When, Where and how you started in photography (Page 5): Hey, you left out schlepping gear for Edward Curtis.

RodeoMan Loc: St Joseph, Missouri

Cany143 wrote:

Bright one sunshiny morning --it was either a Mond... (show quote)

Hey, you left out schlepping gear for Edward Curtis.

JBuckley

The A
Argus C3....
That was my father's first (and only camera).
After he died, I took possession of the old Argus, in it's primo leather case.
Dad loved to shoot (35mm slides), in the old Kodak 25 ASA.
There was a reason for the range finder cameras to be such a great thing.

His main reason for using that range finder camera was that he had poor
vision in his right eye, from a Korean war injury.
That became really apparent when I asked him to use my SLR Minolta to
take some photos of my high school graduation. I didn't realize that (my)
camera would not permit him to see well thru the (manual) focus 200mm
telephoto lens. Every photo of my 1966 graduation was as blurred as (blurry)
can get.

I have always loved photography and cinema photography since 1962.
In the meanwhile, I have gone thru Yashica's, Canon, Minolta's, and finally
spent way too much money on lens for my Nikon cameras.
I have camera bags full of prehistoric Kodak, (instamatics), and even an old
Kodak (Brownie) with cardboard bellows, (stamped copy rights), early 1900's.

The problem today....what to do with camera bags full of 35mm film cameras
and (way too many) lens that are not compatible with Nikon cameras.
I still love the DSL cameras, and am still saving up for a Nikon 7500.
I love the ability to (tilt) the viewing screen on the back of the 7500.
I love the Nikon that I have, but the camera has lost it's ability to autofocus
about a year ago. I've tried different lenses, but that doesn't seem to be
a lens problem. It's the autofocus in the camera. There are no photo
repair shops in our little town, and the nearest repair is 100 miles away.

No complaints, as I'm using my brother Nikon 3400 and has great lenses.
I feel that I need to give him back his camera, as he thinks his Cell phone
is the best camera ever......(please don't insult camera people)!

Keep shooting.

OddRockerPhotography Loc: Virginia

I started shooting concerts about 12 years ago with a Nikon Coolpix point & shoot. Learned quickly that I didn't really know what I was doing and definitely didn't have the right equipment!

Since then I've improved my skills and my equipment and today I shoot with a Sony A7III and have been lucky enough to shoot artists like Alice Cooper, the Black Crowes, ZZ Top, Alice In Chains, Rob Zombie and others

francosp Loc: Arizona

I got my first camera, a Komet 35 mm film camera, in 1950. It was a gift from my grand father for my eight years old birthday. I took several hundred B/W photos with it. When I was 16 years old I have been able to buy a used 35 mm SLR Zenith camera (a Russian camera) with a 50mm Zeiss lens for $5.00. I still own it. With this camera I have been able to take sharp pictures thanks to the quality of the lens. When I finished my education and started to work I had the money to finally buy a Nikon, my dream camera. My first one was the FM and then a F2, then I moved to more advanced models always with Nikon lenses and finally to digital. I can say that in more than 70 years I have owned most of Nikon's cameras and lenses models. I would not switch to a different brand even if Nikon is not considered by many photographers the best camera to own. It is to me. After all is the creativity of the photographer behind the camera that captures a good photo.

Mike D. Loc: Crowley County, CO.

OddRockerPhotography wrote:

I started shooting concerts about 12 years ago with a Nikon Coolpix point & shoot. Learned quickly that I didn't really know what I was doing and definitely didn't have the right equipment!

Since then I've improved my skills and my equipment and today I shoot with a Sony A7III and have been lucky enough to shoot artists like Alice Cooper, the Black Crowes, ZZ Top, Alice In Chains, Rob Zombie and others

Nice ones O.R., that must have been some kind of fun!

OddRockerPhotography Loc: Virginia

Mike D. wrote:

Nice ones O.R., that must have been some kind of fun!

Thank you! Concert photography is a lot of fun- I get to combine my love of music with my love of photography!

Mike D. Loc: Crowley County, CO.

OddRockerPhotography wrote:

Thank you! Concert photography is a lot of fun- I get to combine my love of music with my love of photography!

It shows in your images. Forty-five years ago I was too busy getting stoned to take those kind of photos.

Beenthere

SteveW8703 wrote:

I'm old lol, I started in high school back in 1977 work with film and only B&W. I still have all my work. My camera back then was Minolta 101. Then moved to Canon A1. I was a lucky student, my dad was a photographer with a dark room in the garage. I sometimes finish my HS projects at home. I did take up digital photography right way. I'd love to read other members history in photography

I'm going to do this in as few words as possible:

1 I was a kid (in the 50s,9 or 10) visiting relatives in Buffalo. I had received a Kodak Brownie Haweye for Xmas. While hiking, the front fell off down a crevice. I hadn't secured the latch after the last film change, My bad! My Dad wasn't to happy about this turn of events.
2 Next I borrowed my brother's Argus C-3, 35mm, while in HS. That lasted until he took it back.
3 Working as musician (in60s), at Grossingers, in the Catskils, met the staff photographer, expressed my interest, he recommended Miranda G, which I used for many years.
4 LaterI started dating a girl who was a camera repair person. She built me a Nikkormat from used parts. Loved it.
5 Became a pest at Camera Barn in NY and bought a Kowa 6(which I still have) + two additional lenses. WOW! what an experience.
6 Built a Darkroom in my parent's basement which lasted until I found a place of my own.
7 Got Married, moved to Phoenix needed real job, put my cam stuff in storage and it got stolen.
8 Continued to pursue better jobs and eventually landed a position at a University as Audio Engineer. By then I only dabbled in photography, bought a Nikon D5000 (didn't like it) until a friend recommended I look into M4/3 format (Olympus). I love this system and I have resumed my photography. To this day I'm still an Olympus fan.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Mike D. wrote:

It shows in your images. Forty-five years ago I was too busy getting stoned to take those kind of photos.

