How did everyone get started???

Got one of the first digital's from Kodak for Christmas, 1.2 mp I think it was. Only really used it to take pictures of my bikes and general p&s usage. FF a few years and I was struggling to think of a decent present for the mrs so I ended up buying her a Kodak bridge 6mp 10x zoom and blahblah. She sort of got into it for a little while then like everything else she gave it up completely, camera sat in the draw unused for a couple of years. Then took it on holiday to Barbados where I started to really enjoy using it, and realised I had an ok eye for a picture.

Then a couple of years later the inevitable question came "What do you want for your birthday?" Me "well id like a DSLR please :D".

Decided I wanted a D60, she nearly fell over when I showed her how much it was so I ended up paying more that half for it myself, and my folks bought me the 200 VR to go with it.

That was my birthday in august last year, and its spiralled out from there.
 
Started with the good old Practika BMS then the BX20, Needed a good camera for my fishing photos. Canon Eos 5, Then Eos1vhs, Nikon F100, Nikon D2x, Canon Eos 1D mk2, Canon eos 1Dsmk2, Canon 5d mk2 and finally settling on the Canon 1D mk3...Phew!!!!
 
Blimey, the thread that rose from the grave.
For me it started on a beach north of Inverness when I got talking to a photographer called Charlie Phillips. He showed me some shots of the dolphins he'd taken and I was stunned. Got home and found some git had robbed all the power tools out of my shed so bought a D40x with the insurance money. Now I'm a gear whore and feel its been a bad day if I don't take a photo.

Andy
 
I think I may have posted this on an earlier thread?
I have enjoyed photography ever since I asked my father for an air rifle back around 1960 and he told me he would get me something to shoot with, come Christmas morn theres me all excited opening what Santa had bought me and guess what, yep you’ve guessed it not an air gun but a camera a Kodak Brownie 127, are well the rests history as they say. The history trail took me from the 127 on to a Hallina Paulette Electric, Yashica Minster 3, Praktica Super TL, and then a flag ship of a camera the Canon A1 followed by probably the best prosummer 35mm camera I ever had and still use today along with the A1 the fabulous Canon T90, In addition I have had a Yashica mat 124G with wide and tele attachments and some rolli filters ( red, green, yellow/green, yellow.), a Yashica Electro and a Mamiya C330 with all the gummages needed for weddings and such, but the world went digital and for someone who never went auto focus this would be a ginormous step but it had to happen sooner or latter so I jumped and bought a Nikon 5700 plus the two add on lenses, and I now use a D200 with an Nikon18-200mm and a 50mm for portraits. I probably take more photos now then ever. I use Photoshop to edit my images; my darkroom equipment ( Based around a LPL 7700.) went 6 or 7 years ago. I’m pretty much self taught from books and mags on photography and computers.
The picture below was taken with the 127 in 1961 of my life long friend, he is now about to retire, oh how time flies!! And you cant have a second of it back. So, you young uns use your time well, as you will have it only once and when its gone, its gone forever.

john-brooks_cooky_-my-first-photo-with-brownie-127.jpg
 
Since it's time for confessions, I can remember the moment it started very clearly. I was 14 on a school trip in the late 60s and one of the teachers had an Exa SLR. That was cool, and so were his pictures. I borrowed £30 off my dad and bought a Zenith 3M with 58mm f/2 Helios lens. It was crude and simple, but I took some great snaps with it. Some of my best ever portraits of school mates. I was very lucky with that teacher, who knew more about photography than just about anybody I have met since. He ran an evening class and together we started a photography club at school. A darkroom is a wonderful place for all kinds of learning when you're a teenage lad :naughty:

The limitations of that Zenith soon got the better of me and I saved like heck for a Minolta SRT101, 50mm f/1.7. It cost £174 in 1970, which is over £4k in today's money :eek: My portfolio got me to college, and then in photo magazine journalism.

