how did you get started in photography?

[dcmoody23]

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

 

[dennisgg]

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

 

[ironsidephoto]

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

 

[JLEphoto]

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)!!!

 

[Azeronstudios]

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.

 

[EnglishBob]

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.