How long have you been doing photography for? (dated 20/02/11)

[gilpen123]

My 1st step when I was 18 where my uncle made me an assistant or shall I say helper in the darkroom. Had my 1st real camera from him as well a badly beaten F. I am now 56 years old.

 

[mdarnton]

My brother started giving me some of his camera discards starting when I was around 4th or 5th grade, 1959, I think. I don't remember if the first was a Beauty Canter or an FR Press camera, later a Retina 1a. By 7th grade or so I was doing some of his lab work for him--stuff he'd promised people and didn't want to do, himself, and when I hit 15 I took over his job at the local studio, working in the lab.


Fink Roselieve Reporter - 1942 by Nesster, on Flickr

I worked through a series of hand-me-downs and borrowed cameras, a couple of Speed Graphics, Minolta Autocord, my brother's Mirandas when he'd let me, etc, until in about 1966 I'd saved enough from the lab job to buy a Nikkormat FS with a 50/2, an 28mm Soligor, and the 85/1.8 Nikkor.

In 1968 I bought a Leica IIIf and a couple of lenses, and stuck with Leica until around 2008, when I gave up on them ever making an affordable digital (which has proven to be a true prediction), and switched back entirely to Nikon. I did keep a IIIa, though.

 

[agoglanian]

about 13 years for me. Got started when I was about 13, and I'm 26 now 😉

I'm convinced there will always be more to learn about photography as I attempt to develop new styles or try new techniques.

There's just something absolutely satisfying about working with a camera. Any camera.

 

[literiter]

I was 15 when I got my first real camera and belonged to the camera club at school. That was 1960.

52 years ago........good grief!

 

[coelacanth]

I bought my first camera, some beaten Minolta SLR, when I was 12 or 13. Before that, I was playing with my grandma's old RFs and TLR but never shot with one. I started my shooting as my motorcycle racing team's unofficial photographer kid around then. It's been about 18 years. I'm such a noob...

 

[raytoei@gmail.com]

boy...i feel like a baby at 3years. alot more to learn....

 

[Overkill-F1]

My photography hobby started when I purchased a new Nikkormat FTn while I was in senior high school. I added a new Nikon F2 a couple of years later so I had color in one body, Bk&Wh in the other. The F2 is in wonderfull condition.
The 4x5" view camera is stored away and a complete darkroom is boxed but will soon see some use as I am starting to shoot film again.
I am adding a Fed-2 to the collection (it's in the mail right now)
...Terry

 

[Dwig]

50+ years...

... I can't really say when I began photography. I grew up in my dad's darkroom and occasionally taking a picture or two with his camera. My avatar is me routing around in dad's gadget bag, some 59 years ago, digging out his flash; I liked the way it came apart and when together.

While I was competent enough with his Sears Tower RF camera (Iloca fixed lens, sadly not a Nicca model) and Leicameter to successfully make decently exposed slides by the age of about 8, some 53 years ago, I only used the camera when dad had it out for what every family trip or event. I wasn't totally photographicly independent of dad until 50 years ago this summer. That's when I completely took over the darkroom (dad had abandoned B&W for color slides years earlier) and had my own camera.

 

[John E Earley]

I was 16 years old when my older brother gave me his YashicaMat LM for safekeeping as he left for the Marine Corps boot camp. That was 49years ago. Later (1968) I purchased a Nikkormat at the PX while I was in the Army.

 

[Messsucherkamera]

I've been at it since 1971 - 41 years. 😱

I was in 9th grade and took a photography class where we learned basic B&W film developing and printing. That year, I got a Petri FT 35mm SLR for Christmas (thanks, Mom!)

I'll be 55 in August 😱😱😱 and am still making photographs and developing my own Tri-X, although the Petri FT was long ago sent packing when I upgraded to a Nikkormat EL, which is gone now. It has been replaced by a Nikon F3hp, an F100, and two FM2n bodies.

 

[Steveh]

Depends how you measure it, but I've only really been serious about photography again (after doing a lot in my early teens but getting frustrated by my inability to create with shop-processed colour film what I saw in my head) since about 2004, when I got my first digital camera and started discovering Photoshop. Since then I've been on a lengthy (largely RFF inspired) dabbling with a ridiculous number of film cameras, which may have been more fun than it was productive, but I can't imagine every not doing photography now.

 

[Paul Jenkin]

Interesting results. I'd have thought a "bell curve" would have been most likely but it seems a significant proportion of us have been doing this photography thing for 30+ years.

 

[Tijmendal]

About 2.5 years right now, though it feels like it's been at least twice that. I started shooting in the fall of 2010 with my mums old Nikon FG. Then I realized I really liked it and I bought a Canon 20D.
It's incredible how photography's changed my life. Wow, now that I come to think of it, I'm still a frickin' newbie to the game. Never even realized how short I've been doing this...

 

[Photo_Smith]

I started back in the late 1970's when I was about 13. Neither of my parents had a camera– not a serious one.
I think my dad may have an Instamatic 126 in which a film would last over a year.

I guess I'm unusual in that I was developing and printing film before I had a camera as I was given an old Polish enlarger and bottles of film and paper developer. I think the first roll I developed and printed was a friends FP4 on Kodak Royal Bromesko.

It took me about 6 months to save up for my first camera a Canon AE1.

My parents were amazed at me developing and printing, were especially impressed when I started processing my own E6 at 15–my father especially so.

 

[furbs]

It's great to have so many experienced RFF'ers - I think I enjoy this forum more than others for that reason.

I started when my grandfather gave me his N8008 for a film class in '98. I only had a 50mm f1.8 but learning the camera with that lens made it easier. Now I'm learning my M4 with a 50 cron and developing in tanks just like I did in high school. I scan now rather than wet print, but otherwise it feels good to get back to basics.

 

[douglasboyd]

For me, 65 years. I still fool with film cameras from time to time, but now waiting for Sony to announce its new 48mp full frame, mirrorless camera with Phase Focus sensors on the imaging chip.

==Doug Boyd

 

[airfrogusmc]

For me since 1976 and professionally full time since 1986. I have a B/A in it . I've taught it at the college level and its my hobby to. Still love it as much as I did in 1976.

 

[koven]

First pic on my flickr is from august 2009.

 

[MrFujicaman]

I started with serious photography in the fall of 1973 when I start high school and hijacked my dad's Argus C-3.

I've been at it ever since.😉

 

[Cyriljay]

I bought my First camera Olympus OM10 during 1985 and until i bought my Leica M6 I was not very serious and I am more on photography now.