Why did you go into photography?

[molested_cow]

Now that I think about it, it's quite interesting.

I've been doodling since I can remember and the blood runs in the family, but no one in the family actually took it seriously because being artistic doesn't really get you anywhere in terms of wealth back in the days. When I was in middle school, I took still-life drawing class. We would spend hours each week in a room full of props with spot lights and draw away. The trick was to find a good composition out of a pile of thrash. It was then when I started to become good at spotting details and making a visually interesting composition out of it.

A few years later, I remembered that my dad has a set of Nikon SLR and lens that had been sitting in the closet for a long time. Since he wasn't using it, I assumed it. I soon realized that a big part of photography is pretty much like spotting the treasure in a pile of thrash, and it's up to the photographer to make it precious. So I found a different way to do what I like to do, without having to spend hours to physically draw it with a pencil and get numb butts.

 

[Garbz]

To wow the girls, and hey it worked. Pity she's an Olympus shooter

Really though. It's a creative outlet. I need it. I'm an engineer. If I spend all day staring at numbers and processing other analytical information I'll go nuts.

 

[Temecula_Photog]

I started about 15 years ago. After about 5 years of shooting as a hobby, I was spending a fortune on film. A few years later, when the Canon 10d came out, my husband bought it for me so I'd quit developing gallon sized ziplock backs of film every week. I was pissed, but eventually went digital. I now have a two 5ds and two 5d Mkiis, and shoot weddings exclusively. I never meant to make it a career. It just happened. My husband say "You are what you spend your time doing." Guess that makes me a photographer
Check out my work and drop me some constructive criticism at my
Temecula Photographer website

 

[Mulewings~]

These are great really.
I can remember running around and taking readings with dad's light meter, and thinking I was big stuff.
Mine started as a hobby I think then developed into a passion. My hubby wants me to 'go pro'.
I'd like to stick with what creates passion in my work and use photography as a creative outlet.

 

[dxqcanada1]

Many years ago (I think at least 20) ... was interested in Astronomy. I saved some money to buy a telescope, and I found that it would take too long to build up the cash (I was looking at a Mead 8" SC ... $1000.00). As I also was an artist, I was interested in still photography as it was quicker than painting ... so I took the cash that I had and purchased a Canon SLR with a 50mm lens.

That started it ... I photographed everything (literally). I then landed a job at a camera store, after that I expanded my equipment and started moving up (as now I can purchase at cost price).

I will eventually purchase a telescope.

 

[Scimitar12]

I got into photography a couple of years ago out of just looking for something to do; kind of develop a life skill/hobby. I acquired a ton of Pentax/Ricoh film cameras, lenses, winders, etc.

I am still learning the ropes to photography, but I am picking it up fairly well. I want to try B&W soon, and also pick up a nice Pentax digital SLR (got to use my old Pentax Lenses). :thumbup:​

 

[Cooler_King]

Mine is not as noble as others I am afraid.

I just wanted to capture memories and after a while I wanted to capture them uniquely.

I have never been that creative although I have just got Lightroom 2 yesterday so maybe 2010 will be different year. Who knows.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

...no one in the family actually took it seriously because being artistic doesn't really get you anywhere in terms of wealth back in the days.

Yes, I remember that one :lmao: In my family it was pretty comical because they loved artists and I grew up surrounded by them BUT they were not part of the family

My dad was a military man for about half of his working life but he wasn't a fan of the military. Listening to him and his buddies talk, I knew I didn't want to be part of it but I got fascinated by war and I ended up going to war as a 17 year old photographer.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

Very nice thread, btw.

 

[craig]

Why is slightly beyond me. After my fathers death at a tender age and numerous cameras I fell in love the art. When I built my own darkroom I was hooked and knew that I wanted to make photography my life. After all these years and a couple of "burn outs" I am proud to say that photography is just as exciting as it was so many years ago. Although I do miss the darkroom and the photography community that once existed.

Love & Bass

 

[keith foster]

When I was a freshman in high school I bought my first slr which was a Minolta sxt 101 I believe. After that I bought a 201.



Michael

haha, my first SLR was a Minolta SRT-201 and I still have it!

Mine too! It is right here in a bag beside me.

I got into photograhy when I was overseas in the USAF in 1974. I was a farm boy from Missouri and was suddenly out in the world seeing so many new things. I decided I wanted to try to capture some of those on film.
I switched to video about 1985 and just came back to photography 4 or 5 years ago.
I make pretty good money doing freelance video editing today (part time).
I love photography, and will keep working on getting better.

 

[Overread38 1]

Hmm well here is my little story:

I never really focused on photography when I was young; my dad did get a nice Practika (SP) SLR camera when we were young, he shot around 14 frames and then it went into the shed not to be used for around another 20 years (amazingly the shots survived 20years in unprotected storage as well). Aside from that we did get a polariod instant camera; and whilst it was used more often, it was more for family "snaps" and even then we mear mortal kids were hardly ever let to use it (film was expensive!)

But that was no big problem since I never really had an interest in it either. So the years roll on and disposables come out and we start to use them a lot - for more "snapshots" and whilst I used these a little more it was again unthinking snapshots that have little meaning aside from to family (and loads of pictures of the ceiling - a good test to see if it worked was to shoot it up )

Yet more years keep rolling on and my sister takesup a DSLR (canon) and starts shooting with it; I pay a little notice, but not much, and a few more years roll by. Then (partly bored out of my mind at uni) I suddenly found myself with some money and nothing much to spend it on. Having seen my sisters camera and some of the shots it made I started to get a little more interested and hunted about online. Sure enough I discovered that those (oh so expensive cameras) were now within my pricerange - So out I went and unto Jessopes I did travel and got myself a little Canon 400D (not just because my sister had one, there was much internet chatting at the time to work out which to go for).

However for me it was not enough just to get a camera - which is at the end of the day simply a tool for a task - no I had to have something to take photographs of. This was not a task I set myself (get camera - find subject) but more the reverse - I already had an idea of what I liked and it was not people, nor abstract - no it was Time Life; Attenbourgh (SP); Big Cat Diary; National Geographic. I had my subject ideas already in my minds eye (which is why I sometimes find it odd when people get a new camera and then wonder what to take photos of).

The bug diddn't bite me though when I first got the camera - there was some bite, but that kit lens was not the ideal wildlife tool I found. Infact I had to wait a few months till winter came by and my parents got me a Sigma 70-300mm f4-5.6 macro - after that the bug bit hard! (and that winter was 2 years ago)

 

[KmH]

I too came to photography through astronomy.

I picked up a used Minolta SRT-101 and a couple of lenses to use piggy back on a 6" motor driven Newtonian reflector I had at the time.

Now, it's Nikon d-SLR's, a bunch of lenses for photography and a 14" Dobsonian for astronomy.

 

[wtdeane]

Mulewings, thank you so much for sharing that.

A lovely thread indeed.

 

[jackieclayton]

well, its just a hobby and will more than likely stay that way... but for me, I just wanted to capture memories. then i started getting into the art of it. i love looking through magazines and i love how the ads and spreads show the fashion and makeup and sets, all the glitz and glamour just for one picture! I'm not pretty enough to be a model so I'll do the next best thing... take pictures of people who are! I know I'll never be some world renknowned fashion photographer or anything but I love studying and learning about portraits.... either a candid snapshot or a prepped studio image can render such an amazing work of art of someone! people are so fascinating and i love how photography can capture all of their emotions