How Photographically Old Are You?
I’m a year and a half old. At least, I’ve come to think of it as a rebirth ever since I picked up my first digital SLR a year and a half ago. My how things have changed…
Photography has an amazing ability to change the way in which we really see light. It’s color and luminosity, the way it plays against and wraps around a subject. Photography has changed the world for me, and I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that. It may not always happen immediately, but give it time and I guarantee photography will change everything about how you perceive the world. Many of you are forever changed. Some of you long time professionals have known this for decades.
When you begin to look at everything as if it may be a photograph, you realize that everything truly is. Every experience and area in our lives holds a portion of interest, wonder or perhaps terror, but something that grabs and affixes our attention if we simply look at it beyond the casualness with which we often meander through life. Take the time to stop and really look at something. Study it. Appreciate every detail. Learn to bring out what makes it unique and interesting.
Better yet, grab your friends, children or family. Head out on a photo journey with them and discover everything around you. Creatively capture and freeze that single expressive moment in time that this wonderful device known as a camera allows you to. Be inspired.
Share with our readers how photography has inspired and changed your life. How photographically old are you?
119 Responses to “How Photographically Old Are You?” - Add Yours
June 27th, 2010 at 6:44 am
I’ve been shooting for about 2 years now.
I had not a clue about what photography was all about when I started, not that I do now either. Picked up my first camera simply as a “to-do” thing when I reached the United States. I’ve since fallen in love with photography,more so with my camera. This and flickr opened up my life to an ocean of creativity. I wasn’t aware such a side existed to me. Looking at other photographer’s work and comparing mine against them, all the while getting ecstatic that my work was getting appreciated or that I had a lot more to learn in comparison to others. This has been one phenomenal journey for me,continues to do so and I owe it all to my first and only camera. She’s been an incredible companion to me. I love her so much so that I had a little poetry penned out for her. Here -> http://mindswagger.blogspot.com/2009/09/anniversary-gift.html
June 27th, 2010 at 6:50 am
Interesting reading! I think my photographic birth happend the day I read Elliott Erwitt’s “Unseen”. His photos are from people’s daily life, and they reveal so many funny details, things I hadn’t thought of before. I wanted to capture similar situations myself. Luckily I had bought my first DSLR one week earlier, so the timing was perfect.
June 27th, 2010 at 7:01 am
I too am born-again. After a break of about four years, I got my first DSLR two and a half years ago.
June 27th, 2010 at 7:04 am
Hey,
Interesting article, like you I am a toddler of about 18 Months, have been enjoying the new found enjoyment of the dSLR, one of the things I am noticing is how my view of everything is changed now by my perception of light, whether I am taking a photo or not, just seeing the shadows cast and the way that light changes the subtle colours and tints, its amazing that I never noticed these things before and yet when I mention these little details to non photographic friends I just get meet by blank expressions, HOW can they miss it? Oh yeah 18 Months ago, even 12 months ago if someone had mentioned it to me I would have given them an equally blank look.
I always likes taking photos but never really understood the process and the techniques to getting good shots until my introduction to the world of the dSLR and my endeavours to learn the skills and craft my own percetions, yes I used to be able to compose the shot well, always followed the rules of composition without even knowing they existed BUT its only in understanding the part that light plays on the scene that I have been able to progress, now even if I use a simple point & shoot (which is not that often!) my shots are far better than the dSLR shots were when I first picked it up.
June 27th, 2010 at 7:34 am
I’ve been using a dSLR for about 2 years, but my true photographic birth was about 6 months ago. That was when I started actually studying photography as an art, rather than just “taking pictures.” While I’m not anywhere close to where I’d like to be, I know that it takes time to get there and I’ll never stop working to get there. Even when I do get there, I have a feeling that I’ll want to go farther.
June 27th, 2010 at 7:53 am
Love the concept. I’m a born again digital photographers just past my second birthday. I have two weeks to go in my 365 project. Life’s good.
June 27th, 2010 at 7:54 am
i’m 2 years, 4 months old :-]
June 27th, 2010 at 8:19 am
The rebirth angle is interesting. My photographic life started in 1956 — Brownie Box camera and contact prints in my bathroom darkroom. I’ve seen a lot of equipment changes in my life and have thought a lot about each era of technology has impacted the photos we take. When you have a f3.5 lens and ASA 32 film it has a major impact — particularly available light photography. Through time the end results have been greatly impacted by technology. Each technology has it’s own way of recording what we see. Digital for example has less exposure latitude than film. The shorter focal length lenses used by digital cameras have greater depth of field. Part of being a photographer is understanding how what we see translates to an image. These days my work is all digital and my printing paper is the Internet.
June 27th, 2010 at 8:45 am
I just hit my year mark in May of this year! I agree with you completely. Photography has deepened the eyes of my soul. I find beauty in mundane things that have always been all around me and wonder how I didn’t see it before. The more I learn to wield a camera for all of its possibilities the more I see. I am still just a baby but I am loving the growing up journey.
June 27th, 2010 at 8:59 am
I sterted with my first reflex at 11. It was a Exakta RTL 1000, when I followed a photogrphy course at school. So it means, uhmmmm… let’s see… 38 years ago! I switched to digital in 2001, and finally to full-DSLR in 2008. Ita was like a new birth. Found a lot of new things to do and possibility that digital gave to me.
June 27th, 2010 at 9:09 am
Hmm…..I’m almost 4 (photographically speaking of course
)
Got my first DSLR in December of ’06
June 27th, 2010 at 9:23 am
I got my first DSLR in 2006, so im 4. But I got my first 35mm SLR in 2001 ( I was 10years old ), I never really started to learn any thing until about 1yr after I got my first DSLR. Now 19yrsold and looking to buy my 3rd DSLR i can say i know what im doing.
June 27th, 2010 at 9:30 am
I’m on day 177 of my 365…so i’m 177 days old! I’ve been taking photos for years and even took a course in developing b+w film photographs for a few years but it’s only been since starting this 365 with my DSLR that i really got into photography…and i’m viewing many things in my life differently as a result. Great article!
June 27th, 2010 at 10:03 am
Hi Great whay to “see” things. I started a long time ago with my fathers “Kodak Reflex 35mm SLR”, did some fun stuff developing in B&W and now a “Fanatic” of Digital . I have been in the world of photography for as long as 28 years. I bougt my first real DSLR three years ago. Its realy my re-birth its amazing all the things you can do Digital. I Live in Buenos Aires Argentina and an enthusiastic follower of DPS.
