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05/22/2006 08:42:48 PM · #1 |
We all had to start somewhere. so where did you learn / or get introduced to photography. And if so inclined include a tip that you learned along the way.
For me my grandpa is a very avid photographer, so i think it planted the idea in my head. But i got into photography as an art in highschool where I took classes for 4 years. Most of the tips i learned are more to do with darkroom technique. I was doing a lot of selective solarizing and negative imaging. Im still learning how to translate these techniques with photoshop, with limited success. but im always learning.
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05/22/2006 09:11:01 PM · #2 |
I was introduced to it by my Dad, who was never a photographer for the art of it, just a "family documentarian." He nonetheless had a ton of optics knowledge, and enough mechanical skill to repair the SLRs of the day (1950's), and he tried diligently to impart this knowledge to me. My first SLR was an Exakta Varex IIa (1958) that was used on a beach shoot by a pro; he got sand in it. It ended up with my Dad, who repaired it, shot with it for several years, then passed it down to me. I still have it, and it still works well. My daughter has used it for high school photography class.
My Dad's influence put me on a course for understanding the technical underpinnings of photography. I found a few used lenses for the old Exakta, learned to make some minor repairs as required, and shot casually and rather infrequently through the '70's, '80's and '90's. In 2000, I got introduced to digital with a Nikon 990 I bought for our department at work. I was hooked. I bought a 995 for myself in 2001, and have never looked back. I know that photography will always be a creative outlet for me, and though my creativity may ebb and flow, I will always find satsifaction in creating images that please me, and hopefully others.
I can't tell my Dad what a wonderful gift he gave me (he passed away in 1996) but I have tried to give back to my family by being the documentarian, and also by digitizing 40 years of my Dad's slides, all 3500 of them, and giving them to my family members. |
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05/22/2006 09:13:17 PM · #3 |
Originally posted by nlghttrain:
We all had to start somewhere. so where did you learn / or get introduced to photography. And if so inclined include a tip that you learned along the way. |
I always had the inclination, but never followed through. In college I tried to always have film in my camera and took pictures of rather silly things, like friends eating pickles. Then I'd take my favorites of the little 4x5 glossy snapshots to Kinko's and have the attendant do enlarged color copies (about 8x10ish) and laminate them, and those would get tacked up around my dorm room.
But real photography was an accident. When I moved to Colorado I told my extremely worried parents that if I had a digital camera I could send photos of my life back to them to show that I'm doing just fine. They fell for the line and I wound up with a Nikon Coolpix 2500 for Christmas that year. I carried it with me on all my adventures in my new environment - lots of trails and nature hikes - and ended up taking pictures of absolutely everything. At some point I realized that I wasn't half bad, set up a website, won a second place ribbon in a juried competition, and eventually upgraded to my current model.
My now ex-boyfriend came along well after I'd gotten started, but he was (and remains, as we remain friends) my first real mentor in the tech and business of photography. It was through his chitchat, most of which sailed right over my head despite my smiling and nodding, that I finally figured out stuff like aperature and shutter speed. He didn't really "teach" me anything, but I was inspired and determined to learn. He was there when I took my first series of photos using the manual controls on my camera instead of the filters.
In fact, he was the one who pointed DPC out to me one day, though I don't think he's a member. This isn't his kind of photography. But I immediately saw it as an opportunity to learn more about staged photography. I've learned more about lighting in the last month alone than I have in the last four years. There isn't much you can do about lighting conditions in nature, after all. Reflectawhat?
Now I'm just trying to find a way to not be dirt poor anymore so I can buy a DSLR and lenses and a desktop computer with a good monitor and the best graphics card available and really take it to the next level.
That's a lot, but I still feel like I am really just getting started.
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05/22/2006 09:54:07 PM · #4 |
Long ago, well like 1992, I purchased a Canon AE1 (which I still have) with every intent on learning the finer points of photography. At the time, I was married, got divorced, then packed the stuff up and never got around to putting a good effort into photography.
With digital making its way into the world I wanted to get a camera but kept putting it off. After much debate, research, and frustration, I finally purchased my first digital. It was a Kodak DX7440, I got it as an anniversary gift for my wife and I about one year ago now. After bringing it into work one day a fellow DPC'er, friend, and co-worker JRTODD told me about this cool website; dpchallenge. I went and checked it out. I was amazed by the work that was on display! I lurked about for oh, a week or so then decided to create an account.
That was pretty much it. By October I had my first DSLR, my D50, and as Paul Harvey says, "That's the rest of the story!"
Editors note: please forgive any grammatical errors, I've been fighting with a Novell server for the past 3 hours so I'm a little burned out! ;)
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05/23/2006 12:03:00 AM · #5 |
My mother worked as a film processor throughout the sixties and seventies, so cameras, film, and processing were part of my childhood. I took it up myself with a backpacking trip to Europe in 1984. The friend that I went with shared the cost of a Canon film SLR with me (couldn't begin to remember the model, but it was way more than we could afford).
Lost it and picked it up again through the 80's and 90's. Got an Olympus 2500L in 2000, my first digital, and that was that.
