I had a Kodak Disc camera like this one http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Camera_Kodak_Disc_4000_with_disc_film.jpg
Then I moved on to a Kodak ektra 100 (I think) http://kodak.3106.net/index.php?p=211&cam=1008
Had various other normal film cameras between then and meeting my husband. Had an APS camera which we took on honeymoon but soon after that, got a Canon Powershot which was the start of my digital era. Had weekend custody of a Dynax 5d (which I had pretty much most of the time from my Dad) and that's when I got a bit more serious before getting my 40D.
Still have nearly all the photos I have taken and might actuallly pop round to my Mum & Dad's to pick them up and scan some in. :D
Then I moved on to a Kodak ektra 100 (I think) http://kodak.3106.net/index.php?p=211&cam=1008
:D
Blimey my mums still got one of those lol
minky_monkey
17-07-2009, 13:54
I was always intrigued by a really good photo, and had wanted to get a decent camera for years - I was always a child of the digital generation, didn`t have much interest in film.
Eventually, I bit the bullet and bought a 350D and loved it.
Byker28i
17-07-2009, 14:11
My Nan gave me my first camera when I was about 6. I still have it in it's leather case.
Apparently it's a Kodak number 0 box
http://www.onetwoseven.org.uk/cameras/kodak/no0.jpg
You had to look through a viewfinder on top, lifting up the metal flap and the image was shown upside down. I used to shoot black and white only (12 at a time rings a bell) and was under strict instructions to use it sparingly as developing was costly to us.
I got really into photography in the RAF as the photography club had glamour models in every three months. :D At that time I had a really nice Fuji STX-1, AX-5 and several very good lenses.
Had the first digital camera at work which I won in a photocomp in a womans magazine - Kodak DC240 1.2mp. Not really looked back from there
Natalie_B
17-07-2009, 19:16
Hmmm i wonder if i'm the newest togger of us all ...?
'm afraid i dont do things by half - LOL
My dad was a keen togger and so i was always the model when i was kid ...
Then last year, aged 26, me and hubby planned our family and i asked dad if i could use his old film SLR to practice for when baby arrived, as the safer alternative to horseriding - He gave me his whole setup (which cost him thousands 26 years ago) but I soon found that i couldnt handle the manual-ness of the SLR (if you know what i mean) and bought myself a DSLR. So I started really in August 2008.
That lasted till November when i was so hugely pregnant that all i wanted to do was cry so the camera got put away till February when i was out and about again .... now less than 12 months later I am the secretary of our local photographic society, came 1st in the first competition, 3rd in the second and 1st & 2nd in my third and most recent comp :) , have worked as 2nd tog at a few events and have JUST secured my first booking as the main togger at an event
I seem to have taken to it like a duck to water and i just hope it continues :)
started with my dads Cannon 350d to see how i managed with it, didnt want to buy something new incase it wasnt for me! My dad luckily decided to proceed with video so he kindly gave me his 350d. Have not had too much time to get out and about with camera but hoping a college course will help me with the technical stuff so that I will be able to take some great shots in Norway next year!
mr bizzare
19-07-2009, 18:27
Started with a Pentax ME Super back in the early 80's cost loads of money to me at that time, had to make a tripod (no funds left). cut my teeth on that camera, spent every spare penny on film etc. great times.
Photo Plod
19-07-2009, 19:17
My dad was into photography for most of his life, and was part of the massive uptake of SLR photographers in the 1960's. He could never afford Nikon or Canon, so he settled on Pentax, which he used right up until he sold all his kit about 10 years ago. I first got into photography around the year 2000 (ish), and he came along with me to Dixons to get my first proper camera. I'd never really thought about taking pictures, but I'm a bit of an "arty" person, and I fancied learning something new. We bought an ex-display Nikon F65 which was reduced to next to nothing, no box, no instructions and a 28 - 80mm lens. I still use that same camera for B&W film work, and it takes great pictures!