June 27th, 2010 at 10:24 am
My blogspot is Photos change my world. I count my rebirth from my first photography class in college when the professor claimed that ‘photography is science mixed with magic.’ I was introduced to a whole new world. I am now 10 years old and morphed from analog to digital.
June 27th, 2010 at 10:41 am
hmmm. I was pregnant for about 4 years (film point and shoot), laboured for 2 years (very old Canon Powershot but a digital none the less), born about 2007. (Canon 400D). really started to grow about 12 months ago when I started studing for my Diploma of Photography. So now I am one and with my friend (Canon 50D with better lenses)
;o)
June 27th, 2010 at 10:45 am
I always wanted a camera and finally got an P&S when I graduated college, so counting that makes me about 6 and 1/2 now. It got serious after picking up my XSi almost 2 years ago and now with my FF I’m in heaven.
June 27th, 2010 at 10:48 am
Bought and started using my first D-SLR in March of this year, so I’m still an infant! Shoot everyday and am obsessed with the art!
June 27th, 2010 at 11:38 am
Born-again exactly one year tomorrow!
June 27th, 2010 at 12:24 pm
Old , very old..:-))) 40
June 27th, 2010 at 1:28 pm
for me it was September 2006. I took a basic photography course at my community college and my life has never been the same. I was hired to shoot a calender for a tattoo shop, and when we were out scouting locations with the project manager, you’d think he had never been where we were ever before. Of course, he said he’d been there a thousand times, but never to take pictures. I smiled, knowing he’s only scratched the surface. When I’m asked what I do for fun, I tell people I get to play with lights, shadows, colors and reflections every day
June 27th, 2010 at 1:56 pm
I will be 4 years this december since I got my DSLR. Professionally shooting for money is 2 years.
June 27th, 2010 at 2:37 pm
This is so true! My Dslr age is 9 months and I have learnt to appreciate the tiny things in life like ants and spiders because I love macro work. Now I can’t bring myself to kill them, because they are beautiful intricate works that God created.
June 27th, 2010 at 3:06 pm
I am kind of like Benjamin Button, I look like a much older photographer than I actually am (2 years old) because I have put in thousands of hours practicing and in the past year working in photography for money so that as of right now it is my only source of income. It just goes to show how quickly one can advance in photography if one studies and practices enough. It also makes me think what will I think of my present work 2 years from now?!
June 27th, 2010 at 3:31 pm
about half year. got my first DSLR Alpha550 this January!
June 27th, 2010 at 5:10 pm
I have recently bought my Canon XS. I have been using a P&S for a couple of years using only the Auto mode. Ever since i joined DPS, I started seeing the world from a different angle. I started noticing details which were invisible before. This is when i really started developing a liking for photography. So for me, I’ll say I’m 3 months old. Manual setting is THE BEST !!!
June 27th, 2010 at 5:17 pm
It’s almost three moths now that I’ve got my first DSLR, and what a huge leap it was for my photography skills! Feel free to check out my !
June 27th, 2010 at 5:49 pm
I used my first SLR at age 12… so that would be 7 years! I took my first photography course 2 and a half years ago and bought my DSLR 2 years ago!
I’d say I’m 2 and a half years old, photographically
June 27th, 2010 at 7:01 pm
I began taking photos in… 2005, my parents gift me a compact and I shot everything I saw. A couple years before I found a a roll easy camera… but there I really shot everything.
Last year I joined a basic photography course. In may I’ve been gift a Canon reflex. And with summer I started to become more selective. This year I entered an advanced course.
Photography really changed my life.
June 27th, 2010 at 7:18 pm
First Hello to all.
I didn’t know much about photography because where I was born and lived till I was around 11 ( 2003) years old, there was no cameras like we have here in developed countries. There was camera but it was like one of those very rare, almost sacred kind of thing. So I did not had the chance to take any picture. So I got lucky and my dad had brought a Sony video camera, so I started playing with it. When I cam to Australia after a long wait i got my first DSLR (My first Photo camera) Nikon D90 in November 2009. So I guess I am around 7month Old Photographer.
Cheers
Happy Photographing
June 27th, 2010 at 7:26 pm
I’m 3 years and 2 months old!
I took my first steps with a digital camera (point&shot), then I got a dSRL on December 2008. I’m not totally sure photography has changed my life yet, but I’m quite sure it will if I’ll be smart enough in learning from all mistakes I still commit.
June 27th, 2010 at 8:09 pm
I’m not sure how old I am in terms of photography but it’s an interesting concept. At some point I moved beyond just pointing the camera and pushing the shutter and seeing like the camera.
And yes, there is a point in which I stared seeing things in terms of photographs. Plus I knew how the camera would capture it. Or at least close enough.
I have to disagree that everything is worth photographing. I wouldn’t photograph road kill for example.
June 27th, 2010 at 8:12 pm
I’m about 6 years old.
Bought my first DSRL in 2004, was a Nikon D70 when it just came out. Before that I was a daily shooter with my trusty old Nikon FM (which I still have b.t.w).
June 27th, 2010 at 9:14 pm
I’m 7 although I tend to ignore the first few years because I was soooo bad…
It’s been about 4 years since I bought my first DSRL and started my photodesign studies to become a photographer. So… maybe I’m only 4
June 27th, 2010 at 9:37 pm
I’m surprised to know that you just ‘started’ about a year and a half ago. I’ve been following you on Facebook and I thought you are actually a seasoned pro (not that you can’t be one in 2-1/2 years if you really work on it).
June 27th, 2010 at 11:00 pm
I had my first Praktika 35mm back in the early eighties, which was stolen in 1987. I was given a D40 in 2007 which I would say was when I was concieved. Born when I upgraded to a D90 in Nov 2009 and still in nappies. My photography has improved a great deal but still nowhere near what I would like it to be. One day I will get there, wherever that may be and who knows how far, with DPS as my guide.
June 27th, 2010 at 11:24 pm
I’m still an infant, 1 month and 12 days old. My mother being a Nikon D90.
Being a head strong infant I want to only shot in manual mode full well knowing that there will be many of falls and skinned knees. I don’t know where this journey will lead me to, but am willing to explore the world of light and shadows and share it that bumpy journey to the world.