Kids came and my darkroom turned back in to a bedroom, and it was family snaps for a long time, mostly with a compact. Then digital came along at just the right moment and here I am again. The technology today is just amazing, and so cheap!

I think I'm lucky in that I enjoy everything - the final images, the wonderful kit, and the art and craft of creating. Photography is fabulously versatile and enduring. There is very little that you can do that is not made better with a camera :)
 
Wow - 4 year thread revival - is this the record :lol:

I started out as a child mimicking my Dad who has always been really into his photography.

I had a Kodak Disc camera like this one http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Camera_Kodak_Disc_4000_with_disc_film.jpg

Then I moved on to a Kodak ektra 100 (I think) http://kodak.3106.net/index.php?p=211&cam=1008

Had various other normal film cameras between then and meeting my husband. Had an APS camera which we took on honeymoon but soon after that, got a Canon Powershot which was the start of my digital era. Had weekend custody of a Dynax 5d (which I had pretty much most of the time from my Dad) and that's when I got a bit more serious before getting my 40D.

Still have nearly all the photos I have taken and might actuallly pop round to my Mum & Dad's to pick them up and scan some in. :D
 
I was always intrigued by a really good photo, and had wanted to get a decent camera for years - I was always a child of the digital generation, didn`t have much interest in film.

Eventually, I bit the bullet and bought a 350D and loved it.
 
My Nan gave me my first camera when I was about 6. I still have it in it's leather case.

Apparently it's a Kodak number 0 box
no0.jpg


You had to look through a viewfinder on top, lifting up the metal flap and the image was shown upside down. I used to shoot black and white only (12 at a time rings a bell) and was under strict instructions to use it sparingly as developing was costly to us.

I got really into photography in the RAF as the photography club had glamour models in every three months. :D At that time I had a really nice Fuji STX-1, AX-5 and several very good lenses.

Had the first digital camera at work which I won in a photocomp in a womans magazine - Kodak DC240 1.2mp. Not really looked back from there
 
Hmmm i wonder if i'm the newest togger of us all ...?
'm afraid i dont do things by half - LOL

My dad was a keen togger and so i was always the model when i was kid ...

Then last year, aged 26, me and hubby planned our family and i asked dad if i could use his old film SLR to practice for when baby arrived, as the safer alternative to horseriding - He gave me his whole setup (which cost him thousands 26 years ago) but I soon found that i couldnt handle the manual-ness of the SLR (if you know what i mean) and bought myself a DSLR. So I started really in August 2008.

That lasted till November when i was so hugely pregnant that all i wanted to do was cry so the camera got put away till February when i was out and about again .... now less than 12 months later I am the secretary of our local photographic society, came 1st in the first competition, 3rd in the second and 1st & 2nd in my third and most recent comp :) , have worked as 2nd tog at a few events and have JUST secured my first booking as the main togger at an event

I seem to have taken to it like a duck to water and i just hope it continues :)
 
started with my dads Cannon 350d to see how i managed with it, didnt want to buy something new incase it wasnt for me! My dad luckily decided to proceed with video so he kindly gave me his 350d. Have not had too much time to get out and about with camera but hoping a college course will help me with the technical stuff so that I will be able to take some great shots in Norway next year!
 
Started with a Pentax ME Super back in the early 80's cost loads of money to me at that time, had to make a tripod (no funds left). cut my teeth on that camera, spent every spare penny on film etc. great times.
 
My dad was into photography for most of his life, and was part of the massive uptake of SLR photographers in the 1960's. He could never afford Nikon or Canon, so he settled on Pentax, which he used right up until he sold all his kit about 10 years ago. I first got into photography around the year 2000 (ish), and he came along with me to Dixons to get my first proper camera. I'd never really thought about taking pictures, but I'm a bit of an "arty" person, and I fancied learning something new. We bought an ex-display Nikon F65 which was reduced to next to nothing, no box, no instructions and a 28 - 80mm lens. I still use that same camera for B&W film work, and it takes great pictures!

