How long and what got you into photography?

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12 Feb 2012 - 8:02 AM

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franken (e2 Member)

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12 Feb 2012 - 9:47 AM

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My art teacher was a steam train enthusiast and suggested that it would be a good idea if more of them were photographed as they only had about two years or so left on British rail. This was about 1963.

I remembered seeing a camera at home so I investigated it. It was an old medium format that you opened and out came a bellows with a lens on the end of it! I took it to the local chemist for them to put the film in and out when I'd used it.
I soon got bored with that and bought a then all the rage Kodak instamatic.

I didn't like the quality from that and bought a 35mm camera. I can't remember what it was? I discovered a camera shop not far from me and the owner was very helpful and before long I was developing my own films and contact printing them. I then became interested in other photo subjects and I was well and truly hooked.

My first SLR was a Zenith E, as big as a brick and just about as heavy!

Conversion of my bedroom into a darkroom soon followed.

Sadly, all the railway negs and nearly all the prints were lost amongst other things in a house move in the early 70's!

I did a course in Freelance photography & photo journalism in the early 70's which was difficult but brilliant; it taught me a lot.

This gave me the confidence to do some part -time freelancing. I was in a great job and had no intention of leaving it. I did weddings, social events, and even photographing houses for estate agents.

Along came marriage + kids that meant something had to give so I gave up going out and earning money with photography and it then became a wonderful hobby that I continue to enjoy. I did continue with stock agencies and still do.

Ken

janeez (e2 Member)

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12 Feb 2012 - 11:15 AM

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Started in 1971 with a Kodak 126. My first SLR was a Praktica MTL5 with some fantastic lenses in 1980 (from my lovely boyfriend who of course I had to marry because of that!!!). Sadly it fell to pieces, literally, after 14 years of constant use (camera, not husband ). Moved onto Minolta and then my first DSLR in 2003, Nikon D70.

Is there such a the as PA, photographers anonymous, because I will admit to being an addict.

After 30 years of trying I finally got my husband interested in photography. He is so good now that he has won 2 competitions at our camera club and only entered 1 image in each!

Dave_Collier (e2 Member)

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12 Feb 2012 - 12:58 PM

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I was given my first camera, a Kodak Brownie 127, when I was living in Singapore, I was probably about 8 years old, and whilst I was an avid user of film, my interest did not go beyond taking happy snaps.

Fast forward to 1970 when I purchase my first 35mm camera, a Halina Paulette Electric, and my interest was beginning to establish itself, and my father began to give me one or two words of advice about photography, well he was a Photographer in the RAF!

After a few changes of camera I eventually started to take a serious interest in photography in 1972 when I was serving in Germany with the RAF, and I got to use darkroom and studio facilities, and on my return to the UK from Germany I joined a club that had connections to the Welsh Photographic Federation which was where my photographic education was expanded to include audio visual presentations as well as developing an interest in colour printing using products like Cibachrome.

I finally went digital in 2002 when I purchased a Canon EOS D30, one of the early DSLR cameras. I still have a darkroom that is gathering cobwebs, as it has not been used for a long time, and my main interest is studio based photography, although I do sometimes subject my models to extreme cold and work outside.

snapbandit (e2 Member)

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12 Feb 2012 - 1:37 PM

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Quote: I've heard it said that the best landscapers are hill walkers/mountaineers first, then get into photography later... they know all the best places way before they get the camera bug

I believe it applies equally as well to all subjects, the best pics IMHO will mainly be by people who have a passion and interest for the genre.

My 2p

Joe B

JN_CHATELAIN_PHOTOGRAPHY (e2 Member)

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12 Feb 2012 - 5:41 PM

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As a kid in the 50s I was fascinated by my Dad’s camera. He taught me how to use it and how to compose images. One Christmas I was given a kodak Brownie camera with flash (flash bulbs in those days) in its own “reporter bag”. I still got some of the photos from that time (family, friends) as well as school trips to Germany and England (I’ve got a photo of the Queen visiting Christchurch in 1965!).

In 1970, my first trip to the USA was the start of a serious passion for photography and traveling. The Minolta SRT101 was my dream so I got one with some macro rings which were soon replaced with a Macro lens.

My interest in photography continued growing and I started doing my own B&W developing and printing and later moved on to Cibachrome for printing from my slides.

The price of Fujichrome slide films was starting to get silly so in 2006 I took the plunge into the digital world.

My interest in traveling, walking, observing Nature have continued to develop over the years and so has my photography.

lemmy

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12 Feb 2012 - 7:15 PM

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Leaving school, I was looking for an interesting job. My local paper, the Kent and Sussex Courier advertised a vacancy for a trainee press photographer. I applied - it looked like an interesting job- though I had never taken a photograph in my life. And, from 50 applicants (that would 50,000 nowadays!) I got it.

The chief photographer's basic point was that the job needed personality, drive and a willingness to work day and night. If you had those attributes, they could train a monkey to take decent pictures (his words, not mine!). I received a fantastic ground up training in the art/ craft/ science/ business and it set me off on a long and unbelievably fulfilling 35 years as a photographer.

Now, retired, I still take pictures for fun (and, sometimes, profit). Photography has been a great friend to me and looking back, in spite of being in genuine and imminent fear for my life on occasions, I wouldn't change a moment of it.

Pete (ePHOTOzine Staff)

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13 Feb 2012 - 7:49 AM

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This thread has some more, including mine