Your site is one of my textbooks. Keep up the good work.
June 27th, 2010 at 11:50 pm
I’m almost 8 months old now…
June 27th, 2010 at 11:53 pm
I get this question a lot. people see my images and say how long have you been taking pictures. my answer, i began with a vivtar 110 when i was 12. i liked taking pictures so, when i was in my 20′s i got a 35mm slr. then times got tough and i couldn’t afford the developing of shots so i put it on the back burner. when cell phones came out with a camera, i got one. everyone started telling me how much they liked my shots (from a cell phone?). so i got a 12mp p&s. people started telling me they loved this picture and that picture. i (last summer) decided to step up to a dslr. now people say WOW and you took this? (i love that question). so now i’m saving for my next step in dslr (the canon t2i) and at least two more lense (50mm and a wide / not sure what one). i guess you could say i’ve been shooting for about 34 yrs. if you want to see my progress in the last couple of years goto http://www.lafango.com/fortunato_uno
i have to admitt people seem to like my shot more then i do. but thats what keeps me shooting, the hope that my next shot will be my best
June 28th, 2010 at 12:45 am
First digital camera was 8 years ago. My first Canon DSLR 6 years ago. Now I’m on my 5th Canon body and shoot regularly with a 5D Mark II and 40D. I’m a true “prosumer” though I hate those Frankenstein terms, shooting for pleasure and for work in my advertising career.
As for my age, I feel like a kid every time I get to play with my digital toys. I’ll never grow up!
June 28th, 2010 at 1:08 am
I am 9 months old, just a baby and I am loving it.
June 28th, 2010 at 1:09 am
I bought my first digital camera back in 2001. Kodak with .9 MP’s! Cost me about $900. I then bought a Sony 707 which I loved and really learned a lot from. I sold that in 2006 and bought a Nikon D200. Now I have a D300 and a D700 along with 6 lenses.
I learned “backwards”. I had been working hard to master Photoshop and figured I might as well get a camera. Soon, I had the Camera Jones. I love shooting. I especially love the anticipation of loading my CF card and watching Aperture load and import the images. Never fails to get me excited.
June 28th, 2010 at 1:55 am
Since I got my first DSLR for Christmas ’09, I’d say I’m just under 6 months photographically.
June 28th, 2010 at 2:15 am
About 26! I remember getting a Disc camera when I was about 13-14 and taking pictures of everything that had nice light or that was interesting. Of course my idea of interesting was different than other people’s… In one form or another I have always been very sensitive to and aware of the quality of light, and ever since seeing how even a cheap little camera with tiny negatives could capture moments and feelings and memories, I’ve been enthralled. While one day I would like to own a dSLR, I don’t feel like it’s a necessity for me right now. I still thoroughly enjoy the images I capture with my good quality older film cameras, my toy digital cameras, my cheap film P&S cameras, and my fancy prosumer P&S digital camera.
June 28th, 2010 at 2:47 am
I am only 2 months old. I love my Nikon and I really like taking pictures.
June 28th, 2010 at 3:11 am
I’m an ol’ duffer! I started at about 15 working to support my photo habits, shooting and selling my work, I worked my way through several photo jobs and evenually ran a couple studios. Now I have gone full cycle, and am building an extensive wet lab darkroom color and B&W up to 16×20, going to 4×5 view, and shoot for my self. How long well, nearly 50 years, camera in hand.
June 28th, 2010 at 3:25 am
I am almost 2 months old
I have had my dslr for two years but I never truly understood its potential until I did a photography course 2 months ago. Since then I can’t stop taking pics of everything and anything around me. I know I have a lot to learn but that’s the really exciting part! 
June 28th, 2010 at 3:46 am
I am 38 years old, photographically speaking. Started with a 20 year old, 35 mm Agfa borrowed from my Dad. Eventually got my own Olympus SP rangefinder then moved up to a Minolta SRT-102 SLR with 3 lenses and gradually added more lenses and bodies over the years.
My first digital was born about 6 years ago (Sony DSCH-1) and my DSLR came along 18 months ago.
Obviously I’ve been “in school” a very long time but we all know you can never graduate from learning photography, even without the technical advances and changes, there will always be new challenges, if you want them, and more to learn if you’re open to it.
Since getting my DSLR I am also able to spend more time at photography but still not as much as I would like.
One of my main goals in photography now is to keep improving my skills but also to keep having fun with it. I never want it to become a chore. Even if I do it for money, I want to have fun too.
June 28th, 2010 at 4:09 am
it just been an year since i got addicted to photography!!
June 28th, 2010 at 5:36 am
Less than a year with a dslr. Or any slr because of that. 5 with anything else.
June 28th, 2010 at 5:37 am
*beyond that. Durrr….
June 28th, 2010 at 10:23 am
My first Digital camera was 12 years ago – and I credit it for birthing in me a strong interest in photography. Digital cameras have come such a long way….
June 28th, 2010 at 12:13 pm
I started taking pictures of a peanut plant I had planted, back in 1937, and have been taking pictures every sience. does that count?
I have up-dated my camera’s every chance I get, and still have some of my old ones. My newest one is a
Canon digital Rebel XT. That will be my last one. Oh ! Did I tell you that I will be 89 thid September.
Love,
JD
Read more: http://digital-photography-school.com/how-photographically-old-are-you/comment-page-1#comment-118623#ixzz0s6qmd7V7
June 28th, 2010 at 12:39 pm
For me, it all started when I borrowed a Pentax K1000 in 1983. So that makes me 27.
I then bought a Pentax ME Super. I went digital in 1999, but it was a Sony point and shoot. That had exposure compensation and the ability to change quite a few settings, but it was the beginning of a bit of a decline made worse when I ‘upgraded’ to a Sony H5.
My ‘rebirth’ came when I bought my Nikon D90 in September.
June 28th, 2010 at 1:50 pm
It’s been 4 years and 3 months since I picked up my first digital camera…a year later I purchased my big bad Nikon and the rest is sweet beautiful, photographic, learning history
June 28th, 2010 at 2:43 pm
Has anybody else noticed how pretty & natural the girl looks in the photo? It’s a brilliant shot. What did the colour version look like?
June 28th, 2010 at 3:04 pm
I am about 15 months old. My rebirth came with the arrival of my Canon T1i. But I’m glad to head that others share these same sentiments about how we as photographers perceive the world.
