Are you into photography? If so when and how did you become interested in it?

2015-09-02T19:55:57-04:00

Response by SPC Margaret Higgins made Sep 2 at 2015 7:59 PM

2015-09-02T19:59:18-04:00

This discussion was originally intended for all five branches of the military; and for those who do and for those who don't necessarily reside in San Francisco. This discussion was also intended for all Veterans; and for all Retirees.

Response by LCpl Mark Lefler made Sep 2 at 2015 8:14 PM

2015-09-02T20:14:14-04:00

I find photography interesting, especially of natural settings, I just don't have the time or the money for a nice camera, wish I did.

Response by Sgt David G Duchesneau made Sep 2 at 2015 8:16 PM

2015-09-02T20:16:29-04:00

Very much so. It is part of my job. First as a State Trooper and later as a Private Investigator. Without photography, there is no proper documentation. Love the cameras, all of them including covert cameras.

Response by SSgt Alex Robinson made Sep 2 at 2015 10:18 PM

2015-09-02T22:18:27-04:00

I've been interested for years. Dating back to my early days in the military...

Response by LTC Yinon Weiss made Sep 2 at 2015 10:19 PM

2015-09-02T22:19:18-04:00

I've always enjoyed taking pictures, even from a young age. One can do a lot with even a basic camera (and these days with a phone camera) with proper positioning and an eye for a moment. Over the last few years I've also gotten into using more professional equipment, but I enjoy the practice of it no matter what I use.

Response by Sgt Kelli Mays made Sep 2 at 2015 10:40 PM

2015-09-02T22:40:57-04:00

Very much so. When my father bought me a point and shoot DSLR camera for my birthday and sent my mom and I to Hawaii for two weeks. I took my new camera and started using it....took over 3500 photos. When I got home and began looking at them and seeing some really awesome shots I had taken, I wanted to go out and shoot more. next thing I know it I'm learning how to crop and do other things....and realized I was actually really good at it...and that was it. I was hooked.

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Sep 2 at 2015 10:44 PM

2015-09-02T22:44:56-04:00

I started taking pictures with a Brownie box camera when I was a Cub Scout, and have been interested in photography ever since. I gave my film cameras and darkroom equipment to my nephew this past year, as he is interested in teaching his employees how it used to be done as a wet process.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 3 at 2015 12:38 AM

2015-09-03T00:38:39-04:00

I started around age 12 with a Kodak star. It used a cartridge film. It was a 110 film camera. I moved up to 35mm film (canon). Used this up to about 2002. Bought my first digital (Panasonic LUMIX). I now use canon DSLR. Learned a lot along the way. Still am!

Response by SPC James Seigars made Sep 3 at 2015 4:27 AM

2015-09-03T04:27:39-04:00

I started taking pictures for my company after I came back from PAO school and my unit gave me my first digital camera, lens and memory card. I really enjoy it and am starting photography class tomorrow.

Response by TSgt Forrest Kimmel made Sep 3 at 2015 12:44 PM

2015-09-03T12:44:01-04:00

I have enjoyed photography from my youth. I had a small lab at my children's home and dabbled in color processing while I was young, in the Air Force. I now like to do scenery and action photos. I have recently purchased a drone and do video and still capture from the air. Love it. In this digital age, I do graphics and photo manipulation.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 3 at 2015 2:10 PM

2015-09-03T14:10:40-04:00

I started off as a kid with a polaroid, then moved on to my dad's old film Minolta x700. I spent most of my time photographing landscaped in Florida along with my cats, dog, snakes, and cattle. Now I'm a combat cameraman and in the process of setting up my horse photography business. I'm getting ready for my second year photographing the rodeo: twelve hours of climbing on the chute, laying in the ground, lugging around heavy lenses and hauling ass when the bulls come my way.

Response by MAJ Charles Ray made Sep 3 at 2015 5:31 PM

2015-09-03T17:31:24-04:00

I got hooked on photography as a small child sneaking my mother's old Kodak Brownie out to see what it could do.

Response by LT Jessica Kellogg made Sep 3 at 2015 9:16 PM

2015-09-03T21:16:23-04:00

I love photography. I have been playing cameras since I was a child and took my mom's 35mm Canon.
I love earning new techniques (currently eyeing a camera with an inferred modification...)

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 12 at 2015 3:17 PM

2015-09-12T15:17:20-04:00

In my previous unit I was voluntold that I was to be the PA rep. They send me over to the PAO to get a camera. Turns out to have been a lightning in a bottle situation for both sides. Little did they know that photography was something that I'd always had a bit of an interest in. I hadn't any measurable experience with a professional camera until then, so I basically had to figure it out on the fly. The timing with that was good, because on the way in to the unit was a legendary, world famous combat photographer, who really enlightened me in the realm of photography and graphics. From there, things took off, and here I am.

Coming into the Army over 20 years ago, I didn't know you come in for photography, or else I would've dove in from day one. Better late than never, I suppose.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 25 at 2015 10:09 AM

2015-09-25T10:09:21-04:00

My first camera was a $5 garage sale special when I was about 10. Not only was it a film camera but I had to buy flash sticks to put in it if I wanted to use flash. I look back at those horrendous old photos sometimes (whenever I find where I hid them, hopefully they will show up again soon) and shake my head. I would also play around with my Mother's Kodak EasyShare. Looking back, it was a terribly overpriced camera for the quality of photos it produced.

When I got into wildland firefighting as a teenager I picked up my first digital camera, a Fuji Finepix E550, to record the fires I was on. I took thousands of photos with that cheap little camera. They weren't great but they were definitely better. Digital opened up a whole new world for me since I no longer had to pay for film, flashes, and developing. I wasn't really interested in photography as an art form, I was just interested in capturing memories.

When I was getting ready to leave for a missions trip to China I finally picked up my first "good" camera, a Canon SD850IS. It took surprisingly good photos for a camera the size of a deck of cards and, thanks to the small size, it went with me everywhere. The pictures were good enough that I started to take photos simply for the sake of taking photos. I used it through college, flight school, and into my first duty station. Finally when six odd years of hard use made it unreliable I finally admitted I needed to upgrade.

Two years ago I picked up my first DSLR, a Canon 60D and I became officially hooked. My photography addiction has become much more expensive since then but the quality of photos has increased exponentially both with better gear and the experience I have gained. Now, I can't go anywhere without a camera and drive my poor wife crazy. Must not take more photos; ,ust not buy more gear...

Response by CPO Ed Ball made Dec 15 at 2015 1:01 PM

2015-12-15T13:01:48-05:00

Long story! Started with a class in developing B&W in a darkroom in high school. Bought a camera and equipment while in the Navy, got some great shots at the San Diego zoo, then it was stolen. Never bought another camera until after I retired in 97. Took some great pictures in Guam, then returned to Ohio bought a Nikon D90 to shoot my nephews football games in high school. Then moved up to the Nikon D800e for my son's athletic events at Christian Academy. The school was having enrollment problems, I volunteered my services and flooded their FB with pics and enrollment is up this year. Looking forward to doing more in the future to generate income.