The Person Responsible For My Interest In Photography

smoke665 · Feb 25, 2022

Found this old Polaroid in my pictures file, it was just about gone, managed to clean it up a little. My Father was the one that got my interest in photography started. His pride and joy was a Canon EF which I still have, still works. He passed away in 1985, I missed posting on his birthday this year, if he was still alive,
he would have been 99 this year.

terri · Feb 26, 2022

Wonderful. It's a great feeling to come across an old photo and be able to save it like this. It's very meaningful that he has a camera in his hands and inspired you to shoot. At the time I bet no one gave much thought to this snapshot. :586:

Photo Lady · Feb 26, 2022

Beautiful memory...that lives within you

smoke665 · Feb 26, 2022

terri said:
Wonderful. It's a great feeling to come across an old photo and be able to save it like this. It's very meaningful that he has a camera in his hands and inspired you to shoot. At the time I bet no one gave much thought to this snapshot.

A little side note, he was able to combine two hobbies that actually paid their way. In addition to the Photography hobby, he was also a pilot with his own plane, on a private airstrip just out his backdoor. He would fly over neighboring farms at various times of the year, taking photographs of fields, homes, barns, etc., then sell the prints to the farmers. It gave them a whole new perspective on field health - things like fertilization and pests, plus farmers tend to be proud of their facilities. He didn't charge a lot but it all added up to pay for his equipment, film, prints and aviation fuel. :wink-6:

photoflyer · Feb 26, 2022

It was my father also. He had an Asahi Pentax, late 60's vintage, and would develop black and white film at home. He too was a pilot and taught me to fly as well. I could fly long before I could drive.

smoke665 · Feb 27, 2022

photoflyer said:
It was my father also. He had an Asahi Pentax, late 60's vintage, and would develop black and white film at home. He too was a pilot and taught me to fly as well. I could fly long before I could drive.

I deviated in brands, my first was a Pentax Spotmatic, then Spotmatic II, then a k1000, ZX-M, K30, K3Ii, and K1MII.

Growing up on a farm I was driving tractors, trucks, combines, and other equipment by the time I was old enough to reach the pedals. Dad was in a flying club initially that owned a plane, didn't get much time in that and only as a passenger when I did. I was around 15 when he finally got his own plane. I also learned to fly under his "wing" . After graduation from college, I got the itch to get my license, but instructors back then in rural areas were like gypsies, here today, gone tomorrow. Unless you had the money and time to complete in a couple weeks, they'd be gone. Then business and life got in the way of finishing.