# how did you get started in photography?



## kekaru (Sep 20, 2010)

tell us your story.

Me personally, I was always a shutter bug, I always demanded control over the holiday snapshot camera. I was 15 when I got my first Digicam (Olympus something)  and took it every where, when I was 17 when i got my first DSLR (Nikon D100) which is still going strong after four years and is still used and my secondary camera.


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## skieur (Sep 20, 2010)

In the genes.  My mother got me started as soon as I could hold a camera.

skieur


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## Scatterbrained (Sep 20, 2010)

I knocked up my wife.


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## Derrel (Sep 20, 2010)

I bought an old plastic rollfilm camera at a school rummage sale for ten cents, back in 1973. That was my first camera. Within two years, I had bought a used Kodak Pony 135-B adjustable 35mm viewfinder camera.


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## kekaru (Sep 20, 2010)

Derrel said:


> I bought an old plastic rollfilm camera at a school rummage sale for ten cents, back in 1973. That was my first camera. Within two years, I had bought a used Kodak Pony 135-B adjustable 35mm viewfinder camera.



I love going to car boot sales and finding old film cameras, I went to germany not so long ago and found an old ex-military, it is a gem to use.


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## Buckster (Sep 20, 2010)

It's in here somewhere...

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...ery/216754-what-drove-you-do-photography.html


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## skieur (Sep 20, 2010)

Derrel said:


> I bought an old plastic rollfilm camera at a school rummage sale for ten cents, back in 1973. That was my first camera. Within two years, I had bought a used Kodak Pony 135-B adjustable 35mm viewfinder camera.


 
Gee, I progressed to video and television shooting by then after more than a decade of shooting stills.

skieur


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## IgsEMT (Sep 20, 2010)

I was 15 and my cuz was working for a videographer. He asked me if I want to replace him when he stops working. So for the next 4 yrs I was on the video end of the industry. Then I jumped into photography and learned the taste of NPS. Few years later I was walking around with square Bronica and few after that jumped on the digital wagon...


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## oldmacman (Sep 20, 2010)

I needed to be able to document my art work in university for portfolios and archiving. The university school paper was looking for a photo editor that paid $30 a week (sweet). I had a camera, so I was "qualified" for the job. I learned a lot more than I wanted early on. I started shooting sports, bands that would play at the school and drama productions. I got decent enough to shoot under difficult lighting situations and it has always stuck as a serious hobby for me. After I failed as an artist (just kidding, I never really tried because I like to eat) photography became a handy tool in teaching at a high school: yearbook, media art, and the school web site.


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## dalewood (Sep 20, 2010)

i started out as a guide for guided hunts and brought a cousins d40x with me. i took some photos for some clients and the payed me a nice bit of money after cuz they were very pleased with what they saw. so inturn i put the money they gave me to my new found passion


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## usayit (Sep 20, 2010)

I became the dedicated family photographer during our vacations.... 9-10ish of age (I think dad got tired of carrying the camera).  At some point in time, I got bored of taking pics of ourselves at various locations and started to shoot everything else.

Mom wasn't happy with all the $$ spent processing rolls but did mention some could be made into postcards.... that really motivated me as a kid.  A little while later, Dad's Minolta 7000 basically remained in my possession as I always just kept shooting... didn't return the camera to him until college.


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## Phranquey (Sep 20, 2010)

Started out borrowing my uncle's AE-1P when I was about 13. ( which I still own, and will never give up. He was killed at a very young age in an industrial accident, and my aunt gave me his camera)

My parents bought me a Minolta X-700 for my 16th B-day. I was in high school yearbook & paper, worked with the local pro photographer who did all the portrait work, and my counselor was also a pro who taught a two student per semester photojournalism class, and I helped him out at a bunch of weddings. He also taught me how to develop & print.

Went to college and bought an FM2, worked on the paper, was a stringer for the Akron Beacon-Journal, and I kept in contact with my HS counselor, still helping him as a wedding second occasionally (his payment to me was letting me borrow his lenses  ). 

From there, it's just been a seriously expensive hobby.


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## Sharfy (Sep 20, 2010)

Wayback highschool (1996-2000) I am in press club and gone to national competition for Photojournalism (very different from present time in school competitions). I was just lending a camera during '96 but a year after I brought a honor to my school my 2 cousins gave me "Yashica Camera" thats started me with more interest and from 1996-2000 I do bring some honor to my school and family.

