How did you get started?

[tony868]

Hello all. I'm curious to hear how you got your start with photography...when you moved from casual picture taking to serious hobbiest/professional/etc. The reason I ask is I would like to make that transition myself but I don't know where to start. I'm shooting more photos than before, reading books, and browsing this forum a lot (which has already been a tremendous help!), but I feel like there's still more I should do. I also just like to hear people's histories and see where they are coming from Looking forward to hearing you stories!

[SpeedingSphere]

I had a 3.2mp Sony point and shoot, the quality was fine till I signed up at deviant art.com those photos amazed me, lol.. alot of people on there used dslr's and the clarity is fantastic.

I had shot over 12,000~ photos on my p&s, then the flash broke, and i thought now's the chance to get something crazy and better. so I got a digital rebel and I was soooo happy. got the digital rebel in october, and watched these forums until i think feb. when i signed up here.

i read books(dummies guides) to photography and editing in PS, and i started enjoying it more and more so I then made my purchase of my 400mm L glass, and now i have a fairly good setup, fantastic one for myself.

now going to a trip to bermuda in 11 days!! and i'm going to test out all my photography knowledge i've gained over these past 9 months with a dslr. :-)

[poker]

I've had an SLR in my hands since elementary school. I got my own Canon 10qd in 1991. I've taken photography classes in elementary, highschool, and college. I bought my other Canon SLR in 2000 and started taking budget weddings with them. I entered digital with a P&S Canon G2 and then added two DSLRs in the past year. Since buying my Canon 30D, I've been hooked to PR and now have challenged myself re-evaluate what I think of my photography. Thanks to this site, I feel like I have improved and have become more critical of my own work.

I think without the critique of others here, I wouldn't have pushed myself to become more crititcal and motivate myself to take better photos. When I shoot, I think about what the others here would say before I hit the shutter button. It's not formal training but it's better than friends and family always liking your work. As the photographer in the family, they (family) never say anything negative about my photos. How was I suppose to improve? PR deflated years of ego build up which is a good thing. It reminds me that I could and should do better.

Keep doing what you are doing and post pics in the critique forum. Take the good and the bad and never ever take it personally. Honestly, I still get frustrated when I get ZERO replies to one of my photo post but it also tells me it may not have caught anyone's attention which is a lesson of its own.

The main thing is to enjoy photography.

[walterick]

I think you make that transition when you choose to. I went from taking "casual pictures" with a junky p&s to SLR and never looked back. I made it a point to go on trips just for my photography. I studied these boards, read books, looked at other nature and landscape photogs' work, and just became more serious in my mind. A few milestones for me in my work were getting my first SLR; finding these boards; using tripods whenever possible; discovering Fuji Velvia; starting my gallery here at PR; and getting my medium format rig a few years ago. The more serious I became about my work, the better my work became. The better my work became, the more seriously I had to take it. I couldn't keep shooting landscapes with 35mm! So you buy better equipment, which makes you feel like a more serious photographer, and you start taking your work even more seriously. Which gives you better work, which causes you to upgrade your gear...

Having family and friends that support your hobby and encourage you is a big help. Being thought of as a photographer in other people's eyes makes you feel like you really are one.

Eventually you just wake up one day and realize you are now a photographer

[PlantedTao]

It all started way back in '78...not wait, it was more like 3-4 years ago
I wanted to start taking some pics for some upcoming trips and needed a camera. On a vacation home I rummaged thru the basement of my Dad's place and ended up finding a Yashica GSN rangefinder. It was in mint condition...besides the battery acid and the light foam going back to its primordial stage. I took the camera apart (thanks to the www), replaced what needed to be and started shooting. Then, I started reading a lot about how cameras and film worked...decided I needed a new camera and bought an all manual rangefinder. I had convinced myself that I needed to learn how everything worked from the bottom up. Now I do my own darkroom work...and that is where I'm at today. I like the traditional methods and I'm lucky enough to be in a city that has classes and studios to do all my work. Eventually I will move to digital (may not have a choice), but in the meantime I will try to do it the 'ol fashion way. It truly has given me an appreciation for the art and why the "masters of photography" are just that.

Oh yeah, and big ups to PR.com (all the peeps) for providing support and advice for all my photo needs. IF I have progressed at all towards being a bonafide photog, it is because of the people here and at home.
Cheers.

