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

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.

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.

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...

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.

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!

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.