The interest died after high graduation to focused on a Nursing degree (family influence)... I just hope I can still be a competitive person and do good works in taking picture. 

*You will always go back to what you love most* and I regret for not being consistent on this field.

I am still a newbie and hoping to learn more from TPF :smileys:


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## Chris Fulton (Sep 20, 2010)

It was less dramatic for me than it was for everyone else.  I've always had a camera, first a little 110 film camera, then a 35 mm p&s.  Never used them a whole lot, mostly around holiday time.  Then a bit over three years ago, I decided to get my first p&s digicam, followed shortly thereafter by ANOTHER.  Both were 4mp cameras.  I decided to try and do more than just take holiday shots.  A year later, picked up a better p&s (nikon P5100) and last year a Canon Xsi.  And I've been on a journey to try and take better shots since.


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## Derrel (Sep 20, 2010)

Scatterbrained said:


> I knocked up my wife.



This dude's story seem to have the most fun underlying it....


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## usayit (Sep 21, 2010)

Scatterbrained said:


> I knocked up my wife.



 She gave birth to a camera?


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## Village Idiot (Sep 21, 2010)

My circumstances were really off the wall. I bought a camera and started shooting. I thought, man it would be cool to be the most amazing photographer ever, so I bought a Nikon and I wasn't the most amazingist photographer ever. After that, I bought a Canon and now I'm the most amazingist photographer evAr!!!11!!1!1


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## KmH (Sep 21, 2010)

My father-in-law handed down a Minolta SRT-101, a couple of Rokkor lenses, and a flash to me, because he didn't use the kit much.


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## white (Sep 21, 2010)

I like making images. Sometimes with a lens, sometimes not.

I think some weekend in the near future I'm gonna turn my bedroom into a camera obscura.


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## David Dvir (Sep 22, 2010)

I was tired of having a really expensive hobby....

I was photographing rowing events for my team with my D80.  I had a lot of compliments and my photos eventually got passed around, when a magazine called me up asking me if they could use one for their mag, I said sure.  Then they paid me!!! I realized that I could perhaps do this more than just a hobby.  I pursued it and the snowball has never stopped  at least not yet


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## tomato1236 (Sep 24, 2010)

I got started by being a genius.  Actually I haven't really gotten started yet, but when I do, it's going to be terrific.


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## sbuxaddict (Sep 25, 2010)

i got tired of not getting the photos i wanted from P&S so I googled techniques which  led to me wanting an slr.   not a very exciting story, i know!


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## Kalemine (Sep 25, 2010)

I was a Web Designer this summer, and I was constatly retouching bad photos given by the customer. During the summer, I read a book about digital photography so I could understand why most of the photos were of such poor quality. That was the tipping point, and I grew more and more interested in digital picture. One day, I went into a photography shop, saw this nice little Nikon D3000 sitting on the shelft for a very reasonnable price, and bought it. Since them, I take picture on almost every activity I take part of.


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## akeigher (Sep 25, 2010)

I was bored, lol.

Seriously.  I needed an artistic hobby that I could do on my own time and on my own schedule.  

So around 4 years ago, I decided to try my hand at photography.

At first I just wanted to photograph events and parties, but shortly after I started to get into cityscape and nature photography. 

Once I found landscape photography I was all in.


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## Hooligan Dan (Sep 26, 2010)

I got started in high school by taking classes. About a year out of high  school I got a job as a part-time photographer for a daily newspaper.  Worked there for two years before going to school. After school I  returned to the paper(3 years ago) and Ive been there since, working my  way up to now being chief photographer.


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## FireGirl_Photography (Sep 26, 2010)

At 20, I wrote an investigative article for a national publication and thought "Gee, I bet I could shoot images to support this..."

Haven't stopped shooting since!


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## eloisecox12 (Sep 27, 2010)

I grew up knowing that I belonged in the Arts, however, the folks had a different plan for me that included law school.  I did keep plugging away at my design work and somewhere along the way I found Fine Art photography.  It has been just in recent years that I started doing childrens portraits, and also pets. I shoot digital for the most part, but I still feel B & W film is superior to digital conversions, and I love being in the darkroom.  I think the darkroom is what really hooked me.