June 28th, 2010 at 3:23 pm
Well, I got my first camera 32 years ago.
I got my first SLR 28 years ago.
I had my first picture published 22 years ago.
I got my first digital camera 14 years ago.
I got my first DSLR about 5 years ago.
So depending on how you want to measure it, those are my photographic ages.
June 28th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
Between 2003 and 2007, I carried a P&S digital camera everywhere and on occasion used my mother’s film SLR. In early 07, I got my first DSLR, but was forced to grow up REALLY quick between being hired in a studio and getting roped into shooting my first wedding with ten days notice. So I sometimes feel much older photographically than I actually am
There are days where I would like to take the film SLR out again; there’s just something so pure about film that you can’t get with a sensor.
June 28th, 2010 at 10:24 pm
Well, lessee…I’m about to turn 39, and first picked up my grandfather’s polaroid when I was 6.
My first camera was…uh…oh my god, i cannot believe I’m about to admit this one…
*whispers*
A Kodac Disk Camera.
I know, I know…I can hear you guys groaning, cringing, and laughing all at the same time, and I own that. =) But man, I thought I was COOL!
I hit the digital scene several years ago, and bought a housing for it so I can so play with the fishes and such in the islands. First DSLR was in 2007, and then I upgraded in 2008.
Fun thread!!
June 29th, 2010 at 4:18 am
Technically I am 8. But, going by when I started to take photography more seriously and bought my first DSLR…. I am 2.
It is cool to see where/when every one else started with a DSLR, thanks for posing the question!
June 29th, 2010 at 1:40 pm
I got my first camera at age 11 (born 1940) went from there through all the advances in technology until DIGITAL in 2000 That change just really jump started me as in past years could not afford to experiment…Now have nice computer equipment and printers and software (Photoshop) It is great to be 70 and retired and be able to do all the things related to my photography…..I now can do anything my imagination comes up with…..I really am interested in the developments to come in the next 10 years….This keeps me intelectually and physically active. I have lots of subjects (13 grand kids, 3 great grand kids, trips to the southern oregon coast and more…..
June 29th, 2010 at 4:00 pm
i got my DSLR on 26th Jan,so i’m 5 months old and i got my best pic on 26th jun…
i’m loving it
June 29th, 2010 at 4:04 pm
I started with photography September 2008. I got a point and shoot Sony Cybershot. I easily outgrew it and switched to a Nikon D60 in March 2009. you can visit http://www.tumitira365.tumblr.com to see my pics.
June 29th, 2010 at 6:39 pm
I’ve been shooting digital since 2002, film before that. Until last year (2009) I shot point and shoot, and then I made a friend who was into photography. We learned together, bought my first DSLR last April (nikon D80), and I’ve been totally obsessed with photography ever since. I’m starting to make money from it, teaching classes, selling stock photography, etc. It has totally changed how I look at the world and given me a creative outlet I never thought I had. it’s good for my soul.
Over the last year and a half of total photography obsession, I feel like I know enough to really start being creative. It’s like that point when you’re learning guitar and you know all the chords, can play some of your favorite songs, and now you strike out and start writing your own music. My music will keep getting better with more knowledge and experience, but I think I know all the chords now.
June 29th, 2010 at 7:22 pm
I am a newborn baby. Got my first DSLR in this month. Took about 1500 pictures in last 20 days!
June 30th, 2010 at 1:05 am
20 years old. started when i was 17.
my photographic eye has improved dramatically. i know instantly what to look for in terms of subject and composition.
June 30th, 2010 at 1:32 am
I’m a newborn… got my first DSLR in Mid March
June 30th, 2010 at 1:43 am
I had my canon 1000d just a year ago, but we used to have Nikon f3 or was it f2, when I was a kid…and most of my childhood photos were taken by the Nikon camera. I had tons of them….until I got tired posing for the cam…and this time, I want to be the one behind the lens…=)
June 30th, 2010 at 2:19 am
My husband gave me my first (an still only) SLR camara as a christmas present 2 years ago, but I actually start playing with it about 8 months ago…. still not quite seeing everything around me as a photograph as you said, but i’m having a lot of fun and getting more comfortable without the auto setting every day….
June 30th, 2010 at 5:13 am
Me, I just past my first birthday.
I think photography really helps with depression. When you get into that mindset, where you see everything around you as a potential work of art, it’s hard to insulate yourself from all the beauty in the world. Additionally, it also helps with boredom and loneliness– even without my camera in hand, I can entertain myself by composing shots in my head and contemplating what settings I’d use if I were shooting.
June 30th, 2010 at 2:32 pm
I guess I would be about 2 years old seriously, since I’ve started reading books and really getting into it like finally getting my g11 (closest thing to a DSLR).
July 1st, 2010 at 4:36 am
I am about 4 years old, but only six motnhs with an DSLR. It is amazing what you can do now days with photography. I hope to respond to a post like this one day and say that I am like 30 or something
July 1st, 2010 at 7:37 am
I’m 3 going on one and a half
Someone mentioned a disc camera…. Shhhh, me too
i was gutted when it was recalled 
July 2nd, 2010 at 12:01 am
Less than 2 months old.. I’ve just began to crawl .. i can’t wait to take my first baby steps!
July 2nd, 2010 at 3:19 am
I started shooting in college, way back in the 1960s and 1970s. Many nights getting my hands wet in my “old fashioned” darkroom. Then I took a hiatus for a while until the late 1980s. A few years ago I was dragged, kicking and screaming into the digital world where I still struggle with it’s “purity”. For an old B&W film guy the transition is proving to be significant.
July 2nd, 2010 at 3:26 am
I am “26 years old” and have used every type of camera from a large format 11×14 Deardorff to the smallest 8 mp camera on my droid phone. I started my photographic journey in high school journalism, fell in love with the darkroom, studied commercial photography and have done most genres and am now a photography teacher at a private school. Still trying to pass on the passion of a dying art – the darkroom photographer!
July 2nd, 2010 at 3:33 am
sorry forgot to say my first digital was a powershot around 2001 – then a digital rebel, then rebel xti and now a Canon 50D
July 2nd, 2010 at 3:41 am
I’m one year old. After 20 years working in video, now I’ve started to understand thing I ignored before. Now I know “how to walk” and I’m gonna sell my second hand D70 and buy a brand new D90. I’ts true, photography changes your life’s point of view.