I learnt some basics over the next couple of years, but I only started seriously getting back into photography in 2006, when I purchased a Nikon D80. It was great, since I could transfer all of my old Nikon kit over. My dad's still around and still enjoys photography, and he's a great source of knowledge - everything he was learning 40 years ago is still relevant to today. I've been actively working on my camera skills for the past couple of years and am now at a level where people are looking at my pictures and enjoying them; that gives me massive satisfaction, so I'm enjoying it more than ever now.
 
My 1st post & find this site better than any other. I'm a bit older now & started photography around 1975 in Hong Kong (worked there for 4 yrs). Wonderful film cameras, Canon AE-1 I used the most but also had pentax mx, Bronica 645 and also used twin lens reflex Yashicamat that I found excellent for candid shots of people as held at waist height. All mostly used on manual with the aid sometimes of an incident light meter. Although taking photographs as a hobby I decided to send some 6x6 slides to photo agencies & made some cash from sales . I was a slow convert to digital and still feel that film is better except for processing, likely there will be opinions on this. I built my own darkroom and did mostly BW developing. Since starting digital I have had Olympus E330, Pentax K10d and now Canon 50D with 17-40L. I am obsessed with sharpness and awaiting delivery of used fullframe Canon 5D mkI. I have spent countless hours using photoshop but believe the image should be right first time in the camera then wouldn't spend so much time at the PC, another opinion. Stiil have my old Nikon film camera.Thanks all for a fabulous site and invaluable information.
 
Graham004 said:
My 1st post & find this site better than any other. I'm a bit older now & started photography around 1975 in Hong Kong (worked there for 4 yrs). Wonderful film cameras, Canon AE-1 I used the most but also had pentax mx, Bronica 645 and also used twin lens reflex Yashicamat that I found excellent for candid shots of people as held at waist height. All mostly used on manual with the aid sometimes of an incident light meter. Although taking photographs as a hobby I decided to send some 6x6 slides to photo agencies & made some cash from sales . I was a slow convert to digital and still feel that film is better except for processing, likely there will be opinions on this. I built my own darkroom and did mostly BW developing. Since starting digital I have had Olympus E330, Pentax K10d and now Canon 50D with 17-40L. I am obsessed with sharpness and awaiting delivery of used fullframe Canon 5D mkI. I have spent countless hours using photoshop but believe the image should be right first time in the camera then wouldn't spend so much time at the PC, another opinion. Stiil have my old Nikon film camera.Thanks all for a fabulous site and invaluable information.
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Welcome to the forum! Look forward to seeing your work.

Gary.
 
My interest started with my step-father buying an old EOS film camera 20 years ago. I never really followed through then being much more interested in golf, fishing, football, etc.

I reignited my interest 5 years ago with a Kodak PaS, but soon became frustrated with it and sold it. My health seemed to be getting better so I dusted off my golf clubs, but a downturn in health again sparked a desire to find a hobby that wasn't hampered by fatigue. To this end I've just bought a Canon350D and nifty fifty to embark on a new adventure.
 
i got into it sort of as a spur of the moment thing. I had sold a load of old things that were no longer of any use to me on Ebay, and made around £350 but then i didnt know what to do with this money in my paypal account. So i spent hours searching ebay for something that took my fancy when i saw a brand new sony alpha 200 with 18-70mm lens for £290 and i instantly thought to myself i must have one of those, without even reading up on it first. So i purchased that and a bag and a cheap old tripod which used up the whole amount i had in my paypal account and since then i have been hooked.

The mrs now has to hide things in the house to stop me from selling them on ebay to make more money to buy equipment.
 
Arkady said:
First camera was a Pentax Spotmatic that my grandfather gave me when I was 12. He also showed me how to dev and print my own stuff.
That was 1975 and I never looked back.