I learnt some basics over the next couple of years, but I only started seriously getting back into photography in 2006, when I purchased a Nikon D80. It was great, since I could transfer all of my old Nikon kit over. My dad's still around and still enjoys photography, and he's a great source of knowledge - everything he was learning 40 years ago is still relevant to today. I've been actively working on my camera skills for the past couple of years and am now at a level where people are looking at my pictures and enjoying them; that gives me massive satisfaction, so I'm enjoying it more than ever now.
Graham004
20-07-2009, 09:05
My 1st post & find this site better than any other. I'm a bit older now & started photography around 1975 in Hong Kong (worked there for 4 yrs). Wonderful film cameras, Canon AE-1 I used the most but also had pentax mx, Bronica 645 and also used twin lens reflex Yashicamat that I found excellent for candid shots of people as held at waist height. All mostly used on manual with the aid sometimes of an incident light meter. Although taking photographs as a hobby I decided to send some 6x6 slides to photo agencies & made some cash from sales . I was a slow convert to digital and still feel that film is better except for processing, likely there will be opinions on this. I built my own darkroom and did mostly BW developing. Since starting digital I have had Olympus E330, Pentax K10d and now Canon 50D with 17-40L. I am obsessed with sharpness and awaiting delivery of used fullframe Canon 5D mkI. I have spent countless hours using photoshop but believe the image should be right first time in the camera then wouldn't spend so much time at the PC, another opinion. Stiil have my old Nikon film camera.Thanks all for a fabulous site and invaluable information.
EdinburghGary
20-07-2009, 09:06
My 1st post & find this site better than any other. I'm a bit older now & started photography around 1975 in Hong Kong (worked there for 4 yrs). Wonderful film cameras, Canon AE-1 I used the most but also had pentax mx, Bronica 645 and also used twin lens reflex Yashicamat that I found excellent for candid shots of people as held at waist height. All mostly used on manual with the aid sometimes of an incident light meter. Although taking photographs as a hobby I decided to send some 6x6 slides to photo agencies & made some cash from sales . I was a slow convert to digital and still feel that film is better except for processing, likely there will be opinions on this. I built my own darkroom and did mostly BW developing. Since starting digital I have had Olympus E330, Pentax K10d and now Canon 50D with 17-40L. I am obsessed with sharpness and awaiting delivery of used fullframe Canon 5D mkI. I have spent countless hours using photoshop but believe the image should be right first time in the camera then wouldn't spend so much time at the PC, another opinion. Stiil have my old Nikon film camera.Thanks all for a fabulous site and invaluable information.
Welcome to the forum! Look forward to seeing your work.
Gary.
The23rdman
20-07-2009, 09:23
My interest started with my step-father buying an old EOS film camera 20 years ago. I never really followed through then being much more interested in golf, fishing, football, etc.
I reignited my interest 5 years ago with a Kodak PaS, but soon became frustrated with it and sold it. My health seemed to be getting better so I dusted off my golf clubs, but a downturn in health again sparked a desire to find a hobby that wasn't hampered by fatigue. To this end I've just bought a Canon350D and nifty fifty to embark on a new adventure.
KryptoNeo
20-07-2009, 09:43
i got into it sort of as a spur of the moment thing. I had sold a load of old things that were no longer of any use to me on Ebay, and made around £350 but then i didnt know what to do with this money in my paypal account. So i spent hours searching ebay for something that took my fancy when i saw a brand new sony alpha 200 with 18-70mm lens for £290 and i instantly thought to myself i must have one of those, without even reading up on it first. So i purchased that and a bag and a cheap old tripod which used up the whole amount i had in my paypal account and since then i have been hooked.
The mrs now has to hide things in the house to stop me from selling them on ebay to make more money to buy equipment.
arclight
20-07-2009, 10:01
First camera was a Pentax Spotmatic that my grandfather gave me when I was 12. He also showed me how to dev and print my own stuff.
