Artcameraman Loc: Springfield NH

Wow, you guys are young.

druthven

To all of our more seasoned hoggers, I say keep at it. I'm 87 and I try to follow Clint Eastwood's advice, stay active. Have an exercise program that includes strength training and walking at least a few days a week. His other bit of advice that I follow is that when I get up in the morning and the old man tries to sneak in, I chase him out.

SlideArtist Loc: Connecticut

My first camera was a Kodak Brownie that took 127 film. I liked taking pictures of family and friends, especially in school. I'm talking 1950's. Never was serious about photography yet always had simple cameras with me. I started taking photography more seriously when I married a woman who was in a camera club so I not only married her, I joined the club. My SLR'S were always beginner quality like Konica TC 3 and later Canon SLR Rebel Class Cameras. My first digital was a Mavica that was big, bulky and took a floppy disk for images. I was shooting slide film-kodak and Fuji with cameras until I finally got a Canon SL1 SLR because it was small and light weight. As post processing became popular, I found it difficult to keep winning with my images. I seem to have a block learning programs like Lightroom and Photoshop and /or Elements. I do use FastStone, a free (contribution asked but not required) software for simple adjustments and use p/s cameras like Sony HX80/99 that have built in filters that produce in camera HDR, Illustrative and Watercolor effects among others. Pure fun. I have a good eye for photography so despite my equipment being very basic, I've sold some images and still occasionally win recognition for my images in came club.

RodeoMan Loc: St Joseph, Missouri

These "kids on the street" photographs from the British Islands and adjacent countries all have that certain look about them. I enjoyed seeing your image.

RodeoMan Loc: St Joseph, Missouri

I was a student in the history program at a Missouri college, but good friends with the professor who taught courses in Shakespeare. My wife and I were frequently at his house and during the course of our visits, the conversation occasionally turned to photography. This led to his lending me a Canon AE 1 to return whenever I wanted. I remember that my first image was a double exposure of him and his dining room curtains interwined. I have no idea how I managed that. Later I purchased a Canon A-1 from a New York City camera store. I don't remember which one, but I do remember, as perhaps some of you do as well, that the experience was not a pleasant one. I continued to buy different cameras, such as the Canon T-90. I even dabbled with APS. I suppose if I were Catholic, I'd have to go to confession for that transgression. We have a library of several thousand volumes, it used to be larger, mostly history, and natural history but also many photography books which we will be deaccessing. I also subscribed to several magazines. I enjoyed Modern and Popular Photography and the neighborly writing of Herbert Kepler and the fellow who wrote a column about wedding photography, Monty something or the other, maybe Zucker. I never got within 3 miles of doing wedding, but I enjoyed him. There was Outdoor Photographer with Basic (Dwight) Jones who wrote not about "how to" mechanical stuff, but how to get yourself "in the groove" to be a better photographer. I still have several years of Shutterbug out in my storage shed Then there was Peterson's Photographic which was more of a regular Joe's guide to photography. Does anyone have a Peterson's Photographic belt buckle. I do around here somewhere. Other than mine which I will not judge, these have been an interesting series of responses. Thanks OP for starting this.

imagextrordinair Loc: Halden, Norway

Really nice post and so many fine stories!

My story...

I moved to Scandinavia with my wife in 2016 and also had a long hidden passion for photography as a professional. I spent a full year of educating myself in Photoshop with intensive self-training with gear for over 12 to 16 hours per day when I moved, but really wasn't sure my efforts would amount to much.

I spent 45 years prior in the USA as a professional automotive restoration expert in early Ferrari's that included management, then I went on as an engineer developing new Ford Mustang replica cars in Florida in 2014. Was a great time with many highlights.

The big question I had when I decided on early retirement in 2016 was my next step in life. I wanted to continue working, but in a much different way. I looked deep into the possibility of photojournalism as a new profession and soon became obsessed.

