I would suppose that most would say that the time that they knew they wanted to be involved in the photographic process, was from the time that they first laid they eyes on their dad's Minolta. Well, my story is a bit different. Yes, my father had a Minolta, but it happen to be the most awkward pieces of equipment that I had ever used. It made its home in a worn brown leather bag that had an array of pockets, and several zippers that could barely hold it together. Oh, and you really can't forget that old shoulder strap that would squeak when you walked, and almost non existent hooks that held on to the bag for dear life.
Maybe it was some time in the transition from film to digital, or when the strap on the bag finally broke, or the frustration from carrying those endless amount of little black canisters that held the new rolls. I'm sure those are good for something.
I can't really pinpoint an exact day, all that I can say is that it happened over a period of time. I can distinctly remember my mother making several comments about her father never wanting to be photographed. To this day, I only have several photos to remember what he looked like. Oh, and might as well forget about trying to find a frame for them to go in, because I don't think it's possible. I think that for my junior or senior birthday present my parents got my first film Pentax camera, and I'm pretty sure if I looked long enough I would find it. I would just run just run around taking little snapshots of random things that I thought was interesting, just before I made my way to people. I stared taking pictures of family events, birthday parties, and moments where I thought I would be able to catch the most awkward situation. Then some time later I upgraded to a digital camera, and that might just be when this passion took hold. Of course, at that time I had no idea of the concept of photography, or what was better light, or how to pose. All that I knew way that I could get a really great picture, and all that I had to do was to keep erasing it until I liked it.
I remember sitting in my college counselor's office, being rather erratic because the only Photography 101 course only accepted about 20 people and it was full. BOOOO! So she directed me to a nearby technical school that offered a full blow degree. After thinking about this for a period of time, I decided that I would give it a try, and then at least. I might a good a use for this old brown camera bag. HA!
To make a long story short we got into the digital world, Photoshop, editing, and really began to learn how to "paint with light". I think that the rest is history, and that it has brought me where I am today. I suppose that it was the fascination of being able to stop a perfect moment in time, or the kind of emotion that you feel when you look at a 10 year old photograph of yourself, and think "why would anyone wear their hair like that!"
Just remember that each and everyone of us has a creative outlet. For some it is reading, and others it might be building something, or simply spending time with friends and family, but it is that creative outlet that eventually helps us ROAR!
And if you are curious, I took the above 2 photos with a point-and -shoot!