Check out the work of Henry Diltz. He hung around all the crazies in Laurel Canyon, back in the 1960s and early '70s, photographing rock celebrities and smoking dope. He recently gave a lecture at B&H https://youtu.be/lrG2rv6YLfQ?si=LtdXJafFofiwIJAW where he talks about his journey and presents a slide show of some of his work.

Diltz also photographed Woodstock.

Here are links to more from Diltz: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=henry+diltz+documentary

Basil Loc: New Mexico

I started serious photography when I was stationed in Greece around 1984 (Air Force). I was bored on this remote site and one day saw cameras at the BX in Athens. On a lark I bought a Canon T-70 and a couple lenses. Then I got some “learn photography” books.

That camera helped me keep what was left of my sanity.

btbg

SteveW8703 wrote:

I'm old lol, I started in high school back in 1977 work with film and only B&W. I still have all my work. My camera back then was Minolta 101. Then moved to Canon A1. I was a lucky student, my dad was a photographer with a dark room in the garage. I sometimes finish my HS projects at home. I did take up digital photography right way. I'd love to read other members history in photography

I started in 1965 with a used Kodak Brownie, which I purchased from a thrift shop for 50 cents. It had a light leak in the top right corner, so from the time you put film in until you took the film out you had about 1.5 hours before everything was ruined. I paid for the camera by catching nightcrawlers and selling them to a sporting good store. That is also how I paid for film and developing.

My first "real camera" was an Argus C3. From there I got a Konica with a 50mm lens and finally about 1984 I purchased a Nikon F3HP, which I used until I got a job as a sports photographer 17 years ago. Since then I have had a Nikon 70S, A Nikon D300s, a Nikon D500, a Nikon D5, a Nikon D850 and a Nikon Z9. I also have a Fuji underwater camera and an underwater housing for the F3HP.

As far as lenses go I now have a 10-20 for cropped senor cameras, a 14-24, 16-35, 24-70, two 70-200s, a 105 f 1.2, a 65 macro and a 150-600. I also have a 400 f2.8 on backorder.

I started taking scenics from our family vacations. Took a photography class in middle school, and then began shooting color film during college. Most of my photos until I switched to digital were either Kodachrome or Fuji Velvia slide film.

808caver Loc: Maui

I started in 1957 with my mom's Brownie Hawkeye making space scene sets, photographing nature and travels. I later used a Yashika Mat, Mamiya-Sekor ??, Nikon SP, then my 1st Nikon F in 1968. After college I assisted a pro using and 8x10 TLR he built, then on to magazine work using 35mm to 8x10 until I retired in 2008. I still did local work until 2021 and now I work at Haleakala Observatory and do photography as a creative outlet using Nikon DSLR's

Beard43 Loc: End of the Oregon Trail

My dad started me with a box camera courtesy of Folgers Coffee. The coffee came in a metal can that was opened with a key provided with every can. If you cut off the last inch of the strip, and mailed it in with a dollar, they would send you a box camera loaded with film. After you shot all the film, you would insert a dollar in a slot in the back of the camera and mail it in. After a wait, it would be returned to you loaded with film and your processed photos.
This was around 1951. I was about six years old at the time.

Ron

Wags Loc: Mequon, WI

When I and my siblings (10 of them) were kids, a special Friday night was when our Dad would set up his slide projector in the living room, Mom would make popcorn for all of us, and Dad would show slides for an hour. I loved it and always wanted to taker pictures. When I was 12 (1960), I sold Christmas cards door to door, and used the “points” that I earned to buy my first film camera. I took photos on and off for many years. When I got married and we started having our 4 kids, I bought another camera and took hundreds of photos of our kids. As I got older and closer to retirement, I started getting more interested in photography, and not just taking pictures. My first DSLR was the Nikon 7000, followed by the 7200 and then the D500. Today, I love taking photos of my grandkids who are all involved in sports in some way. For my 13 year old grandsons who are both on the same basketball team, I will take photos at their weekly games and then post them on their Facebook page. I’ve also become the unofficial photographer for my oldest grandson’s soccer and basketball teams. It is just great to see how much the kids enjoy the photos, as well as hearing from their parents. Last week my Nikon Z8 arrived, and I’m totally excited to get going with that new camera.

mffox Loc: Avon, CT

I started around 1983 on a business trip to a conference in Yellowstone NP. I had an Olympus Pen film camera and knew little or nothing so kept it set on "auto". I took 1 shot of the Tetons that was a game-changer for me (it still hangs in my office). Fast forward to 2017: I started taking lessons, joined a camera club and updated my gear. I'm now 87 years old and photography is still my passion; and, oh yes, my main camera is an Olympus PEN-F.
Mark