Last month I saw an awesome post about how Sue Bryce got her very first camera returned to her as a gift from the woman who had bought it. This post sent me on a mental hunt to find out what had happened to my own first camera. Of course, during this journey down memory lane (because this seems to be how the world works) I had the question of ‘how I became a photographer’ come up several times. And each time, as I reflected on it, I learned something new… about myself.
I’ve previously shared the basics of what kind of influence my Mom had on me in photography and how I got my first camera from my Dad’s mom. So what really happened? Well, let’s see….
If I remember correctly, it all started with a photography contest run in a local paper when I was about 9 or 10 years old. I still remember the winning photo – it was a picture of my sister who was 2 at the time, swinging in one of those yellow-and-blue plastic baby swings in our back yard. I must’ve shot an entire roll of film trying to get it just right. I was pushing her (and she was all open-mouthed-giggles since she LOVED swinging) and taking photos in between. My goal was to time it just so… as she came towards me I would take the photo, freeze the motion, and achieve a nice soft DOF in the background… or as much as my basic camera would allow.
I lucked out, got the shot, and placed in the contest. The rest is sort of history. Photography became my high school hobby, my college concentration, and now not only my passion, but my profession, too! Fast forward to Indiana and here I am… an Indianapolis photographer! Lucky for me, I have this guy cheering me on every step of the way… who knew owning your business would push you to and beyond so many amazing and challenging personal limits? It helps to have a cheering section!
Something new I learned along the way as I was reflecting back on the path of how I came to be a photographer? Turns out, my Grandpa (the one who was married to the Grandma who gave me my first camera) worked in a camera shop. I didn’t really know him – he passed away when I was very young, and I only learned last year about his interest in cameras and his time working in a camera shop!
So how about you, my photographer friends!? How did YOU become a photographer!? Tell me your story!
casey and her camera is an Indianapolis Photographer specializing in couple, lifestyle, senior, wedding and family photography for Indianapolis, Indiana and the surrounding areas.
This is awesome! My first camera is right next door, in the hands of an amazing 16 year old with a natural eye for composition. Loved this 🙂
Allison, that’s a truly beautiful story! I love how you’ve passed on your camera… and likely supported the next generation of photographers!
This is great! My first camera I “bought” myself from saving up stamps in the little booklet at the grocery store…I was 9…it was hot pink plastic and surprisingly lasted me through high school. It’s somewhere on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico after a night out on our Senior trip. Those images are probably best left unseen 😉
Love this! I love hearing where first cameras came from… especially from my fellow photographers!
Oh this is such a sweet blog post! Loved reading it and learning about your journey. I swear, photography must be in the blood! Funny how we creatives follow similar paths (even if we don’t know it!)
Neat! What a great post! My first film camera, my parents gave me/ My first digital was a $99 kodak. 🙂
That’s so awesome! Would love to see the winning photo! My very 1st film slr (canon ae-1) which was given to me by my dad (who died 16 yrs ago) recently made its way back to me! I gave it to my teenaged niece like 15 years ago! My 1st dslr was gifted to a girl in Sweden!