[Sebastian]

I just look the part. Honestly, it works for me. Vests help. Same with big LowePro or Tamrac bags. Oh, and a backwards baseball cap.

Seriously now, there are no steps to becoming a more serious photographer, you just start taking your photography more seriously and see where that takes you.

[another view]

I went from taking "casual pictures" with a junky p&s to SLR and never looked back...Which gives you better work, which causes you to upgrade your gear...

I'm going to pick on Rick a little bit here... While I agree that the more you shoot and the more serious you get about it, the more you'll figure out what gear you need to get the shots you want - but equipment doesn't make the photographer. I'd take bad equipment in a good photographic situation (good light, stuff to shoot, etc) than the opposite any day. But full disclosure - after doing this for awhile I do have some decent equipment. It just happens.

Becoming a serious amateur doesn't really take any conscious decision making - you just wake up one day and something makes you want to go photograph something. You might have a technique that you want to try, or this is the time that some type of wildflower is in bloom, or you drove by something the other day and wanted to return with a camera. Then, you get those results back and see how you could improve your shot, and try again. For me, I had an SLR when I was in high school and lost interest in it until several years ago when I wanted "good" pictures for some stuff I was selling on ebay. I bought an old Nikon camera that had some manual control to it, took my time and got my results. One thing leads to another, and...

As far as going pro, keep shooting and working on a portfolio. Figure out what type of photography interests you (weddings, architecture, products, news, etc) and learn as much as you can about it. Talk to professionals in that field and maybe you can assist them at some point. Show your portfolio to anyone who will look at it (well, people that can teach you something), and don't take criticism personally. Think about what they have to say and work on what they suggest. Oh, and Sebastian, everybody knows that pros use Domke bags...

[walterick]

equipment doesn't make the photographer. I'd take bad equipment in a good photographic situation (good light, stuff to shoot, etc) than the opposite any day.

Steve, you're right, better equipment doesn't make the photographer. But better equipment does make the photographer take himself more seriously. It also broadens your capabilities with sharper lenses, wider lenses, longer lenses, faster motor drives, better exposure, and - in the case of digital - instataneous feedback on your work so you can learn quickly and come out with consistently better shots. Does the gear make you better? No, it lets you be better more frequently.

Your second point is very interesting. I think I'll disagree. If I'm in the perfect photographic situation (light, subject, etc) then I don't want a disposable camera. In fact, I wouldn't even take the shot if I couldn't take it the way I wanted. Why get a fuzzy, out of focus, underexposed image of the perfect photographic scenario? Taking advantage of that perfect photographic scene requires some skill, and the proper equipment.

There, take that
Rick

[photophorous]

It sounds like you've already decided you want to learn. That's the most important thing. Shoot as many photos as you can, read a lot on this site and others (like luminous landscape), look at lots of photos and think about why you like the ones you like, don't sweat the camera, and don't get discouraged. We've all taken countless bad photos.

My story: My mom gave me her old Minolta X-370 when I was 19 (I'm 28 now). I thought it was cool, so I started taking it on backpacking trips, and with out really knowing how to use it, I got lucky and got some good shots. Then it broke. I bought an N75 and kept backpacking and using "Auto" mode. Last summer I went to RMNP, and came away with some really good stuff (for me at the time), and it sparked my interest. I found this site, and several people recommended I learn the B&W darkroom, so I took a class through the local art museum. I started renting a darkroom in town and that's when I really started to explore all different types of subject matter and trying to learn as many techniques as possible. I just recently got a DSLR, because I decided the darkroom was too time consuming and expensive. I don't regret doing it, though. It was a blast and I don't think I could've possibly learned more about photography in that amount of time. I hope to go back one day, but now I'm trying to learn photoshop.

[tony868]

Thanks for the info so far...it's nice to see where everyone started in this. It helps me learn to know the "why" behind what is happening which is something I seem to be missing right now. Do you think classes are beneficial or is a lot of this trial and error?

[another view]

You're not allowed to disagree.

