Anybody ever get a relative into this madness?

[SteveM(PA)]

Friends, sure...I can see that, we gravitate toward friends with the same interests, we're bound to have friends who like this stuff. But relatives? I would have never thought. 🙂
I took a pic of my sister's kids playing pool over christmas (it's in my gallery) and my sister and brother-in-law really thought it was a cool shot, and wondered how I did it. I showed them my cameras and we talked a little about rangefinders, and today I hear from my sister that my brother-in-law is completely obsessed, and is furiously SHOPPING FOR A KIEV! Holy carp! Now that I think of it, it makes total sense. He is a very handy, industrious fellow, virtually restored their entire house, does beautiful woodworking, loves good craftsmanship and value, and wants to take great pictures. SURE rangefinders, why the heck NOT? I'm just so jazzed about the idea of my bro-in-law and I bouncing photography ideas off each other, and I hope he gets a cam soon, and joins up at the RFF! I can't wait to see what he might do. It just totally made my day. I told them all about the FSU quality control issues, and recommended fedka. Has this ever happened to anyone else?

 

[Frank Granovski]

Anybody ever get a relative into this madness?

Yeah. My mother; my wife, her brother and her uncle and her uncle's son (cousin). :bang:

 

[ErnestoJL]

Mmmmmmm....er..... yesss...but not a relative, but a very close friend...

He did shoot allways SLRs...has two Canon T90 and an A1, and was very fond of them. However he saw me shooting an old Kiev.... and started thinking.....
Some days later, after his many questions I said, OK, you must have one of those RFs...
At that time I was the proud owner of a new Canonet 19. And I started looking for a QL17 for him.
I found a QL17 at a decent price and I bought it to find it was the old type (big size). So I decided the QL19 was for him (he´s a journalist) and the small size would fit his needs better than the biger camera.
Actually the Canonet is his everyday camera.
Best regards
Ernesto

 

[Nick]

Here I am showing my cousin how to use my Yashica GSN

On that same day, my dad digged out an old camera I used to play with as a child, and it turned out to be a Zeiss Ikon Contax III. He then gave it to me because he'd "gone digital".

 

[kmack]

I just gave my bother in-law one of my spare Kiev's. Heh Heh, the first one is always free.

 

[enochRoot]

my little brother (14) expressed an interest, and was asking me all about my leica. how to meter, set the aperture, shutter speed, etc. so we got him a fed 5c for christmas. he loves it! i hope he keeps up with it. i figure that is one that i stole away from the dark side at an early age. we need to plant the seeds for the next generation!!

 

[sf]

my cousin, actually he's more of a photographer than I am in some respects. I had to actually pull him along on our trip much of the time we were together because he'd stop to shoot everything. Of course he just got into photography, and I remember those days - and he just got a little digicam that really kicks a** - Casio EXZ750. Wow, what a camera. Only P&S that I actually get GASsy over. Only digital (except the D2X) actually. He would come up with these ideas for shots, and see things that I never even thought of looking for.

I tried to explain to him that he needed to shoot more variety, fewer shots of one thing and instead just make each shot really count - that is the film in me speaking. He came back with the digital thing, saying that he might as well take as many as possible of everything because that way, if one is out of focus or messed up in some way, he'd have more to choose from. And I remember going through rolls of film or folders of digital full of literally hundreds of shots of the same subject - that is a lesson learned from digital that he shall soon come to terms with.

I tried to talk him into film. No winning that battle. He is digital forever. Never used film, never will. In some ways, I envy him. He doesn't know what he's missing.

He is a fantastic photographer, though. Probably better that I am (which sounds horrible to say, for the sheer self-centered sound of it, but I think I have skills), and he just only a couple months ago even got into it. Goes to show you that what makes a good photographer isn't necessarily technique, but persistent trying and a passion for chasing down the image. And, of course, "the eye" - which he has in spades. He is better in terms of having "the eye", and better in terms of being a relentless and fearless photographer. I have technique, but that means exactly nothing in the digital age - and really means nothing anyway.

Beside him, I am the only photographer or even remotely camera obsessed person in my entire family - for generations and many steps across the family tree.

