What got you interested in photography?

[courey]

I started 'taking pictures' when I was about 7 years old. My mom would let me use her little point and shoot camera and I would eagerly go through roll after roll of snapshots of things I found cool at the time. Nothing really 'artistic', mind you. ;)

I guess I got serious about photography as an art form about 2 or 3 years ago. I was suffering through the beginning stages of writer's block and felt what I call "creative constipation" would eat me alive. At some point I decided I was never going to be able to write again [true to this day], and I needed an outlet for everything in my head.

I've always had some kind of camera around, and it's become an extension of myself... like breathing air and blinking. I'm still learning, of course, but I'm coming to the point where most of the time I can subconsiously pick out the elements of what I want to show and concentrate on expressing myself, instead of being encumbered with a "must stick to the rules" train of thought.

[courey]

Surely some of you are interested in photography....



;)

[RapidFixer]

I took a photography course in high school on a whim. I was a longtime painter/artist and my professor taught both painting and photography. She always told me I would probably have an eye for photo but I had no interest. I thought the process itself would be too right-brained for me. But I needed an elective my last semester since my Studio course filled up. So I took it. And I fell in love. It was an even mixture of right and left brain technique. I continued in college, though didn't finish my minor in it because I was drawn to political science midway through. But I still love taking photographs. I find it rather interesting that my photos reflect my abstract style of painting. You would probably recognize my photos even if you've only seen my paintings. It's rather weird. *scratches head*

[Morgan]

Manual photography is one of the only things I'm really good at. I've taken a somewhat pragmatic approach to the whole thing. This is the best way I can explain it: I love being able to do something from start to finish that allows me to claim ownership of the whole thing (sans the technology). I am in complete control of the way the image turns out--with light metering, focusing, f-stops, film type, camera type, lighting, etc. I like knowing that from beginning to end, it's something I've crafted. I have my own darkroom facilities (which I'll be using more and more now that I have a community to post this stuff in--less daunting than the LJ and deviantart communities) and make prints all the time. :)

I don't know if that's what interested me in it, other than the fact that I just enjoy being able to make something. I am a horrible painter and drawing artist...so this is something fun and creative that I can actually do.

[matt_4013]

Memories. I have a horrendous memory, and that's the reason I started with photography AND writing. I write to drag things from my memory that I don't have photos for, and I take photos to remember what things looked like when I saw them. I don't really use photography as an art form, or take it that seriously I guess, but I enjoy it immensely. My camera is ALWAYS with me. So very pissed off, when I spent 2 weeks in Quebec, I lost my camera in Sydney Airport on the way back. Lost 300 photos :(

[Dave]

Memories. I have a horrendous memory....It's called marijuana. :p There's no telling how many brain cells I evicted when I used to smoke by the pounds.

[Dave]

And to answer the question of the topic. My wife :)
Actually, I had always been into photography, but never did anytihng about it. It wasn't until recently that I started realising just what true photography can be....not just with the final product, but with how to compose and adjust for the final product. I never used ot think about apertures, shutter speeds...the importance of flash for certain situations such as high speed photography, etc. But thanks to my wife and my own research I am understanding more every day.

I find I adhere to full manual and have an affection for macro.

[cold pressed olives]

photography is art to me, whether it's professional or amateur. although i am not much of a photographer (i did take classes in HS), i like to look at photos more than take them.

there are a lot of talented people here. keep the photos coming in!

[matt_4013]

It's called marijuana. :p There's no telling how many brain cells I evicted when I used to smoke by the pounds.

hehe, sorry mate, that doesn't really apply in my case. I mean, I'm sure that it doesn't help but I've had a bad memory LONG before I ever started smoking pot. My brain doesn't seem to hold anything except logic patterns :p

[Dave]

Well, then that only means one thing: You're insane. ;)

[Dave]

Do you take pictures? I mean as a hobby? Or is this something you're thinking about doing? :)

[Dave]

Bitchin'! Hopefully, when you get the time, you'll share the luv ♥

[Violet]

Well, its about "freezing that frame", capturing the moments that you don't want to only last in a memory. I cant quite place what exactly got me into it. I remember one of my favorite things to do when I was little was look at all of my grandma's pictures, she had so many. I remember being mesmerized by the fact that I could almost sink into the moment of the picture that existed 30, 40, 50 years before I was born. It was amazing to me. So when I got birthday money when I was about 10 I begged my mom to take me to the store to buy a camera and I've been taking pictures ever since. I've never taken a class, I don't know too much about it all I just love to take pictures.

[bear]

my dad got me interested. he is a fantastic professional photographer. his eye is awesome. he does weddings and such but my favorites have always been his nature shots. they show me without words that we share a similar love.

i sometimes forget that i don't have all the nice lenses and professional cameras that he has but hey, you gotta work with what ya got right!