Of course I'd rather have good equipment and good conditions - but if I had to choose one over the other... I don't carry a camera bag that often in real life, and that was one of the ideas behind getting the (literally) pocket sized Olympus. It's a good camera and capable of decent work, but it doesn't have the control of an SLR. I guess I really meant this as a way to illustrate my point that "it's all about the light". I wouldn't keep something I thought of as "bad" equipment, but was thinking more along the lines of something like the aforementioned Olympus. Maybe "limited capability" or "not my first choice" would have been more accurate but neither really has a ring to it... And "bad" to one person could be "great" to another. Holga is a good example of that!

Which leads to another point... "fuzzy, out of focus, underexposed" can all happen with the latest greatest top-of-the-line gear too. Learn the technical part of photography and how to work your camera so well that you can change settings without having to look at it. That way when the great opportunity happens you're ready for it.

[another view]

Do you think classes are beneficial or is a lot of this trial and error?

I can't really say - I've been to a couple of seminars and two workshops but I feel like these have helped me a lot. Nikon School several years ago was very inspiring, Nikon Digital 201 was very educational - both very fast paced one-day seminars. I think I learned more at the workshops by watching how photographers worked than by what they said. I've also assisted on commercial jobs a couple of times and learned a ton from doing it.

There are some good books out there which are a great way to start. John Shaw does a good job with the technical aspects. Some other favorites are Boyd Norton, National Geographic Field Guides, Designing a Photograph - think it was by Bill Johnson. Freeman Patterson too, for looking at things in a totally different way.

You'll learn the most by reading or being taught, then going out and putting that knowledge to work by photographing a lot.

[mwfanelli]

Showing my age... When I was a small kid back in the 1950s I was allowed to use the family Brownie camera. The only image that I remember was a great shot (accidental I guess) taken at the Brooklyn Navy Ship Yards. Black and white of course.

My first adult (well, teenager, close enough) moment was the first prints from a Yashica Electro 35-GSN that I had gotten as a present. I was sitting on a concrete divider next to a shopping mall opening up my first set of prints. I was stunned and amazed at the colors, clarity, and their overwhelming "look." That hooked me.

My first SLR, bought after getting my first job out of college, came down to a choice between the just-released Pentax MX and the Olympus OM-1. It was a close call but I went with the Pentax and stayed there until December 2000 when I reluctantly switched to Canon to get image stabilization for my trip to Antarctica.

[walterick]

You're not allowed to disagree.

I disagree!

Okay, now I understand your point a bit better. It's like having your p&s digi vs. your 645 and $25000 digital back. Of course, we all want the 645 shlurped behind us by an assistant 24 hours a day. But I agree, I would rather have the p&S than nothing!

"it's all about the light"

Is it? :devil:

Which leads to another point... "fuzzy, out of focus, underexposed" can all happen with the latest greatest top-of-the-line gear too. Learn the technical part of photography and how to work your camera so well that you can change settings without having to look at it.

Couldn't agree more. When you know your camera, lenses, and ability so well that you know exactly how a picture is going to look before you even press the shutter, that is a sign of professionalism.

Glad we agreed on something co-mod

[adina]

My children have been blessed with above average good looks. I felt it was my duty to capture that and share it with those less fortunate. In order to do them justice, I had to learn which end of the camera was up.

[adina]

I just look the part. Honestly, it works for me. Vests help. Same with big LowePro or Tamrac bags. Oh, and a backwards baseball cap.

.

Yeah, whenever I see a fro I automatically think photographer, vest or not.

[another view]

Yeah, right, my $25k back! Didn't spend that much on my car!

I think the tendency when you're starting out is to look at other people's work that you admire and notice that they're using better equipment than what you have. Then, you decide that all you need is better stuff and the shots will come. Well - it ain't so... A lot of people with that nice equipment are out shooting all the time. Once again, "the harder I work, the luckier I get"...

Sure, there are situations where newer technology will help you get the shot - VR or IS lenses come to mind as one fairly recent example - but that's probably not a large percentage of the overall killer shots that I've seen.

[J!m]

Wow. There are some really good bits of advise here. Read it all (including mine), and make your own decisions...

For me, I started in 1985, with a fully manual Pentax SLR (K-1000 or something) with no (functional) internal light meter. I was working with direct positive B&W film, so I learned VERY quickly how to judge light. I do not recommend this method to anyone who pays for their own film...