July 2nd, 2010 at 4:08 am
In March 2004, my photographic life began, though my physical age was then 77 years. My partner, having many years experience as a film photographer, asked me to accompany him for a course in ‘Using a Digital Camera’ given by Jim Block, in Etna, NH. My laugh of derision must have been scathing, for Edward said, “Please. Just come along to keep me company; I’ll even pay your tuition.” So, how could I not give in? Suffice it to say that Jim’s knowledge, organized and well-illustrated lectures, his professional no-nonsense approach and his performance standards demanded of his students opened this whole new wonderful world of seeing, and my life has been enriched and enlivened beyond imagining. Were it not for the light provided by Jim and Edward, my creative self would still be in the dark .
July 2nd, 2010 at 5:05 am
When I was real young I always dreamed of getting a fine camera. That eventually came true and sooner than I expected as in my teens I was able to purchase a good Pentax SLR. I even developed our wedding pictures which was back in the 60s. Over the years I kept up with the middle to higher end SLR/DSLR cameras and now I have some pretty good stuff. But as an old friend of mine who was one of the top 9 ball pool players in Pittsburgh said…”It doesn’t matter what kind of cue you use. If you are good you are good. and how much you spend on a cue won’t make that much difference.” Same goes for cameras. While cameras offer more and more features these days it is the knowledge and creativity of the photographer that makes for a great picture. Using the digital darkroom though sure does help towards getting that picture that everyone loves and without all those chemical smells and funny colored lights.
July 2nd, 2010 at 5:10 am
About a year and two months old (older if you want to count my point and shoot phase…but I prefer to ignore it, LOL). But my actual age is 16.
Last year my mom gave me her Canon Powershot S3 IS. Although it was a just one of those “cross-over” cameras (a bit of a point-and-shoot/DSLR hybrid) it taught me SO much about photography. I learned about ISO, aperture, and shutter speed from that camera. I learned how to compose a shot and really think about it. The camera had its many limitations and frustrated me to no end, but I am so thankful for it because it made me fall in love with photography.
This June I bought my first DSLR, a Pentax K100D Super. I love it and can’t get enough of it. I am obsessed with manual focus and freelensing (Google it).
Photography is definitely one of the things that defines me.
July 2nd, 2010 at 5:19 am
I’m about 28 years old, still love it and still learning all the time. My very first camera was an old 35mm Hanimex which i used at Expo 86 in Vancouver and I still have somewhere lol. I then moved up to a 35mm with a zoom (name escapes me cuz my dad “borrowed it” and never returned it) from Price Club years ago. A few other 35mm then came my first DSLR: Canon digital rebel 6.1 mp. After that I can’t stop taking pictures, have since bought an XSi, Sigma Zoom, filters, tripod, monopod, flash borrow my brother’s Tamron Macro (and i return it) etc but still carry the old Rebel with me to work. When I get a break I’m taking pics, even out of the window when at a stop sign if something catches my eye. My biggest problems these days are deleting anything unless its obviously terrible and needing more space on my PC to store them all
July 2nd, 2010 at 5:33 am
it was the opening up of the world of expression when I discovered photography in my 15th year…I am now 74 years old and have been through many camera types including Hasselblad,. Leica..Nikon..Voightlander..and more Nikons, FM, FM2, FE2 and currently D90 with assorted lenses. I am not and never have been a professional. The film darkroom to the digital darkroom is certainly a quantum leap..The new age darkroom is much less messy and way more fun. I love photographic imagery and love to experiment. I like where photography is going…to a more conceptual artistic look rather than a static pictorial representation,
July 2nd, 2010 at 5:37 am
I am two and half years. I started off with a point and shoot, then last year I got a better one and this year I got a DSLR and now 3 lenses and a flash.
From October 2009 to June 2010 I have taken over 50 000 photos and get a bit better with every shot. I am so happy to be working in RAW (mainly for concert photos), dabbling in HDR, I just bought a new flash, trying different software.. . and reading books, magazines and websites and talking to photographers so I can absorb everything.
July 2nd, 2010 at 5:41 am
Photographically, I’m 52 years old. Starting with a little Braun 35 mm, I went through Ansco film, Kodachrome 10, 32, then Agfachrome and Agfacolor. I graduated to a Pentax SLR, then a Stereo Realist, then a YashicaMat. I dropped photography for a number of years, then I discovered the joys of ditigal. Buyng an Olympus first, I recognized its limitations, so bought a Canon Xt, then my present camera, a Canon XSi. Think I’ll stay with that one now. Over the years, there has been a slight improvement in my work, mainly in the quality, rather than the subject matter Lately, I’m interested in candid street shots and have been experimenting with b & w. Photoshop has taught me more about photography than I could have imagined: everything from changing the image format to fit my computer screen to selective dodging and burning.
July 2nd, 2010 at 5:53 am
I am 17 months old. I am a graphic designer and every since I started studying photography it has changed my designs as wells as my life. I look at everything as if I were looking through my viewfinder. It’s hard for me to leave my DSLR at home when I have to. I am truly grateful for the knowledge I have gained through Digital Photography School.
July 2nd, 2010 at 5:54 am
I am soon going to celebrate my 10th month of age! I got my first DSLR in Sept and have been having fun ever since. I even help others now – wow I never thought I would be able to “consult” othes.
I do HDR and other stuff, anything that I think is fun and cool since I am still an amateur.
July 2nd, 2010 at 5:56 am
I first picked up a camera properly when i started college taking both a GCSE and AS Level in photography, before this time though when i was a lot younger i had a strange phobia-like issue with photography and picking up a camera. Thanks to a lecturer popping into my class who knew nothing about art and saying she loved one of my pieces, I have now been taking random photos on and off for 10 years. I own a 35mm camera i bought from my college which still works and my digital camera, unfortunately i cant afford a dslr yet but i do plan on getting one eventually.
July 2nd, 2010 at 6:00 am
July 1, 2010 @ 1:30 p.m.