 

[dostacos]

Friends, sure...I can see that, we gravitate toward friends with the same interests, we're bound to have friends who like this stuff. But relatives? I would have never thought. 🙂
I took a pic of my sister's kids playing pool over christmas (it's in my gallery) and my sister and brother-in-law really thought it was a cool shot, and wondered how I did it. I showed them my cameras and we talked a little about rangefinders, and today I hear from my sister that my brother-in-law is completely obsessed, and is furiously SHOPPING FOR A KIEV! Holy carp! Now that I think of it, it makes total sense. He is a very handy, industrious fellow, virtually restored their entire house, does beautiful woodworking, loves good craftsmanship and value, and wants to take great pictures. SURE rangefinders, why the heck NOT? I'm just so jazzed about the idea of my bro-in-law and I bouncing photography ideas off each other, and I hope he gets a cam soon, and joins up at the RFF! I can't wait to see what he might do. It just totally made my day. I told them all about the FSU quality control issues, and recommended fedka. Has this ever happened to anyone else?

when I went to a Canon 650 EOS I gave my oldest son my Pentax ME SUPER. He kinda got into it and now video is festering [he is actually working in the business]

Last Christmas My wife's P&S died so I got her a Canon Rebel [she shoots ideas for her water color hobby]

My Youngest son showed an intrest, so when I got into spotmatics he got one too.

Middle son had no intrest, I gave him a PENTAX ME SUPER this Christmas even though he still was not interested. weeeeeeeeeeell we went snowboarding after Christmas and took the camera with him. He and his oldest brother drove to Oregon this weekend and I asked him if he was going to take the camera, his answer was OF COURSE!.

I also gave each of the kids 1 roll of color and 2 rolls of B&W including processing and CD for Christmas

yeah I nail family

oh, yeah my mom breaks her P&S every few years, next time I will probably give her a digital P&S

 

[JimG]

My old man got me into it, he taught me how to develop and print when I was 8 or 9. I got my daughter into it when she was in high school (I bought her a pentax and 3 lenses), last month she got her first photos published for an article on veterinary surgery.

 

[SteveM(PA)]

I just gave my bother in-law one of my spare Kiev's. Heh Heh, the first one is always free.

My Zorki is bust, so I certainly will give my brother-in-law my Fed to use for awhile, if he doesn't get the Kiev right away. I love it so much though, I can't be away from it for too long : )

Thank you all for these anecdotes.

When I use film, I tend to think of my grandfather...the smell of the leather and the film...and it's all enhanced if I also have a Pabst Blue Ribbon 😀

 

[dadsm3]

Do reborns count?
After my father passed away there was always a sore spot between my brother and I that I got dad's M3, 50mm Summarit, 90mm Elmar and 135mm Hektor. Although I was the eldest, at the time he was more into photography than me. After biz went well for a few years, I had the M3 CLA'd and converted to SS, and bought an M6 and a complete set of 'crons....to avoid the traditional family tensions I bought a dented M3 and gave him that and the 3 lenses, plus a 35mm Summaron F3.5 w/bugeyes (which, BTW, is a damn good lens).
Although he has a D70 and enjoyed calling me a Luddite, I knew I had him when he saw the M3 with the 35 Summaron...must be the art-deco look that got him. Next thing you know he's walking around town with it...and when invited to a retro "plaid" part for xmas, hit me for my Ceyoo, bracket and a dozen bulbs. He told me it was a big hit at the party, and he had a great time....
Another one bites the dust......

 

[RML]

My granddad got my father into photography. Forced him to go into the darkroom to develop the negs and print the film. 😛 Dad had a dark room some 30 years ago. Can still vaguely remember that. I disassembled many a camera of his when I was small. He got me my first 110 film camera when I was 7 or so. Never got the hang of it at that time. About a decade later I shot some holiday pics with my mother's Prost p&s. Not much good came from that either. It wasn't until my granddad past away and left me his Praktica kit that I started to shoot for real. Soon had my first real SLR, with zoom lens and auto focus! Now, my wife and kid both use a Nikon digi P&S and post the shots on the net. My little girl is not yet 8, so I'll wait and see what will happen. At least won't be forcing her into the darkroom for some dev'ing and printing. 😛

 

[jamiewakeham]

Just before I left for the Alps this winter (the pics are on their way, I promise!) I bulk-bought a load of FEDs for various members having convinced them that their digi-wotsits would fail miserably.

I was proven right; we have several nice digital shots of the first hour or so of the walk-in, and then every battery failed!

Now one of them is eyeing my QL-17 with envy, another keeps asking me awkward questions about whether Leicas are worth it... and at least one is now a lurker here!

Failed with my family utterly, though. If it ain't got a little screen on the back they just don't want to know...

Jamie

 

[jaapv]

Actually it seems to run in the family: My brother, two cousins, we al frequent the same used camera-dealers and we do seem to end up with the same camera's in the end.
Looking back in history, my father did his own darkroom, there are about a zillion slides from the fifties by my uncle, I even found a great-uncle's name in the cinematographic history books.

 

[lubitel]

I am the only one. Most people dont get it, why i use RFs. But maybe I could get my brother into this. A nice Fed 2, would be a good B-day present.

 

[lushd]

Have tempted various relatives and friends but none has become has addicted as me. Can't understand why a chap can leave a Zorki 1 in the drawer of his desk (Yes, you, brother Ian)!