We acquired it in bulk cans (and actually it could be developed as negative or positive, which was nice- it was Kodak film, but I don't remember which one), rolled the cartridges, exposed it, developed it and printed it. That was great learning experience. We were given some guidance, but mainly we had to figure stuff out for our selves and/or do research on the subject (before the Internet was available to help). "Tough love" perhaps??? Self evaluation is difficult with 40 frames of blackness...

From there, I moved to the 'good' camera the school had (which was previously used only for copy work): the Canon AE-1 Program. I liked it; it was easy to use and a working light meeter made the usable image percentage soar from that of the Pentax.

I decided I needed my own camera, and wanted to stick with Canon (since I knew it at this point) and started looking at available cameras. The 'new' F-1 was the one for me, but I couldn't afford it! So, I found a used AE-1P at a pawn shop (this is long before eBay) for $100.00. I basically wore it out, when I found a used 'new' F-1 at my favorite camera store. I used that same model camera until last year (although at this point I had owned about 10 in total), when I reluctantly (at the time) made the switch to the EOS-1v, which I absolutely love. I was hesitant to go with auto-focus (and resented that the FD lenses did not fit the EF camera); however I have been blessed with an unmatched 'good' photo percentage since the switch. The old 'rule of thumb' was one great frame per roll...

No, gear does not make the photographer (some of the best photos of all time were made with some of the worst gear of all time); however you must work within the limitations of the gear. If your creativity surpasses the capability of the gear, it will hold you back, and you need to look for better gear; if you are not so good yet, don't blow the bank on the latest and greatest. As stated by others, do not mortgage the house to get great gear and expect it to make you a great photographer. Case in point: an ex-girlfriend of mine has a sister-in-law who was attending photography school as she really wanted to be a photographer. She had nice medium format gear and a few quality lenses. BUT, she lacked the vision to be the photographer. She knew the theory hands-down, and actually had a very good eye for the lighting, but everything she did was 'text-book' correct: framing, layout, lighting etc. and the photos were therefore plain and boring. She could see they were plain and boring, but had no idea how to 'fix' them. She has since given up the whole thing...

To this day, I pick up all the photographic books and other literature I can get my hands on, both new and old publications (Black Star and National Geographic books are some of the best- but don't neglect the classics: Ansel Adams for example...). I also closely study the full-page photos in whatever magazine I happen across. I am constantly looking through the books I have over and over to refresh myself on techniques that others use, and the results they get. To really SEE what the original photographer saw when he/she took the photo will give you a tremendous leap ahead in your personal skill set. To replicate a particular photo is simply a mater of getting everything the same as it was done before (camera, lens, film, f-stop, shutter speed, extra light etc.); however to obtain the SKILL to produce a similar photo whenever you want to (even if the situation is not exactly the same) this is the real learning.

Once you get here, the rest is gravy...:thumbsup:

[Ronnoco]

My mother was a natural born photographer who got started working with colour slides and colour prints about half a century ago. Her speciality was landscapes and her work certainly survived the test of time.

She got me into it at age 11 and together we climbed mountains, shot mountain goats and mountain sheep, wild bears from 8 feet away, dragon flies, steam trains, models, etc. We joined the Canadian Association of Photographic Art and entered their competitions to further my learning experience and we listened to judges comments on our work. We both won awards and competed against each other a lot.

In high school, I did yearbook photography and was even hired by the school board to do a group photo of the trustees. Some journalistic and textbook offers came next while I was still quite young. I progressed to weddings, advertising, public relations, legal work, live television, media productions, presentations in English and French on media, a few portraits, and shooting from skis, hanging out of an airplane, and editing, writing, doing the photo work for a small local paper and along the way even designed the odd logo and button. I also taught computers at a French university and computer art in an arts school, as well as photography too. One key to success is being willing to take on and comfortably handle almost any assignment, not matter how unusual or how risky.

Ronnoco

[readingr]

When did I get hooked - it was a school trip to Bristol Zoo (UK) and my dad gave me his Kodak Brownie age 8-10 too long ago to remember accurately. When the film came back the photo of the Polar Bear was a winner. I still remember the photo of the Polar Bear who was looking directly into the camera. Unfortunately the photo was lost years and years ago. HOOKED.