I treated myself to my first DSLR camera in January of 2009 in preparation for a trip to Africa the following month. Going there had been a lifelong dream of my husband and me. We have traveled all over the world and it was the best trip ever. Africa is a photographer’s dream and I highly reccomend the trip to anyone interested in photography, particularly wildlife. We were in Tanzania and the highlight of the trip was spending 4 nights in tents in the Serengeti. When we first arrived at that location, 11 giraffes were wandering around behind our tents. The next morning we heard a lion and every night as we walked back to our tent in the dark, we could see different sets of eyes watching us. It was all that we hoped for and more. I photographed elephants, hippos, lions, cape buffalo, leopards, rhinos, cheetahs, and massive amounts of wildebeasts, gazelles, zebras, hyenas, and birds too numerous to mention. I also got some great shots of children in a Masai village that we visited. I sincerely doubt that we can afford to go back, but we can always dream! We’d love to see Kenya, Botswana, etc. etc. A few years ago, the kids got me a digital camera when they first came out, with a small Kodak printer. I’ve been hooked ever since and in my spare time (I’m a nurse) I started selling photocards and framed prints. We live in New Mexico and anyone who is familiar with this state understands its rugged beauty, desert mountains and fantastic light, especially at sunset. I’m proud to say that I just photographed my first wedding and, despite trying to get out of it because I know nothing about it, I did it and the photos turned out great. I now understand why we’re always encouraged to push ourselves to do something that scares us.
July 2nd, 2010 at 6:21 am
Took my first picture with a Argus C3 “brick” camera. I think that makes me a Neanderthal.
July 2nd, 2010 at 8:36 am
Good questions and aswers. Congratulations!!!
July 2nd, 2010 at 9:36 am
I got my first kodak box camera in 1935 and have gone through over 25 cameras since then. 35mm, reflex, 5×7, 4×6, movie, SLR, digital, pinhole and am still interested in all of your wonderful pictures.
Will be 91 years old in July and have slowed down somewhat but still enjoy photography. I have seen a lot of changes in the last 85 years. Keep shooting pictures, not guns. The results are much nicer.
July 2nd, 2010 at 11:48 am
….and the point here being is?
I am taking photos from the day I was able to.
Digital or otherwise deals with the technical side
and if you are lucky enough, you understand and operate both.
The latest digital photography is just fantastic, but people who have been
in the game for a very long time know this.
Some articles are written to just fill space with meaningless rubbish.
If you like to know how many cameras people own and what type,
just come up with a survey and some may tell you.
There are statistics of the retail industry available too.
July 2nd, 2010 at 11:59 am
I just did the sums and it’s hard to believe it’s been 37 years since my pentax kx and meadowbank tec, I’m now up to a Canon 1Ds Mk III and a wonderful lifestyle. The passion never left and photography has been part of my tool kit for teaching Arts and media for the last 25 years. I now specialise in wildlife, the love of the art has never left, it has been a gift in my life.
July 2nd, 2010 at 12:19 pm
I bought my first 35mm camera at 14 (although I owned a Brownie and the little ones that used flashbulbs, then rows of flashbulbs, from age 8), by dropping it (then I got to own it! Only the light meter was damaged so I used an external).
I am 56 now, so… 42 years plus. And I find digital a bigger challenge than film, because film required so much more thought, and with digital we can shoot anything and everything. It is a big learning curve!
July 2nd, 2010 at 3:05 pm
How photographically old am I? I was born the year Kodachrome was born*. I processed my first film when Kodachrome was 14**. I ‘married’ Kodachrome when K and I were about 35*** and we had a love relationship for the next 25 years. But she proved too expensive to keep so I married her sister Ekta.****
Finally when my beloved Kodachrome died in 2009 I put Ekta in a rest home and went fully digital with a Nikon D200. I look back with great pleasure on those years, but in my retirement I enjoy a new lease of life.
Barry
*1935
**1949
***1970
****1995
July 2nd, 2010 at 3:44 pm
My first camera was a 35mm film SLR, a Minolta 7000 in 1987 until it broke down in 2000. I replaced it with another 35mm film SLR, a Minolta Dynax 404si…at that time DSLR was very expensive & not affordable. Won a prize in my company sales contest in the form of a point & shoot camera, a Fujifilm FinePix S6000fd, that started off my digital photography in 2007. I’m still keeping all these cameras with the 404 & Fujifilm still in working condition. In mid-2008, I bought a Canon 40D and loving it, shooting portraits and travel photos. There’s more flexibility with digital photography….shoot without having to worry about bad exposure. Every photo shoot outing is still a learning process even though I’m into photography 23 years already.
July 2nd, 2010 at 4:54 pm
I bought my first dslr (Canon 50D) in October 2009 so I’m still a baby! Initially photography was just a means to an end, I wanted a good camera and lense to take detailed wildlife photos as a reference for drawings, but I was almost immediately hooked on the photography as an art in its own right. I have since bought a 2nd hand 5D & have 9 lenses & take many kinds of photos, now working to develop my own style, will do a diploma course & hope to eventually go pro. i just wish I’d bought a decent camera years ago!
July 2nd, 2010 at 5:18 pm
My first camera was a second hand film one about 10 yrs ago. It was an expensive affair so used it once in year or so. 5 yrs back from my first salary, i bought my first digi cam a Kodak one. After 2 yrs i got a DSLR (canon EOS – 350D) and now i got a new lens for it
. I am a bit confused what should my age should be .. but i think its past 3 yrs i have been seriously trying to get my photos polished ( though still struggling 
) hopefully i will get them some day. So that would be 3 yrs.
July 2nd, 2010 at 5:27 pm
I am just 4 months old
Got my first SLR camera 4 months back.
July 2nd, 2010 at 6:23 pm
I am exiled TV journalist (news producer) from Sri Lanka and now living in Switzerland.When I was came to Swiss, I realised it is very difficult to find out a job in Journalism field because of the language problem(Swiss use Deutsch, French, Italy languages) But I had a goal to start again my career as a Journalist…I did it.I brought a DSLR in last December (Canon 50D) after nearly 04 month searchings and readings…and send one photo every each day..one of the reputed local news paper. After few months they published a one picture and paid nearly 50d dollars. Do know what I am doing now…I am working as a freelance photographer for that paper.As a Asian 35 years old man..I am like a canon 70-200mm white tele zoom lens…When I am in a event any persons can easily recognise me.. -Photography has changed the world for me- When I was in Sri Lanka I have done hundred of event in war zone area. If I did that job with a still camera I will be a so happy man. because -Every experience and area in our lives holds a portion of interest, wonder or perhaps terror, but something that grabs and affixes our attention if we simply look at it beyond the casualness with which we often meander through life-
Read more: http://digital-photography-school.com/how-photographically-old-are-you#ixzz0sVlF0mWS
July 2nd, 2010 at 7:02 pm
I got my first DSLR about 3 years ago. Before I had a few compact cameras and really did like taking pictures but soon realized I would need better resolution and lenses to realize what I wanted to. Since I have my DSLR I go out more, I travel more (and more intense), in total: I live more. The world has become a big picture I’m looking at and try to eternalize parts of it the way I saw it when I was there. The world is beautiful!
