pioneervato
Lunatic Member
I have seen a lot of excellent photographs posted in this forum and I am curious to know what your personal experience/attraction is to photography and what got you started?
Here is how it happened for me: (rather longish, sorry)
I have always had an interest in art and during my high school years I took as many art classes as my schedule would allow. But, interestingly enough, photography was not one of them. Photography was not offered through the art department but, instead, was offered through the English department as part of the newspaper and yearbook staff offerings and all the staff positions were already locked up.
I then focused (pun) my attention on ceramics and it was at this point during my senior year in high school that I decided to seek a career in teaching art and ceramics would be my area of specialty. It was something that I enjoyed doing very much (and still do) and I had always been told to look for a career that allowed me to do what I enjoyed and so teaching art became an instant "no-brainer".
And so it was during my first year of community college (1974) that I enrolled in a beginning photo class as one of my fine art choices. However, there was one small problem - I did not own a 35mm camera and practically new nothing about them. All I knew was that they were expensive but I had worked all summer and saved most of my money to help pay for whatever expenses I would incur. Tuition at the community college was cheap enough at $72 per semester and books were a helluva lot cheaper than they are now.
The first weekend after school started I drove to Mesa and stopped by a K-Mart store to check out what they had. The camera manager pulled from the display case a brand new Minolta SRT-101 SLR with a Rokkor-X 50mm f1.4 lens. I was very excited about getting a 35mm camera and at 17 years old it was to become a life-changing event for me.
The camera manager was good enough to go through the functions of the camera but nothing made any sense to me. But the camera sure looked purdy!
After several minutes of one-on-one instruction in how to operate the camera I reached into my pocket and pulled out a metal film can that contained a roll of bulk loaded Plus-X film that my photo instructor at the college had dispensed to every student in class. Bill, the K-Mart camera manager, took the film from me and showed me how to load the film into the camera, set the film speed by adjusting the ASA dial of the camera, and how to set the exposure using the camera's built in exposure meter. ASA numbers, f-numbers, shutter speed numbers? What the.... none of this technical photo jargon made any sense to me but the Minolta camera sure looked purdy! Not only was it purdy but it was heavy which, to me, meant it was built well.
The camera manager then took the camera from my hands and took a few pictures of me as a demonstration on how to hold the camera and advance the film. (Somewhere I have the negatives from that very first roll of Kodak Plus-X film that I developed back in 1974).
The camera "kit" was priced at $259 which consisted of the SRT-101 body, f1.4 lens, PX-13 battery, and the original Minolta case. The box, as I recall, was a long box wherein contained individual boxes housing the camera body, lens, and case. A few years later most camera kits were broken up to be purchased as separate items.
I no longer have my original and beloved Minolta but I do have another that I acquired a few years ago and every time I dig it out it takes me back to my 1974 experience at age 17. The "magic" I felt when I developed my first black and white photograph under the soft glow of the darkroom safelight hooked me. It is an experience I still cherish to this day and it is that experience that I try to convey to my students so many years later. Those of you who have experienced printing in a traditional darkroom know what I am referring to. The experience of taking the photograph and producing the image through the "magic" of the darkroom still excites me to this day. This new discovery became cemented in me when, as part of a field trip in 1974, our class took a trip to the University of Arizona to view an Edward Weston exhibit. Edward Weston's beautiful 8x10 contact prints mesmerized me. The "Pepper", the "Nude", and the rest of his prints on exhibit made a lasting impression on me. An experience I hope to remember for a long time to come.
Well, as some you know, I did fulfill my dream of teaching art but it was photography that gave me a new sense of purpose. I have been teaching photography now for 30 years and in about 6 weeks I will begin year 31. Man oh man, does time fly.
Currently, I shoot primarily Nikon for 35mm format, Bronica in MF, and Wista for LF. I still enjoy the darkroom experience, smells and all. Something I cannot experience from the digital process of making prints even though I do shoot with my Nikon D200 and print with Epson printers.
When shooting film my choice is Kodak T-Max 100 for all of my formats but on occasion do shoot Fujichrome and Ilford. My current printing paper of choice is Oriental FB VC, glossy, which I get from Freestyle Photo. My enlarger of choice is the Beseler 45 MX with an Oriental variable contrast cold light head.
PS: When I transferred to Arizona State University in 1976 I was hired and worked at the same K-Mart store where I bought my SRT-101. Bill, the camera manager, (from whom I bought the camera in 1974) still remembered me and we worked together for 2 years until he left retail to pursue other interests.