I've learned that even when you suck, taking pictures is one of the best things you can do. It's not only creative, but it involves the physical act of discovering a location, either by walking across a room or hiking across a country. Plus, there's a never ending learning process that's really satisfying.
Message edited by author 2006-05-23 00:03:33. |
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05/23/2006 12:04:35 AM · #6 |
This one time at band camp... ;-)
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05/23/2006 12:06:20 AM · #7 |
Originally posted by fotomann_forever:
This one time at band camp... ;-) |
I still don't get that. :/ |
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05/23/2006 12:09:03 AM · #8 |
Originally posted by Louis:
Originally posted by fotomann_forever:
This one time at band camp... ;-) |
I still don't get that. :/ |
It's a quote from the movie American Pie... I really can't quote the whole thing here, rather inappropriate.
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05/23/2006 12:09:36 AM · #9 |
| My dad worked at Kodak for many, many years. He almost always had a camera and took tons of pics of me and my sister. I didnt get my first digital (Sony Mavica CD) until just before my son was born in Oct 2002. Before that I didnt take too many pics - film was such an expensive pain. Got my second digital (Canon Digital Rebel 300) just before my daughter was born in Nov 2004. I have taken hundreds if not thousands of pics of my kids. This will be my gift to them and their kids in years to come. I appreciate so much the pics my dad has taken and given to me over the years and I want to make sure my kids have the same. This site has been fun and I have learned alot about my camera and my editing software as well as alot about taking pics outside the realm of my children - but it all comes back to them in the long run. I take pictures for them. |
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05/23/2006 12:12:53 AM · #10 |
Originally posted by timfythetoo:
My dad worked at Kodak for many, many years. He almost always had a camera and took tons of pics of me and my sister. |
Yeah, my folks took hundreds of pictures of my sister and myself as well, at every age, at any event, for any reason, and in any condition. :) I really appreciate it now. |
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05/23/2006 12:17:18 AM · #11 |
mmmmmm - I was born a brilliant photographer - never "started" - just always "was". I know everything there is to be known about photography - I deliberately do bad in Challenges so as to give the struggling photographers a chance to win ribbons.
:-)LOL - No, I also started in school - B&W Darkroom development etc. I loved the darkroom - the smell, the joy of seeing your own handywork developing.
After that I stopped until I got my first digital camera a while ago. Sold that and got the canon and immediately joined this site. Thus, everything I know (not realy that much, but learning) about digital photography I picked up here.
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05/23/2006 12:25:50 AM · #12 |
I also do deliberately bad in challenges to help up and coming photographers in the challenges ;) My membership to Club Suck is just a cover. Actually I got into to photography when I met my wife. She is doing photography semi-professionally hence the shameless plug to her website under my profile. Before that I sucked even worse than I do now. The one that has helped me is more expensive gear j/k actually I have read quite a bit and took a B&W course at the local CC. Seemed to help a bit understanding what PS was based on and helped me to pre-visualize what I wanted to shoot rather than just point and shooting.
Message edited by author 2006-05-23 00:26:05.
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05/23/2006 01:21:32 AM · #13 |
I used to go to studio of a local photographer for getting my rolls devloped from a simple a kodak P&S camera.
He specialized in portraits. He is very talented but has not got his due.
His portraits inspired me |
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05/23/2006 01:45:37 AM · #14 |
| I was an angry kid armed with a digital camera and nowhere to go... |
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05/23/2006 02:30:09 AM · #15 |
Originally posted by crayon:
I was an angry kid armed with a digital camera and nowhere to go... |
I learned everything I know from the police photographer who takes snapshots (frontal and side) from the local police station. This man knows how to take portraits.
The rest Chuck Norris taught me, but I can't remember his teachings - At the end of the lesson he used his roundhouse kick on me - thus erasing my memory (that explains my challenge entry results)
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05/23/2006 02:49:07 AM · #16 |
When I was 11 years old, in 1957, the family moved to Europe (Geneva) for four years. I as given a simple rangefinder camera, I forget what kind, and documented my way around Europe with the family. So that's how I got started. My dad was into taking pics, slides, lots of them, had a Zeiss-Ikon Contina. But we never discussed it much, he didn't pass anything on to me really, except handing me a camera.
They were like that with me, basically, whatever it was; here's the ingredients, figure it out. I think they thought it was good for me :-)
Robt.
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05/23/2006 07:08:16 AM · #17 |
When I was five or six I asked for a camera for Christmas. In my mind I pictured a 35mm SLR. What I got was a small bit of plastic that snapped on to a roll of 110 film. Result, interest killed.
In high school I took photography as an elective and then spent the next two years as the darkroom assistant. Result, interest killed.
After college I somehow acquired a Sony Mavica. It had a max resolution of 640x480 and used floppy disks for storage. Interesting technology but the images were really crappy. Result, interest killed.
