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

[BobYIL]

Originally Posted by FrankS

Wow, over 50% of voters have been doing photography for over 30 years.

We are a bunch of old fogies!

Sometimes I am more proud of the teenagers here in RFF who use film over (or besides) digital than my half a century in photography.

[Cyriljay]

Me I am doing thing more than 15yers. Plus. I am still learning. Now I am on the curve of Digital. This is non ending!!

[cosmonaut]

I bought my first camera in 1987. But I have been playing with cameras since I was a kid. I knew the relation between apeture and shutter speed for a long time before I bought my first camera. Tough question but I'll go with 1987. Even though I remember using Polaroids, instamatics ect for years before that.

[Shade]

30-40 years plus? Wow hahaha...

[selloutboy]

I admire those who have been practicing it for 20++ years and above

Started in Late '08 with my mom's P&S... now using my own M

[ankaka]

10 years. I'm a canon user.

[miatab]

My English Teacher's mind says, "Put that preposition at the start." Then, after slapping my face for my arrogance, I say," I've been a 35mm photographer for 52 years, starting with a little 24x24 Robot clockwork driven motor winder camera with a Zeiss f2 screw mount lens. I pray God will give me quite a few more years before my own shutter sticks/ticker shuts."

[BobYIL]

Originally Posted by miatab

My English Teacher's mind says, "Put that preposition at the start." Then, after slapping my face for my arrogance, I say," I've been a 35mm photographer for 52 years, starting with a little 24x24 Robot clockwork driven motor winder camera with a Zeiss f2 screw mount lens. I pray God will give me quite a few more years before my own shutter sticks/ticker shuts."

Hmmmm... all shutters needs CLA after some decades..

[unixrevolution]

I got seriously into photography in November 2008 with the purchase of a superzoom digital, then really into it with a K1000 in January 2009.

It has, thus, been about 3 years since I really got into it.

In that time, my photos have gotten much better, sometimes approaching the level of "art."

I also progressed from digital, to 35mm, to Digital SLR, to medium format, now to 4x5.

Not bad for someone who didn't know an F/stop from a bus stop in 2008

[Dave Jarosz]

When I got my first job out of college, I purchased a Pentax MX, wish I still had it. Started shooting band photos, one thing led to another, lost my day job and my hobby just got out of control. Have been an advertising photog for 28 years..........http://www.bobdave.com www.davelizjarosz.com

[pdexposures]

When I was 17 in high school was where I started. So 8 years, which is nothing compared to most of you!

[lcpr]

4 years, I started when I was about 16.

[FlyingLotus]

Ive been shooting film since i was 15. It has been a fun journey so far.

[Darthfeeble]

I'm still waiting to start........ S

[jsrockit]

Since June 1990. However, I took off about 10 years in the middle somewhere.

[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.

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4047/4...bf5c6f5c_b.jpg
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.

[agphotography]

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.