My mum lost the Pentax after I lent it to her for a Spanish holiday - she left it on a bar somewhere and forgot all about it until I asked for it back!
And she still wonders why I got annoyed...
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When I got my first SLR the Spotmatic was the camera everyone lusted after (unless they were people with plenty spare dosh).
I could not afford one and had to settle for a Practica with no meter.

Think I got started about 16 yo with a little Halina B 35 mm and shot only colour transparencies.

Probably many on here who have never used film.
 
I was given this
3310979147_27dfdbbf25.jpg

by my grandparents when I was around 8YO, and still have it. I spent most of my summer holibags snapping everything in sight and every spare penny buying film & sending them off to Boots for processing.
I had a few different cameras after that, including a Polaroid Land type thingy. (the one where you pulled the white tab then pulled the film out and stuck it under yer armpit)
I had an East European SLR which the winder snapped off of, when I was in my late teens; then a series of 35mm PAS types; and a Praktica 4.6MP digital PAS.
Finally rediscovered my love for Japanese tourist type photography while walking, and bought my current Olympus DSLR followed by a selection of OM lenses.
I'm now less inclined towards the Japanese touristy type stuff and more into attempting to take the odd photograph worth keeping. I'll get there one of these days.
 
KryptoNeo said:
The mrs now has to hide things in the house to stop me from selling them on ebay to make more money to buy equipment.
Click to expand...

This is exactly how my wife feels! I'm already talking about selling all my golf clubs - some of which I lovingly built myself - and wifey thinks I'm a little bit crazy. :)
 
HoppyUK said:
This thread is from March 2005 :eek:
Click to expand...

:) And what's even more strange is that is was dug up from the grave by a newcomer, who has only made that one post (so far) :thinking:.

Anyway, now I have to post my 'story', or I'll be accused of trolling :p.


I started photography as a hobby both very recently (December 2008) and very late in life (I'm 42). Quite simply, I wanted to break away from my main hobby of the past 25 years (playing bass guitar) and get into something new, which would get me out of the house more and give my arthritic fingers a chance to recover :'(.

I picked photography after a friend of mine showed me a great offer on an Olympus E420 twin lens kit (for about 240GBP, new), which he was going to buy for himself and I went along to the shop with him and got one too. Within a matter of weeks, I was sure that I could get a lot of pleasure from this hobby, over the course of the rest of my active life and so I sold off most of my bass guitar collection and ploughed the money into a pretty decent Nikon setup. I'm glad that I did that now, as prices rocketed shortly afterwards and I certainly have no desire to upgrade my D700 in the forseeable future :).

Now, I have set up my own website and get a great deal of pleasure from maintaining that. Some people around the city where I live know of my website too and I'm even starting to get little 'commissions' for photographing events for friends and colleagues.

I'll never become a 'pro' (don't want to really, I enjoy photography too much to feel obliged to do it when I'm having an 'off day' ;)), but it's improved the quality of my life a lot, in just 8 short months.
 
I got my first digital camera in 2006. It was a 50 quid Vivitar off Amazon. TBH it was a bit of a crap camera but I got a lot of enjoyment out of it but then in 2007 I got a bit fed up of how slow the vivitar was at taking pictures (it took good pictures but took a while and they blurred easily) and bought a Sony S600 off of ebay for 40 quid. This is when it really took off :) Over the lifetime of that camera, I took about 8000 photos with it and it went EVERYWHERE with me, I wouldn't go anywhere without my S600. Then in May this year I finally bought a DSLR (Sony A200) and I absolutely love it! I really get a buzz from taking awesome photographs and also enjoy the post processing process as well, fiddling with my images on photoshop and stuff like that. I already have Gear Aquisition Syndrome :p I bought a 28mm Prime a couple of days ago and I'm now after a good telephoto (but can't decide between an 18-200 and a 70-300) and will probably buy several more lenses that I don't really need :D
 
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