How Did You Get to Shooting What You Shoot?

johngpt · Sep 29, 2010

84young said:
I had started photography in Boy Scouts about 12 years ago, with a really crappy point and shoot film camera. After I had gotten back from summer camp, a gentleman at my church, who was an insurance photographer, had seen my photos and asked if I wanted to learn how to shoot. At the time, my church had started a wheel chair ramp project around town. After we had gotten to the site, he handed my his Pentax 1000 and showed me how to work the camera.
I just started shooting after that, anything and everything that I could really and I would always bring him at least a roll of film a week. He gave me C&C and later on gave me a flash to play around with.
About a year later, my grandmother brought me a Mamiya 35mm camera kit. Came with 3 lens, flash and many other things. My photography started to get somewhat better from there the more I shot. And yes, I still have that camera; I love the hell out of it.
I have been shooting professionally for the Marine Corps for the past 7 years now as a Combat Cameraman. I can now shoot better photos, shoot and edit video and I have some graphics and web design experience. I mostly enjoy shooting combat operations for the most part, but thats what I was trained to shoot. Im still having a bit of trouble finding a niche for whenever it is that I do retire or what I want to shoot when Im not at work.
So thats my story and Im sticking to it, lol. Thanks for reading.

Shooting. And shooting. Stay low. Looking forward to seeing your work.

84young · Sep 30, 2010

Flickr: crashandbang03's Photostream

There you go John, hope you enjoy and let me know what you think. I have improved since then though, lol.

DennyCrane · Sep 30, 2010

Like a lot of people, when I was a kid, they put a camera in my hands and I started taking lots of bad pictures. Took a class or 2 along the line getting some very basic principles ingrained, and later, when digital came into it's own, fell back into photography. I took a lot of pictures of a lot of things, just to try to get a handle on the different disciplines and eventually found I have a passion for nature photography and landscapes.

Greasy · Oct 1, 2010

I bought my first camera (XTi) right before moving to Oman for a little while. I knew I would be in an amazing place, so I sure as hell better be able to document it. I basically learned (not very well) how to use a camera while traveling around the Middle East, so now that is what my interest is. I am also a bit of a car nut, so that usually comes out in my pictures.

Here is a personal favorite (yes, its a snapshot... I was waiting at a cheese shop and couldn't resist).

Leo4 · Oct 11, 2010

I walked into a camera shop in 2004, left with a E1 and some lenses. Ivan claimed the E1 and I replaced it with a e500. Had it til 2 months ago. Regret selling it.

When I was 8 I got a MF Minolta set up from my grand-mother. That started my love of photography. I also lost that in Ivan.

IlSan · Oct 11, 2010

Started when I was a kid and my parents took us to a few galleries inside of museums - was fascinated by what people had done ... paintings, sculptures and of course, photographs.

Growing up I wanted to be able to do that...now, I can't paint, honestly, just can't, and things I sculpted during High School, well, let's just say they did not look too different after I finished from what they looked like when I got the raw clay...yeah

Must have been about 11, 12 when my dad let me use his old Pentax once, jumped around the garden, happily snapping away, and well, some turned out to actually be identified as photographs. And I knew - I needed to get me one of those magic boxes that can take pictures...

Got my first SLR right out of high school - was a gift from my old art teacher, she said, before they throw it out, why don't you take it...and eventually went digital.

What I shoot - mainly studio work (fashion, product, a lot of hair....) and boudoir (for private clients, not for any publications or so).
How I got into that - well...fashion purely by chance (ex girlfriend needed photos of her designs and yeah...started liking it a lot, read up on everything about posing I could, and tagged along to some fashion related shoots...) Boudoir, well, did a favour to family friends of ours that wanted something special for their 40year wedding anniversary. So, I set up the shoot, they had a great time, and recommended me to some friends, before I knew it, I had about 1-2 studio shoots a week with seniors wanting boudoirs either single, or as couples.
And yeah - that is pretty much my story...

KKJUN · Oct 12, 2010

Basic story for me, me and my friends started skateboarding 2 years ago. One day, I took my dad's d40 with me, snapped some pictures, was immediatly hooked. Saved some money for half a year, bought an E-520, took more photos, bought fisheye lens, took more photos, bought flash, took more photos. I also started doing other types of photography, then my friends and I got into longboarding, took photos of it, was immediatly hooked.