[Dave]

Well said, afterall, the professional isn't the camera; the talent isn't the camera. The camera is the medium in which we display our talent and our professionalism as well as we can. That is, if we are composing to display the talent. The rest, really, is an impression of life, etc., through our mind's eye.

[Dianna.]

I like photos. We never had a camera while I lived at home so they were mysterious.

Once I get a camera in my hand it becomes an overwhelming chore. My goal every time I press the button is to have a portrait worth framing. The shots I'm most hopeful about are usually flawed, and the best I've ever done have been completely by accident.

I think I'd do well in a class, but have always been reluctant to take one because I'd probably like it a lot and it would get to be an expensive hobby.

I just got a sony 4mp digital and REALLY want to mend my ways. Visiting this forum should give me ideas and info and I get to look at pretty pictures to boot.

*edited to add that I've definitely got to take the camera back from my husband, who runs amok snapping arsey pictures of everything like a 4 year old. cuts off heads, pays no mind to backlighting, photographs people shoveling food in their heads, takes multiples of the same fucking landmark/object which equally suck. Then wonders why I won't put them in the photo album. Why should I pay to process 10 reckless photos of a cruise ship when the promotional material has perfectly lit and composed photos?

[katz]

I've put together a "what got you interested in photography" thing once upon a time ago.. Where that was, I have no idea.

I started taking photographs when I was about 5 years old. My parents had bought me this FisherPrice kid's camera. It was blue, had black rubber bumpers on the ends, and used 110 film. I drove them insane with that thing up till I was about 10, when I started to snag my mom's camera to take better photographs. It was still just a point and shoot, but it was a million times better than the little FP camera. She got pretty sick of that fairly fast. My parents got me a little 35mm with basic zoom camera for my 11th birthday. I used that up until it broke somewhere in my sophmore year of high school. I bought another decent 35mm basic zoom to tide me over until I figured out what I really wanted.

When graduating from high school, I had decided that I wanted to major in journalism with a concentration in photography. My grad gift was a Nikon N50, with all the fixings. Lord on high, did I go nuts with that camera. It's been all over with me and with a few others as well*L* I took pictures of everything and anything I could. Buildings, pets, flowers, people, crazy candids of friends and life in Univeristy and outside of it. Still life, night time, local events.. I submitted my photographs to events for their publications or photo albums, I took my classes in University.. The writing side of journalism made me hate what I was doing. I quite University after just 2 years. I continued on taking photographs.. brancing out to do pet portraits(mostly horses), and musicians. Lighting in dark clubs became my worst enemy, as did slobber and snot on my lenses*L*

I moved to Ottawa in May of 2001. Nikon came with me, but I had zero money. Luckily, my boyfriend now husband had a little digital camera. Suddenly, the world was open to me again and I didn't have to wait an hour to see what my pictures looked like. I could take hundreds in one afternoon, and access them in a second when I got home. In the summer of 2002, we purchased a Canon D30. Digital SLR with interchangable lenses. I was able to further myself back into photography. With more oomph and capability than the little Olympus, I set out to improve myself.

In Sept of 2002, I decided I wanted to step up to the plate. I purchased the domain for my photography website, built a portfolio and tentatively put myself out there for people to contact me. Since then, I haven't too much.. but what I have done, has been a learning experience. I have photographed weddings, babies, pets, horse shows, advertisements.

I dismanteled my online portfolio after purchasing a new monitor*L* I was very dismayed at how my images looked on something good. That was almost a year ago, I've been working off my photography blog/gallery. Right now, I am choosing images.. for my new portfolio. Once I have that done, I'm making a print portfolio.. and going out to see some photographers.. -twitches- terrifying stuff really.

So that's it.. nothing too fancy.

[courey]

Another boost; we have a different crowd in here these days, and I'm always interested in what others get out of photography. :)

[NightRose]

What got me interested in photography? Capturing memories definately springs to mind. I loved looking at pictures from as far back as I can remember. I loved having my picture taken. Always wanted to use my mother's camera. She didn't have a fancy camera or anything but I loved the pictures it took. Finally on my
12th birthday she bought me a point and shoot camera. I cost her a small fortune in film development. I took a photography course in high school in grade 10 I believe it was. I loved it. We only developed in black and white but we got to do all the developing ourselves and I loved it. My teacher said I have a natural talent for nature shots but my portraits needed work. She said I definately had the eye to make it farther if I chose to go that route. My mother however didn't believe on investing in a proper camera or in my pursuing that profession so I didn't really go as far as I would have liked to. I have always had a camera of some sort though and love taking pictures. I really got more into it again about 4 years ago after picking up the digital camera my hubby had won at one of his previous jobs. It was our first digital camera and my first taste of digital. I haven't looked back. I still have that film point and shoot from my 12th birthday because I simply can't part with it but I don't use it anymore. I love being able to see the picture in the screen before snapping the picture.

I love the freedom of photography. You put yourself into it and make it your own. I love the creativity that comes with it as well. I am always at ease when I am snapping pictures. :D