That was 1975 and I never looked back.
My mum lost the Pentax after I lent it to her for a Spanish holiday - she left it on a bar somewhere and forgot all about it until I asked for it back!
And she still wonders why I got annoyed...
When I got my first SLR the Spotmatic was the camera everyone lusted after (unless they were people with plenty spare dosh).
I could not afford one and had to settle for a Practica with no meter.
Think I got started about 16 yo with a little Halina B 35 mm and shot only colour transparencies.
Probably many on here who have never used film.
Tazmaniandevil
20-07-2009, 11:52
I was given this
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3460/3310979147_27dfdbbf25.jpg
by my grandparents when I was around 8YO, and still have it. I spent most of my summer holibags snapping everything in sight and every spare penny buying film & sending them off to Boots for processing.
I had a few different cameras after that, including a Polaroid Land type thingy. (the one where you pulled the white tab then pulled the film out and stuck it under yer armpit)
I had an East European SLR which the winder snapped off of, when I was in my late teens; then a series of 35mm PAS types; and a Praktica 4.6MP digital PAS.
Finally rediscovered my love for Japanese tourist type photography while walking, and bought my current Olympus DSLR followed by a selection of OM lenses.
I'm now less inclined towards the Japanese touristy type stuff and more into attempting to take the odd photograph worth keeping. I'll get there one of these days.
The23rdman
20-07-2009, 18:21
The mrs now has to hide things in the house to stop me from selling them on ebay to make more money to buy equipment.
This is exactly how my wife feels! I'm already talking about selling all my golf clubs - some of which I lovingly built myself - and wifey thinks I'm a little bit crazy. :)
This thread is from March 2005 :eek:
:) And what's even more strange is that is was dug up from the grave by a newcomer, who has only made that one post (so far) :thinking:.
Anyway, now I have to post my 'story', or I'll be accused of trolling :p.
I started photography as a hobby both very recently (December 2008) and very late in life (I'm 42). Quite simply, I wanted to break away from my main hobby of the past 25 years (playing bass guitar) and get into something new, which would get me out of the house more and give my arthritic fingers a chance to recover :'(.
I picked photography after a friend of mine showed me a great offer on an Olympus E420 twin lens kit (for about 240GBP, new), which he was going to buy for himself and I went along to the shop with him and got one too. Within a matter of weeks, I was sure that I could get a lot of pleasure from this hobby, over the course of the rest of my active life and so I sold off most of my bass guitar collection and ploughed the money into a pretty decent Nikon setup. I'm glad that I did that now, as prices rocketed shortly afterwards and I certainly have no desire to upgrade my D700 in the forseeable future :).
Now, I have set up my own website and get a great deal of pleasure from maintaining that. Some people around the city where I live know of my website too and I'm even starting to get little 'commissions' for photographing events for friends and colleagues.
I'll never become a 'pro' (don't want to really, I enjoy photography too much to feel obliged to do it when I'm having an 'off day' ;)), but it's improved the quality of my life a lot, in just 8 short months.
I got my first digital camera in 2006. It was a 50 quid Vivitar off Amazon. TBH it was a bit of a crap camera but I got a lot of enjoyment out of it but then in 2007 I got a bit fed up of how slow the vivitar was at taking pictures (it took good pictures but took a while and they blurred easily) and bought a Sony S600 off of ebay for 40 quid. This is when it really took off :) Over the lifetime of that camera, I took about 8000 photos with it and it went EVERYWHERE with me, I wouldn't go anywhere without my S600. Then in May this year I finally bought a DSLR (Sony A200) and I absolutely love it! I really get a buzz from taking awesome photographs and also enjoy the post processing process as well, fiddling with my images on photoshop and stuff like that. I already have Gear Aquisition Syndrome :p I bought a 28mm Prime a couple of days ago and I'm now after a good telephoto (but can't decide between an 18-200 and a 70-300) and will probably buy several more lenses that I don't really need :D
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