cascom Loc: Redmond

My granddad gave me a Brownie #2 when I was six. I would walk up to people on the street and ask to take their pictures. At 13 I carried groceries out of the commissary in Germany for tips. I saved the money for a Leica IIIf so I could use my father's lenses. While serving in Vietnam I purchased a Topcon Super D which had a light meter on the mirror. When it stopped working I moved to Nikon After buying several film cameras I have stopped purchasing any more cameras with my D500.

Jeffers

I was a Navy fighter pilot in 1965 when I first met my future wife. And we are still married for life. She was behind the Navy Exchange record counter when I walked in to buy some toiletries. When I saw her I quickly changed course and bought a record from her, Barbra Streisand's, "The Way we Were." Later I went back for anothr record and a date. She was behind the camera counter. I got a camera and a date. Five weeks later we were engaged. That wasn't quite the first camera I ever owned, but it was the most important one, bar none.

Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

I had just started attending James Madison High School in Brooklyn, New York in 1976. I was searching for one of my classrooms when I was stopped by a teacher. He asked me if I want to photograph for the school yearbook. I told him I wouldn’t mind but I don’t have a camera or know how to shoot photos.
He offered me a chance to photograph and wouldn’t mind teaching me after school. We became good friends and I learned a great deal about photography. He would lend me his Canon AE-1 and I would buy the film and have it processed at the local pharmacy. I though I was a great photographer up until I ruined about 10 rolls of film. He gave me weekly assignments and reviewed my results.
I was asked by my aunt to dog sit her Saint Bernard for a week. He loved the attention and the twice daily walks. I would brush him every day. When my aunt returned, she gave me a hundred dollar bill for doing a great job. I went to Olden Camera Store in New York City. While I couldn’t afford a Canon AE-1, I did buy a Zenit-E. I still have that brick of a camera and it is in good working order. I took a lot of photos back then.

Canon AE-1

(Download)

74images Loc: Los Angeles, California

My 1st Bought 35mm was a Pentax Point & Shoot in April of 83, it was a "Dud!"

Spent around $170 Dollars at Ritz Camera for the Camera & Motor Drive, which was Seperate.

When I 1st Started Using the Pentax, which was on Friday, April 15th in 1983, it was Bad Results.

Half The Photos were Blurry or Fuzzy, Part of the Reason was the Detachable Motor Drive, did not work too well with the Camera, it wasn't because it was Broken, or not Functioning, it was a Lemon by Pentax, the main Camera did Work & Somewhat Focused a Little Better, the Camera to me was a Damn Joke, my Olympus XA 2 Pocket Camera was more Better that was given to me around Thanksgiving 81.

I Never Bought a Pocket Pentax Ever Again, only the SLR Models (A3000 & SF-1N) & they Performed Better.

Wayne Wright
74images

RodeoMan Loc: St Joseph, Missouri

My experience was somewhat similar to that Scruples. I had just graduated with a degree in history from my first round of college. I was friends with the professor who taught Shakespeare related courses. I was at his home one afternoon and picked up his AE-1. He said for me to go ahead and fire it off. I did. He told me to take it with me and shoot some stuff. When my first efforts were developed, I saw that my first shot was a double exposure. Later I went to work for Quiktrip convenience stores in Kansas City and saved enough money to to buy a Canon A-1. That led to numerous other cameras and a lifetime of heading out with a camera.

peterjoseph

Thank you for the wonderful ,inspiring and interesting stories.
Peter

Dave H2

In 1960 I was stationed overseas while in the navy. I bought my first real camera, a Retina IIIC, at the navy exchange (still have it) and took hundreds of slides and prints during my flying days. Now shoot Nikon gear and still love it. Wish I had the gumption to convert the thousands of slides to digital.
D

Dave H2

Nice story Jeffers. Didn't meet my bride til I got back from overseas and was in a RAG group in Norfolk in 1961. We courted until I was in a squadron then married in 1963, full up military wedding with the arch of swords.
Keep on keepin on.
D

Beard43 Loc: End of the Oregon Trail

This is similar to my first camera. My dad gave me a Folgers Coffee camera when I was about 7. It came loaded with a roll of 12 and when it was finished, he would cut off a short section of the opener strip and insert it with a dollar bill into a slot in the back and send it back. A while later another camera would arrive loaded with film and the processed photos. I now shoot with a D200 that my brother gave me a few years ago.

Ron

Jeffers

Dave H2, Here's a picture of our wedding. I was deployed most of our engagement, were married nine days after the fly-in (second picture). Jodi's mom had to buy the champaign. Why two bottles? One for Jodi and me, the other for my back-seater and his wife.

cascom Loc: Redmond

Beautiful picture and a pretty bride. Here is a 1965 wedding. I was off to Vietnam eighteen days later on the Gorden.

peterjoseph

Nice pic and wedding memories

Jeffers

Also a beautiful picture and pretty bride. Glad you made it through your Vietnam Tour. I volunteered for a fighter squadron headed to Vietnam. It worked out well. Jodi wrote me every day while I was deployed.

Morning Star Loc: West coast, North of the 49th N.

In a way I was spoiled when it came to taking photos and having them developed: I had a professional photographer living in the house with me: my Dad!
A camera was always available although my brothers and I sometimes had to take turns.
Depending on how busy Dad was, it might take a few weeks before he developed and printed my films, but then it got done - without further cost to me.
My very first "own" camera was an Agfa Silette (if memory serves me right), bought right after I came to Canada in 1966. Wow! Now I had to not only buy my films, but pay for developing and printing as well....
Some years after that, on my brother's advice, I bought an Olympus camera, don't recall what model it was, but sure liked it. Have stayed with Olympus ever since.

Basil Loc: New Mexico

In the early 1980s I was stationed overseas on a remote tour. One day, while visiting our main base which was eight hours away, I saw a bunch of SLR cameras at the Base Exchange.

Sort of on a whim I thought “Gee it would be nice to have a hobby to pass the time while I’m away from home.“ It seemed like photography would be a good way to keep myself occupied and maybe take home some good memories of my time overseas.

So, I ended up buying a canon T-70 camera (which I still have). I also bought a few different lenses. It really was a godsend and helped me keep my sanity while on a remote base.

Eventually in the 90s I ended up buying my first digital camera. This was the canon EOS rebel.