Long story short... my carrier as a photojournalist and editor came after an offer came from the largest automotive magazine in Scandinavia who had noticed my work online. I also began working at Motortrend group in the USA as an editor in 2017 for the same reason. After more than 150 feature articles to date I am really pleased with my decision to change careers when most are slowing down and holding coffee cups or fishing poles.

For many years I was regarded as no more than "enthusiastic", so I think that is what drove me most to succeed. I surprised more than myself in the end and that brings great contentment and satisfaction.

I think a great quote I like to share for anyone wanting a photography career is: "It's not what you have done, It's what you can do"...

Past and current gear:
Film and Fuji AX-1 1980. Other early developing digital cameras 1995-2010. Canon 7D, 5D MK3, 5D MK4, 1DX MK2... and today two 1DX MK3's.

Artcameraman Loc: Springfield NH

Up at 3;15 every day and walk at 4am for several miles. Cheers.

skatz

It hadn’t occurred to me to take pictures of anything until the summer before my senior year of high school. My father had an Ansco 120 TLR, then a Yashica Electro 35 and took all the family photos. Summer of 1970 I bought a gray-market Minolta SRT-101 (like many of you) with the 50mm 1.7. I read everything I could get my hands on about photography and could have taught the photography class I took senior year where we used 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 Speed Graphics. I took pictures of my friends and classmates and supplied almost all the candid photos for the yearbook and its cover. I set up a darkroom in the downstairs bathroom. The Minolta’s meter died a few weeks after I received it so I learned to use a Gossen Pilot and just estimate exposure. When our youth group took some kids to a Tigers baseball game, my photos ended up in the paper and I met some of the staff photographers. I always carried my camera so when there was a “disturbance” at our school, I got the photos. One of the paper’s photographers noticed me sitting on the school’s steps after the riot police chased me out of the building, and suggested we go to the office to see what I got. I said I wanted $10 per print used, I own the negatives, and by-lines for anything published. It made the front page and the wire services. This led to summer jobs for 3 years in the photo department of a major aerospace company where I got to use Rolleiflex TLR and 4 x 5 view cameras, but mostly I printed B&W and color photos for reports. I thought I knew photography but realized I had barely scratched the surface after working with a retired Navy Chief photographer there. My last assignment was to photograph a Luner science experiment device that I believe is still sitting on the moon.
Photography was my minor medium in art school. Photo jobs like doing the group photos for my old high school (with a Horseman technical camera outfit) and providing photography for staff and grad students helped pay tuition. Everywhere I lived I set up a darkroom. Also started a Free University alternative on campus and taught the photography course. When I graduated with a teaching certificate, art teachers were no longer needed so I worked for a printing company and, later, a camera store. After repairing the meter in my Minolta, I swapped it for a Nikkormat, and the 50mm 1.7 for a Micro-Nikkor 55mm. Through the camera store, I added a 28 and 80 lens, a messed up Busch 4 x 5, and a Graphic View 4 x 5. Adult education programs gave me the opportunity to continue teaching photography and other art media.
Back to school for a masters in printing at RIT where they also let me take a photography class. Printing became the career and photography was limited to family photos. I traded the Horseman outfit for Nikon FE, motor, 180 lens, and a good flash. Still had a darkroom but didn’t use it much except to process Ektachrome. Realized that I was collecting cameras (except for the Horseman which I wish I had back) and have been doing that ever since.
First digital camera was a Nikon 4300 bought for an overseas trip, then a Canon SX70IS (which I still use occasionally), then a Nikon D600 (yes, I got the shutter replaced) because I have accumulated a bunch of Nikkor lenses. Last camera is an Olympus E-M1 for another overseas trip.
Now that I am retired I plan to repair and use some of the film cameras in the collection and find an opportunity to teach again.

mannix511 Loc: Mission Hills, L.A., CA

Same as you, I started photography around 1978 and my 1st camera was a used fully manual Yashica 35mm film SLR. I was inspired to be in photography by my uncle who was working as an art director then in a known advertising agency. He has a Nikon F2 Photomic 35mm and a Mamiya medium format. He has his own dark room also and develops photos in b & w only. He sometimes brought me in his photo shoots, both in studio and outdoors as his assistant. I started shooting then my own photos as an amateur and hobbyist only using my Yashica. 5 years after, I bought my 1st fully manual SLR Nikon FM, upgraded to Nikon FE, Nikon N90, Nikon D7500, Nikon D750, Nikon Z6 and currently, the latest Nikon Zf. I’m practically a Nikon camera owner/user most of my amateur photography years. But several times also, I cover weddings, official company parties and events photographer.