Some time later I needed some photos for websites I ran and I thought digital would be the most convenient. I was originally going to pick up an Olympus C-3030z but the 3040z was just released so I purchased that instead. Result, WOW, this is cool. |
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05/23/2006 07:12:44 AM · #18 |
I was never much for photography. BUT, last October I had just ended a photo contest site I owned. I really like to enter contests, so I decided I would enter some pictures in a county fair. I did very well, and then proceeded to find more online photo contests. So, here I am. :)
Since then I have learned alot about digitals that had only once been a cumbersome technical machine I never thought I would master. I am still learning, but that is just one more thing I like about it. There is always something new to photograph and learn about cameras and the art they create.
Message edited by author 2006-05-23 07:14:16.
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05/23/2006 07:27:51 AM · #19 |
| my parents always bought a disposale camera when we went on a "vacation"(more like a small road trip) never went on real vacations, but then no one wanted to use it. so when i was 8 i started taking the pictures and everyone loved them so much that it became who i was. the photographer. i stopped taking the family pictures in my teens and started spending my time in the darkroom. then my daughter was born in 2001 and the darkroom closet became her nursery. I had just put it all on the back burner. Then a few weeks ago my husband and I found this site and thats when it really began. now im more into it than ever before and think maybe someday i can actually be a piad photographer. |
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05/23/2006 07:49:56 AM · #20 |
I got a little 110 black kodak camera when i was about 8(early 80's). only ever got the one roll of film for that camera but I loved the prints. when i was about 12 my grandfather gave his nikon slr to my dad and I quickly asked to borrow it almost on a daily basis. It wasn't long before my dad took the camera from me saying "I cant afford the costs of this anymore...when u can afford to pay for it yourself I will let you use it whenever you want again". That was the last time I touched that camera. When i was prenate with my first daughter I got a minolta slr(1995) but after a few years I had rolls of undeveloped film sitting everywhere so I gave up even taking photos at all for about 2 more years. Took me a few years to talk hubby into getting me a digital. First digital was found on clearence after christmas 2003 at the local grocerystore. GSmart mini..totaly sucked but i was hooked on digital! in 2004 I got a minolta Z1(was begging for a DSLR but finances said NO) and a year later I found this site with the help of my sister~in~law. looked around here for about an hour,saw all the info to be soaked up and all the amazing photos and signed up.Finding DPC has been a blessing. I have met wonderful people here and have been "invited" to soak up every morsel of info(tutorials) that is available. I didnt really start to get serious about wanting to take real photos till DPC. This past jan Uncle sam was quite generous with our tax returns so I got to get the rebel XT and a few used lens's finally! and the rest is history :o)
Message edited by author 2006-05-23 07:51:13. |
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05/23/2006 09:34:11 AM · #21 |
| A year ago, I went to Mexico for business. My children insisted I take the free Kodak 2mp camera we got for ordering a pc. Since they couldn't come, they wanted to see what it was like. I clicked that first picture and It was Heaven! ....Oh Yeah, No classes, just 'winging' it. Before my trip, It would only take the disposable camera shots of B-days and such. |
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05/23/2006 09:43:09 AM · #22 |
When I was in 7th grade, my stepdad(who is an avid photographer) Gave me my first camera. It was a pentax k1000. I thought I was Hot s**t.
I took some classes in HS. was the Sports editor and photographer on my HS Yearbook. When I had kids, put away the pentax, and got a Point and Shoot. Many years later my husband bought me a Minolta QTSI, and I spent soo much money on film and processing, that it was either build a darkroom and deal with chemical disposal, or buy a digital camera. Started with a D70, and Now I have a D200. Will never ever stop taking pictures ever ever ever. I am always trrying to learn and get better.
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05/23/2006 10:11:19 AM · #23 |
Always had the inclination. Was fascinated with photography as a kid, all the cool gear probably more than anything. I also had a neighbor who was a newspaper photographer and I modeled for a few illustration shots for him. From about the age of 10-15 I asked my parents for a "real" camera -- meaning 35mm SLR -- but always got various P&S 110s (that's a film size for all you younger folks). Didn't really get serious about it until well into college when I could finally afford my own hobbies/luxuries, so I went out and bought a Pentax K-1000 plus a couple of lenses, some lighting gear and accessories. Then started reading every thing I could at the library or bookstore to learn how to use it. Ultimately, even got into bulk loading and darkroom processing my own B&W film. Photography took a backseat to other family pursuits for a few years then about 4 years ago I sold all the film gear and took the plunge into digital.
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05/23/2006 10:17:41 AM · #24 |
when i was 10? we were in Puerto Rico for a yearly family vacation, and my dad was using this olympus digital camera. I tried it, and thought "i need one of these." i was frustrated with its short zoom range, so i did huidreds of web searches and finally found what was at the time the smallest digital camera with 10X optical zoom - Olympus C-700. it took me more than a year to save, by adding a meager allowance to christmas and birthday money, and i finally got it. two years later, a friend had a massive party thrown for him by his parents, and with all of that coming of age money bought a 300D... i tried it....
So, i saved for another two years and got my 20D. Photography is now my passion, and all money i spend has something to do with it. i am now my school's photographer for both yearbook and newspaper, and it photography is going to be my carreer.
Message edited by author 2006-05-23 10:19:52. |
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