July 2nd, 2010 at 8:08 pm
Interesting topic judging by the replies. I first started with a bakelite Brownie camera and have used just about every type of camera from Minox to commercial rail cameras, full plate and half plates, 110 (yes remember them !) and started digital in 2002 with a Sony. My first favourite camera was a Nikon EM which I bought in ’83 and still own. Match needle metering was so much easier than so many programs and settings on the new DSLRs. Recent cameras include a D300 and a D5000 which I like because of the moveable view screen and HD video option. Latest acquisition a Sigma 10-20, wow.
Photographic age, probably 37 if I consder my EM as a starting point. In terms of photographic knowledge on a scale of 1 to 10, probably about 5 – still learning and enjoying it every day.
Well done DPS – carry on the good work.
July 2nd, 2010 at 8:52 pm
Hello from Venezuela, South America. I am very happy on how well this site helps others to learn about photography. It was a motivational force to write a blog which would incclude my 30 plus years as a professional naturalist and how I use photography to document “A FRACTION OF TIME ON EARTH’S LIFE”.
Congratulations/felicitaciones for allowing us to share this wonderful school. Live and learn is made a reality and at my 60 years on this planet… its great that I can go to school!
Thank you for being there.
Leopoldo García
leogarber@gmail.com
July 3rd, 2010 at 12:03 am
Fantastic article. Absolutely true. My friends and family often comment that I “see” things so differently and have opened their eyes…maybe just a little, but it’s a start. If I could, I would buy a good camera for everyone I know. So they can “see” too;). I was thinking about his and I guess I’m a bit over 20 yrs old. I picked up my (ex now) husbands Nikon film camera approx 20 yrs ago. I sat in a chair at a family gathering and started watching. I took a lot of pictures that day but one turned out perfect. I captured a “moment” that says a million things and is and will always be my “money shot”. I remember getting the pictures back after developing. That was the day that forever changed my world. Thank you!! Ever since then, I was enthralled. When we split, he took the camera
. I was broke but determined. 15 yrs later, I got my first digital camera. It was worth the wait. Oh, don’t fret…I had a camera here and there but nothing to write about;). November I finally got the mother load as I refer to it. My Nikon D5000. I purchased a refurbished one via Amazon with 2 lenses. My (most recent;) husband bought me 5 more lenses and other equipment for my birthday/anniversary/Christmas/……I couldn’t be happier. A little overwhelmed at first – but I do NOT leave home without the whole kit and kaboodle!
July 3rd, 2010 at 7:05 am
As a child in the late 1940′s I would sometimes get to go into my uncle’s darkened garage at night where he had set up a makeshift darkroom in one corner — a simple shelf to hold developing trays for black & white roll film, jugs to store developer and fixer, and gallon glass jugs for water. We made contact prints from the roll film negatives and hung them on strung wire with clothes pins to dry. In the sixth grade my father let me use the family Brownie Six-Twenty box camera on a school field trip, and my uncle and I developed the film and printed the photos. I was hooked! Another uncle of mine gave me my first 35mm camera for a high school graduation gift.
I was the skinny, nerdy little “shutterbug” through junior and senior high school and took photos for the school yearbooks in high school, college, and after becoming a high school teacher. In the late 60′s I taught high school classes in black & white photography, film developing, and printmaking. Work demands during my last years of teaching before retirement and second career requirements after that caused about a 12-year hiatus in serious photography, but purchased a FujiFilm digital camera in 2003 to enter the digital age. I’ve enjoyed getting hot and heavy with imaging again, but mostly for creative pleasure and family.
Here is a montage of a part of my camera collection representing cameras I’ve actually used during the years:
July 3rd, 2010 at 7:11 am
Thank you all for sharing such great stories! It’s been a pleasure to read them.
July 3rd, 2010 at 11:07 am
In high school I always wanted to take a photography course, but thought of having to buy a ‘nice’ camera and didn’t want to spend the money then.
I have been taking pictures since I was 17 years old. I am now My 34+, so you can do the math.
I remember the first time that I really used a camera it was a 35mm Canon of some sort. My parents were recently divorced and my father and I went for a trip back to his native home of Guatemala. My father let me use the camera and take pictures of our family and the beautiful sights that Guatemala has to offer. Well about 6 rolls later…I was content.
I feel I am a re-born again photographer myself. Before going digital in 2003, I always used some sort of 35mm Canon, as I felt they were reliable and easy to use. My husband and I had our son in 1999 and then I really went picutre taking crazy.
In 2001, we moved our family to Taipei, Taiwan and then a whole new world opened up for me. Whether it be photographing the children that I teach, the people, the food, the sights, etc… Taiwan and Asia have opened endless possiblities for me.
Going back to 2003, we purchased a SONY DSC-717…it was love at first sight and I don’t believe in that. After many countless adventures and photos later I went to the next level.
In 2008, my husband bought me a DSLR Canon 450D for our anniversary. I feel this opened up another world for me as DSLR photography is awesome!
I feel that taking pictures opens a new world for me and I am always able to tell a story through my photos. Some people like to write…I like to make memories by taking photos that wil last a lifetime.
Cheers!
July 3rd, 2010 at 11:50 pm
Interesting article. I must be 43 years old photographically though I have had several ‘rebirths’ in that time. First used a camera aged 8 when my brother gave me a Kodak Instamatic and used Kodachrome to make some of the most awful photographs of the 20th century…but I thought I was David Bailey back then. Moved on through the years onto Praktika models then Cannon and most recently a Nikon DSLR about four years ago. Still get the buzz every time I press the shutter. I am very glad that back when I was 8 I didn’t have the option of deleting bad shots on the spot as we have now, I would not have the hundreds, (thousands?) of square, blurred, badly composed images of my family. They wouldn’t fetch much in a gallery but they are priceless to me. I am still VERY reluctant to delete even the poorest, snatched shot of any of my family and they are buried away in a special folder for later viewing by my grand-children. The good stuff sells well but none of it is as precious as those very personal memories. OK I’m starting to ramble and get all maudlin so I’ll shut up now. Thanks for a thought provoking article.