OK, now it's your turn.
Here is how it happened for me: (rather longish, sorry)
I have always had an interest in art and during my high school years I took as many art classes as my schedule would allow. But, interestingly enough, photography was not one of them. Photography was not offered through the art department but, instead, was offered through the English department as part of the newspaper and yearbook staff offerings and all the staff positions were already locked up.
I then focused (pun) my attention on ceramics and it was at this point during my senior year in high school that I decided to seek a career in teaching art and ceramics would be my area of specialty. It was something that I enjoyed doing very much (and still do) and I had always been told to look for a career that allowed me to do what I enjoyed and so teaching art became an instant "no-brainer".
And so it was during my first year of community college (1974) that I enrolled in a beginning photo class as one of my fine art choices. However, there was one small problem - I did not own a 35mm camera and practically new nothing about them. All I knew was that they were expensive but I had worked all summer and saved most of my money to help pay for whatever expenses I would incur. Tuition at the community college was cheap enough at $72 per semester and books were a helluva lot cheaper than they are now.
The first weekend after school started I drove to Mesa and stopped by a K-Mart store to check out what they had. The camera manager pulled from the display case a brand new Minolta SRT-101 SLR with a Rokkor-X 50mm f1.4 lens. I was very excited about getting a 35mm camera and at 17 years old it was to become a life-changing event for me.
The camera manager was good enough to go through the functions of the camera but nothing made any sense to me. But the camera sure looked purdy!
After several minutes of one-on-one instruction in how to operate the camera I reached into my pocket and pulled out a metal film can that contained a roll of bulk loaded Plus-X film that my photo instructor at the college had dispensed to every student in class. Bill, the K-Mart camera manager, took the film from me and showed me how to load the film into the camera, set the film speed by adjusting the ASA dial of the camera, and how to set the exposure using the camera's built in exposure meter. ASA numbers, f-numbers, shutter speed numbers? What the.... none of this technical photo jargon made any sense to me but the Minolta camera sure looked purdy! Not only was it purdy but it was heavy which, to me, meant it was built well.
The camera manager then took the camera from my hands and took a few pictures of me as a demonstration on how to hold the camera and advance the film. (Somewhere I have the negatives from that very first roll of Kodak Plus-X film that I developed back in 1974).
The camera "kit" was priced at $259 which consisted of the SRT-101 body, f1.4 lens, PX-13 battery, and the original Minolta case. The box, as I recall, was a long box wherein contained individual boxes housing the camera body, lens, and case. A few years later most camera kits were broken up to be purchased as separate items.
I no longer have my original and beloved Minolta but I do have another that I acquired a few years ago and every time I dig it out it takes me back to my 1974 experience at age 17. The "magic" I felt when I developed my first black and white photograph under the soft glow of the darkroom safelight hooked me. It is an experience I still cherish to this day and it is that experience that I try to convey to my students so many years later. Those of you who have experienced printing in a traditional darkroom know what I am referring to. The experience of taking the photograph and producing the image through the "magic" of the darkroom still excites me to this day. This new discovery became cemented in me when, as part of a field trip in 1974, our class took a trip to the University of Arizona to view an Edward Weston exhibit. Edward Weston's beautiful 8x10 contact prints mesmerized me. The "Pepper", the "Nude", and the rest of his prints on exhibit made a lasting impression on me. An experience I hope to remember for a long time to come.
Well, as some you know, I did fulfill my dream of teaching art but it was photography that gave me a new sense of purpose. I have been teaching photography now for 30 years and in about 6 weeks I will begin year 31. Man oh man, does time fly.
Currently, I shoot primarily Nikon for 35mm format, Bronica in MF, and Wista for LF. I still enjoy the darkroom experience, smells and all. Something I cannot experience from the digital process of making prints even though I do shoot with my Nikon D200 and print with Epson printers.
When shooting film my choice is Kodak T-Max 100 for all of my formats but on occasion do shoot Fujichrome and Ilford. My current printing paper of choice is Oriental FB VC, glossy, which I get from Freestyle Photo. My enlarger of choice is the Beseler 45 MX with an Oriental variable contrast cold light head.
PS: When I transferred to Arizona State University in 1976 I was hired and worked at the same K-Mart store where I bought my SRT-101. Bill, the camera manager, (from whom I bought the camera in 1974) still remembered me and we worked together for 2 years until he left retail to pursue other interests.
OK, now it's your turn.
