I have had some early successes in the era of the digital camera. A non-profit organisation organised a photography competition called Eye the City on the last day of every day. I made it to its publication via my photo entries for two consecutive years. In addition, two of my photos were published in the most prominent national daily in my country. So I guess I did have some talent haha.
The next step was to get more serious about learning the technical aspects of photography. I bought a DSLR and promptly stored it at the back of my drawer after using it a few times. I guess I just liked using my handy digital camera more. That DSLR camera seemed so bulky.
My foray into photography effectively ended when the smartphone era came about. Just go with the flow and take a shot with my phone. So easy. So convenient. I just needed to capture the moment; I didn’t need to capture the transient moment perfectly.
Which is why I’m kinda excited that the Photography territory is back in business. By earning enough sats to pay for the posting fee, I can consider myself a paid photographer. Even though I mostly use my iPhone to point and shoot. Haha.
How seriously devoted to the craft of photography are you?
I’m an avid amateur. I exclusively shot film until 2011, because DSLR image quality was pretty low before then (larger formats were fine but I couldn’t spend $5k on just a camera body.)
DSLRs were bulky and heavy, so you were getting maybe 35mm IQ under ideal conditions, but with less dynamic range, in a package as big as a medium format film camera that was far superior and cheaper.
I started photography around 8 yrs old, with various film cameras, the first was a Kodak Signet 35. Perfect choice for a young boy because it was nearly indestructible.
My last film cameras before going digital were a Kodak Retina 1a as a pocket, go anywhere camera, a Nikon EM, Graflex Speed Graphic and a Mamiya C2 for more serious shooting.
Lack of a dark room, and capable mirrorless cameras that had more tolerable weight and bulk are what finally got me into digital.
Shooting film so long helped me understand light, DoF, DR, and focal plane vs leaf shutters (and now electronic), so going digital was fairly easy, and I don’t miss the chemical induced headaches from a 4 hour darkroom session.
Thanks for sharing. xP
Are you a fan of polaroids then? You know the thrill of not knowing whether you captured the moment until it manifests before your eyes
Not really, I had one for taking nudies of my girlfriend way back though!