July 4th, 2010 at 11:25 pm
Interesting……I am 65 years old and have been taking pictures since childhood. Professionally, I sold my interest in a Financial Planning Company in 1999 and begin the conversion from film to digital – slowly, very slowly (I still like spending time in the darkroom playing around…..but the darkroom has been replaced by PS. Here is the jest of this, technology has keep me a newbie, I feel like an rookie again. Two years ago, few people knew what HDR meant….now everyone does. The cameras are changing and many of the enhancements are career changing.
BTW, advice for anyone getting started in photography that loves sports and needs income. Jump in, pick a high school in your city and build a high school website (did this in 2001 at Dorman High School, http://www.dormancavaliers.com and http://www.schsprep.com -Cavalier Galleries (pictures are rendered on this site.) I will take 40,000 plus pictures of football, volleyball, basketball, all sports, fine arts, academic teams, etc. I walk the sidelines and sit under the bucket…..load the pics and sell them online. I do weddings but precious few (a limit of 5 yearly), too much work for the money, We are doing senior pictures because of our involvement at the school and adds in school newspapers and football and basketball programs. Since Dorman has opponents, I make sure to shoot the other side. You can drive traffic to your site via the message boards both high school and college. Early on, I went to the Spartanburg Herald Journal (newspaper) and told them I would give them any picture they wanted if they would provide me press credentials. The Journal rarely sends a photographer to Dorman for that reason. The only change I would have made, if starting over, is the choice of schools. I would have picked a high end, private school – folks have more money and buy everything. When Dorman plays one of these private schools……I will sell 3 to 1 more pics from the other side. Don’t forget the fans, band, cheerleaders, dance teams, trainers, coaches…….one of my biggest orders came from a wife of a referee who was umping a State Championship game.
You can print your own or you can outsource them (I do both) – if you outsource, I recommend http://www.printroom.com – best value on the net IMHO. I use http://www.pictage.com for weddings (albums primarily) I also use them as a backup. Unlimited storage allows me to leave pics up indefinitely….while the http://www.schsprep.com (dorman galleries) site is relaunched each school year…..in fact, all pics will come down and room made for the 2010-11 year Aug 1st.
If you build a client base with these young folks, you will end up doing a few of their weddings, children, and families.
Lastly, I am more excited about taking a camera for a walk today than ever – the passion never wanes!
July 5th, 2010 at 1:54 am
In this regard i’m not born yet i think. A Canon EOS 50D is on top of my things to buy list though. Comparing the pictures taken with the compact cameras i used until now with pictures taken by other people with SLR cams (almost alway of impressive quality) makes me really look forward to my birth!
July 5th, 2010 at 4:48 pm
I got my first DSLR for Xmas 2008 but did not really took pictures until Xmas 2009 for a very stupid reason. But taking photos is too much fun and I’m learning on how to improve my photos.
You are welcome at my flickr page:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hlan02/
July 6th, 2010 at 5:36 am
It seems ever since I was a little girl in the 70s, photography has been my nitch. My dad created a darkroom at our house, I studied photography in college, I worked in darkrooms and photolabs for years, until I decided to become an elementary school teacher, even then, I did the school’s yearbook (which sold out every year I was in charge of the yearbook). Then I was diagnosed with MS. Now that I’m at home most of the time and digital photography is so popular, I have been reborn to the world of photography with a new outlook on life with being handicapped. Someone is trying to tell me this is what I should be doing. Photography is my first love and will always be my only love.
July 6th, 2010 at 11:07 pm
I started with a tiny Olympus XA2 which I carried almost anywhere: its 35 mm lens was brilliant and many of its photographs were sold in the stock market.
Later other cameras followed, up to the large format devices, yet I believe that a very small, high quality, pocket camera is invaluable. My best choice today is Canon G11.
July 7th, 2010 at 3:00 pm
I got my first camera over 40 years ago. I always seemed to have a camera as I was growing up but never took photography seriously until about 2 years ago when I got my first DSLR.
August 20th, 2010 at 9:24 pm
My acquaintance with photography dates back to late seventies, when I attended at photography class in secondary scool. At 18 I bought a Fujica STX1. It was a very entry level optical reflex, I guess, but I got in love with it and yes, as Matthew says in his article, I started seeing the world as if it was framed by my Fujica viewfinder. I also bought all darkroom gears and dveloped BW photos by myself (with utter disappointment of my mother to whom I had stolen a closet she used as a laundry). “Inspiration” is a word that totally decribes that period of my life. I took very few (good) photos, but I did that with such a feeling of excitment that every single one seemed a masterpiece to me.
Then all was off.
Why? I tend to believe that maturity did make the change. I started to see things in a different way, I developped different interests. I kept on shooting photos, but I knew they were masterpieces no more.
Now I am back with a new (entry level) Panasonic DMC-TZ8, trying to recover knowledges forgotten for long time and trying to get inspiration from this wonderfoul group of people who gathers on line to share their passion.
September 16th, 2010 at 4:32 am
I guess if I consider when I started playing with my fathers SLR, I would be 22 years old. But I\ve never talen photography seriously until I emt my wife 2 years ago.
It all started with wanting to capture beautiful shots of her and now I’ve gone to to capture the most beautiful moments for so many people.
I consider this a blessing.
October 28th, 2011 at 8:52 am
I’ve been involved with photography in two periods of time. Back in the mid-1970′s, I worked for the Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, NY, USA. It was at that time where I became really became absorbed in photography as a hobby – shooting lots of film in my old Mamiya Sekor and later, Pentax ME Super SLRs, developing film, enlarging/developing prints, and spent a whole lot of time with 3D stereo photography. I had an interest in sports photography at the time, but it never really went very far.
Fast forward to around 5+ years ago, when I purchased my first (Canon) dSLR. My interest in photography ballooned quickly. Last year, however, things took a dramatic turn for the better. I found an opportunity to begin a second career working as a freelance sports photographer – a way to meld my interests in photography and sports into a tremendous win-win situation for me. Now I spend time each week shooting high school athletics in and around Houston, Texas, USA – (American) football, what we call “soccer,” basketball, wrestling, lacrosse, or anything else that comes my way. I’m having so much fun with my renewed interest in photography and what has truly become a fun career.
Leave a Reply