how long have you been a photographer

[D-Ice]

For me it's a hobby. It has been for about 8 months. I'm just an amateur at this. I don't even have a good camera. Just a camera phone.

 

[danalec99]

One year and few months. The love is ever increasing.

 

[BlueDeath]

I've been take pictures properly since my GCSE in photography 5 years ago. I have a minolta XG9, a very old school camera, digital just isn't as fun.

 

[Mansi]

photog has always been an obsession even as a kid...
i got my slr in feb 2004.... shot a bit.. once in a while
my actual photog picked up only this year in jan/feb almost a year later.. i over used and abused my nikon.. almost like an addiction...
i just took a loan and got my dslr a month and a half back...
so in all seriousness it's only been 6 months.. im learning and absorbing from whoever n wherevr i can..
i just sold my first 3 pics.. so it is a start i guess!!!
i dont call myself a photog yet.. but i hope to some day
photography is me! and photojourno is what i want to do...

 

[303villain]

i got a nikon n65 just before my freshman year in highschool started, now im a sophomoore in college... so about 5 or 6 years... i started off ONLY taking bmx photos, moved into more artistic types about a year and a half ago

 

[thebeginning]

i'm going with what digital matt said and saying i'm an artist. id rather use that term than get into that 'amateur, professional, semi-professional' thing, at least here at tPF.

I've been photographing seriously since late january, so about 5 months.

 

[Noodle]

I have considered photography a serious hobby for me for about 5 years. I then got a photographer's job in a newspaper. The best job ever - sparked a love for sports photography. To expand my hobby I started a photography business. I got quite a few jobs taking portraits, but not enough to earn a living.
I would consider a professional someone who gets paid to take photos and afford to live (as well as continue to pay for new equipment, processing, computers, discs, trips to exotic places to take photos, etc, etc) - my goal in life!

 

[Christie Photo]

I shot my first wedding in 1971 and continued as a "weekend warrior" for 5 years. I worked at two local studios for 6 years and opened my doors in 1983... August 1st.

So, I have had my own place for 22 years. Damn. I should get a "real job!"

 

[erniehatt]

Well, I guess I'll elect myself to be the "old man" of this group; I've been into photography since I was first given an Ansco Panda by my parents around the age of 7 years in 1948. Still learning and enjoying photography!

Sorry Pal you miss out by 2 years, I borrowed my Mothers camera without permission at age 7 that was 1942. But I have had the odd camera on and off over the years nothing serious until about 18 months ago when I invested in my Sony f717, and I have not looked back since. I have noticed the comments regarding not being a photographer, what makes a photographer, dictionary says someone who takes Photographs. Ernie

 

[laudrup]

I've been into photography for about 6 months or so now. I started about a month or so before i joined the forum.

I started off with a really basic point & shoot Kodak 3mp digital, it had no zoom, drained batteries within seconds and was the size of a small continent!!! I enjoyed getting out taking pics and decided digital was the way forward.

Naively I decided that a new digital compact would be the way forward, I bought a casio 6mp camera, got bitten by the bug and was out snapping like crazy. I wanted to learn a bit more about photography and became frustrated with the lack of manual controls.

I then decided to buy a 35mm slr, i'd looked at few different models but stumbled upon a canon t90 with 4 lenses going for £150 on ebay! I bought it and haven't looked back since.

I've spent a fortune on getting films developed, but love it!
I started out with print films and have used a bit of velvia 50 for landscapes and a few rolls of b&w.

I'm very much an amateur, getting used to the creative controls and composition etc but ,as has been noted before i feel like i learn something new each time I get a roll back!

There have been a few expensive errors along the way! For example using a wide angle lens and having a polarising filter fitted that led to vignetting on photo's. I'd paid £25 per roll of slide film to get developed, printed & scanned to cd!!! I also had a few shot ruined where I'd managed to get raindrops on the lens too! It pays dividends to pay attention to detail. It's all part of the learning curve...and I love the fact that I keep picking up new things each time I shoot!

I'm really enjoying getting to grips with composition to maximise the impact of photo's and it also get's me out and about and into the countryside often, and I also enjoy the fact that there are no end of subjects to shoot!

I like to think i'm a fairly creative person, I play the guitar, i've tried writing poetry and short stories, but with photography everything seemed to slip into place and it's so rewarding when a film comes back and you've managed to capture some good shots!

 

[Chiller]

I've been working on it now for just over 2 years. Sort of an extreme hobby for me.

 

[Midnight Reign]

Im very new to this hobby. Im not sure what my intention is with photography, but right now, Im learning more everyday, and enjoying it. I have been trying my hand at photography for almost a year

 

[df3photo]

ohh... my first photo class was in 6th grade... i enjoyed taking snapshots before that for acouple years... then threw highschool, then went to college for it... still shooting now...kinda... just cant make money at it. but im going to start trying harder to really soon... www.df3photo.com let me know what you think.

 

[barebonephoto]

It is crazy to say it outloud but I've been shooting for 14 years!
I have never done anything other than photography. I actually went through a tough time once because no one would hire me because thats all I had on my resume. The all that I would eventually leave to be a photographer. They were right. Ive had my own studio now for 4 years. I can't ever imagine doing anything else!

I love my job.

Emma
www.barebonephoto.com

 

[Xmetal]

Almost a year - and I still haven't got a DSLR.
People ask me if i'm a Professional after observing my Automotive works but I tell them i'm purely a hobbyist.