Bohica Loc: SE Coast of NC

1964, worked for my Uncle for a week. He paid me $10, enough for a plastic camera with detachable flash, used 127 film and M2 flashbulbs, in 66 boufgt my first 35mm, an Argus C3, 67 in Vietnam bought a Nikormat FTN, still have it including shrapnell dents. 72 bought a Canon FTbQL. didn't like the Breech mt and after dropping it rock climbing bought a Nikkormat FT2 and a used EL, From there I experimented with Mamya, Pentax, Ricoh, but always came back to Nikon. Hung out my shingle in 82, after a year if I had to photograpoh another screaming kid I would have strangled him and his mother. Hurricane Florence, lost # Mamya 645's, a Yashicamat 6X6 and a bunch of 35mm cameras, 20+ yrs of photos and my desire to make more. With the addition of Great Grandkids the desire is rekindling

Paul Moshay Loc: Los Angeles, CA

I went into photography the way a woman gets into prostitution;
First I did it for fun,
Then I did it for friends,
Then I did it for money

70+ years later I'm still doing it!

rjnedimyer Loc: Altoona, PA

1962/12/25-age 9- location Hollidaysburg, PA [3 Miles South of Altoona. Kodak Brownie, Christmas gift- played with it for a while learned some.
Age 10 helped Dad in his darkroom. Age 12 Dad opened studio and While in Jr. and Sr. High worked in Dad's studio, learned a lot. Dad was very strict but also a good teacher! After high school I worked anything fron full time plus to part time to only when he needed me. Never realized how important that training was till I shot a wedding with 3 other photographers. Everyone had better equipment; however, I had extensive and better training [from my Dad and none of them had that]. This alowed me to be relaxed and confident and get considerably better photos per the customers. I an a retired Paramedic and recently, have only been shooting for family, sports [I seem slower than in the past] church and whatever I CHOOSE! For a change. I still love photography but EMS was my first love!
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pleonardjr

I started photographing my family's walks in a nature preserve outside Dayton, Ohio with a Kodak Brownie in the early '60's as a young teenager. I kept that camera for years, shooting vacation pictures, birthdays, family reunions. After graduating college and working at a real job, I bought an Olympus OM10. I kept that camera for about 15 years before moving up to a Nikon N90s which I still have and sometimes use. Many photos of family, trips, landscapes, a wonderful camera to teach me about ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. Then the digital bug bit and I bought a Nikon D200 which I have used for many decades until this year when I moved up to a Nikon D850, mostly because of the several Nikkor lenses that I have. With the Nikon D850 I splurged and bought a Nikon 200-500 5.6 zoom lens (the new model) because I have grandchildren who will play sports, and journeys I want to take for wildlife. Most recently, I spent 9 days on safari in Tanzania and brought two camaras, the D200 with the 18-300 zoom for landscape and the D850 with the 200-500 zoom for the animals. Editing over 1,900 photos I brought back in Nikon NX studio is tedious but fun! I hope to go to Antarctica next to visit the penguins. I am training to be an aerial photographer for the Civil Air Patrol which uses Nikon D7200 cameras equipped with GPS units. I'm also a Part 107 certified drone pilot and I shoot still and video for CAP SAR training missions and my own enjoyment. I hope to have 10-20 years of pursuing photography as a serious hobby and to learn as much as I can about this wonderful activity until I am no longer vertical!

Delderby Loc: Derby UK

Artcameraman Loc: Springfield NH

Me also, keep on truching or in our case shooting. Cheers.