Dad bought me a Joe 90 briefcase with a hidden camera built in - bet he regretted that with the cost of the film. Got some interesting photo's though.

I then got a Kodak Instamatic 333 and started taking photo's of everything. I then got into Rallying (Motor sport) when I was 17 and using this camera I started taking photos when Marshalling and spectating and got some excellent results. I vowed then that once I finished my degree and got a real job the first pay packet was going on an SLR.

I kept my word and after playing with Nikon, Canon, Pentax... I choose the Canon AE1 with the best lens I could afford 50mm F1.4 - lived on very little for a month. Soon afterwards came a 70-210 zoom again Canon and then a 28-70 zoom. They still work and are still used. I had my own dark room ... Read everything I could get my hands on including the The Manual of Photography - Ilford which is still an excellent book fir the technical bits.

Did quite a few Weddings, Parties for friends and family but never charged for them. Computing being my profession.

In 2000 I dipped my toe into digital with a 3Mpixel Fuji Finepix 4700zoom and in 2004 looked at loads of DSLR and couldn't decide so got a 8Mpixel Canon Powershot Pro 1 because I'm a sailor and swapping lenses on a boat with all that salt water and sand isn't a good idea. I love the camera and takes great photos with almost no noise at ISO 50 and very little noise regardless of ISO. Now looking at going to a DSLR soon.

Film is now being used less and less but still used for some photo's.

Now considering trying to sell some of my photos, and researching how to do this. Any advice anyone - please mail me rather than hijack this excellent thread.

Roger

[Spec A!]

I got started when I saved my money to buy a Polaroid 600SE when I was 13. I just wanted my own camera to play with, as my Dad wouldn't let me use his Olympus OM-1n. It sparked an interest to get something that would give me better quality pictures, and by the time High School rolled around, I joined the yearbook and bought my first SLR- Ricoh KR5-Super II. It was a great beginner film SLR- manual everything, simple center weighted metering and it took the Pentax K mount. It helped teach me about exposure and composition and depth of field, and the good shots I took got me that much more excited about taking more pictures. I started reading photography books, experimented with different films (B&W, Slides), and by the time College rolled around I wanted to take every class I could that was remotely related to Photography (My H.S. did not offer anything). By the Spring Semester of my freshman year, a full service photo store opened up in my neighborhood. Naturally I was there almost everyday and soon enough I had a job there! That really helped because not only did it expose me to many more aspects of photography, because I had to help others by selling the equipment, making recommendations, processing their film, ect- I learned that much more. And the best part? Cost on equipment! I replaced my Ricoh with a Nikon FM2T, and started building my Nikkor collection. The store had built a local Pro following which was even better because it allowed me to make contacts and actually start apprenticing for local Pros. I learned alot from them too.

I ended up working at that store through college and for 5 years, eventually becoming an assistant manager there before moving on to bigger better things. But I'd say it really was a turning point for me- if there's a way you can either take formal classes especially in the darkroom, and possibly get a job relating like I did, you will discover what you really want to do with Photography. I don't consider myself a professional, even though I've been paid for shoots. I'm skilled, but at this point in my life (married with a kid), I'm starting from scratch again, rebuilding and remembering after not having Photography be the focus of my life in the last 5 years.

If you really enjoy photography then do what you can to expose yourself to all aspects of it. You'll find yourself shooting more and before you know it you're already a serious hobbyist and on the way to being a pro.

[Axle]

I got started in my final year of High School. I was taking a Media English course and one of the units was on photography, and I just fell in love with it. At this point I was just using a simple Minolta Riva Zoom 90 P&S camera.

Then I bought my first camera at a garage sale a 1969 Minolta Hi-Matic 7s.

And well I've just taken off from there, the hi-matic saw heavy use over the next two years before I upgraded just before Labour Day 2004 to the SRT-102 SLR camera, and a year later to my current 35mm SLR the X-7A, and also replaced the old Riva with a Dimage Z2.

[another view]

Now considering trying to sell some of my photos, and researching how to do this. Any advice anyone - please mail me rather than hijack this excellent thread.

Good topic for another thread! It has been discussed here before but probably not recently. Depends on what you're thinking of, but this book is a great start. Actually the 2007 guide should be out in a couple of months.