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## Laurel (Sep 27, 2010)

I always loved taking snapshot-style pictures but in high school I needed a fine arts course and I can't draw or carry a tune so I jumped at the chance to take photography. Two years of black and white 35mm and I was in love. After high school I got my first digital camera and I work in a field that demands technical photos, but it wasn't until recently that I got back into the more artistic side.


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## Greasy (Oct 15, 2010)

I was moving to Oman in 2008 to study for 5 months... figured I should have a camera to document it. My last camera was a 1.2mp Canon (back in like 2002). I bought myself an XTi, knowing nothing about it. Even now, my photography is pretty much limited to when I travel. 

Had my XTi stolen in Jordan this past summer, so I figured I was done with photography. I just found out that I'm moving back to Oman next month, so I went and bought myself a new camera.


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## jackiejay (Oct 15, 2010)

I got started in my younger years at school grew up married had kids the wife/mom photo thing I just recently got an SLR and I do it for more of a hobby something to get me out of the house(Have 3 grandchildren living here with us 1 who is 5 2(TWINS)who are a year old my second time around with babies in the house lol so this keeps me from loosing my mind lol


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## dcmoody23 (Oct 15, 2010)

I bought my camera looking to enhance my portfolio for art school (I'm in my senior year of high school), but now I'm addicted and have completely stopped drawing, painting, and sculpting.  Hah, oh well.. Probably will pick that back up in the winter


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## dennisgg (Oct 15, 2010)

My dad was a shutterbug (as was my uncle) even when he was younger and single.  He had a camera before, but I remember his story of buying a Kodak Retina IIa from Germany in the early 50's when he was stationed there during the Korean War (Air Force).  When he had kids (I am almost 45 now) he got a Minolta SRT-101 setup and took 1000's of slides.  He bought us kids Diana cameras.  I later started collecting antique cameras and photographic paraphernalia (had 800+ cameras which my brother-in-law on my wife's side was going to sell on ebay doing the work - he didn't get to it because of health and all were lost in a flood - I got nothing) and learned mostly on a Kodak 35 from the 1940's (manual everything - focus by guessing distance, no meter, don't forget to wind!).  I later got a Canon FTb, then AE-1, and T-70.  I got out of it during when I got married due to film/development costs.  We got an Olympus D-700UZ digital, but I didn't use it for fun because of the slow response.  My wife got me back into it with a Rebel XT and have been doing since (got used 20D and 10D, now have a 7D).  

Sorry - long


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## ironsidephoto (Oct 25, 2010)

My uncle gave me an old Nikon N6006 for Christmas in my junior year of high school. That was about 6 years ago.


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## JLEphoto (Oct 25, 2010)

Well, True Believers....  I got started when I was about 8 years old.  Spider-man was (and still is) my favorite superhero.  Peter Parker is a photographer so naturally I gravitated that direction.  My parents bought me a Canon point and shoot and I have been hooked ever since.  That was in 1981...  sigh....  I am getting old........However, I can afford better toys now (just got a D700)!!!


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## Azeronstudios (Oct 26, 2010)

I always had a certain perspective on things. When I was younger I liked to envision ways to make photos really stand out. Some are good and some are, well... awful ideas. The issue was that I didn't have a camera of my own until I was 19. Yeah, kind of late on that one but I practice often and love it so much. 

I was showing one of my friends, who does modeling on the side, some of my work and she had suggested that we do a photo shoot. Now, I'm not big on the fashion scene but thought it be good practice so why not. It went pretty well and I hold the final pictures as some of my best work. I also had a modelmayhem.com account for a while but nothing came of it.

Right now I want to take some classes in it and just take photos for fun. I like working on my photostream for Flickr and some messaging boards now.
Some of the happiest days of my life have been spent with a camera in my hands.


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## EnglishBob (Mar 13, 2016)

Started with a Kodak Instamatic X77 when I was 10 years old, mainly took pictures when I was hiking in the Derbyshire Dales to remember what I had seen and where I had gone.  Got my first Digital Camera in 1998 (another Kodak) and started to shoot much more.   Really got serious after moving to the US in 2001, was hard not to living on Yosemite's doorstep.  Shot my last roll of Film in 2007.


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