Pay homage, photographers, to your roots!

It's really amazing what a single camera can do to your subconscious at a young age. I was introduced to photography at around the age of three when my dad pulled out his ten year old (at the time) Olympus SLR with a 200mm and started snapping away at a bird almost fifty yards away. Needless to say, this was something very strange for a three year old to be seeing! I had seen cameras before and understood the concept of film processing at Wal-Mart, but nothing compared to the sleek precision of this beauty. The clicks of the shutter, the smile on my dad's face, nothing compared.

It must have been two years later when I was actually allowed to use it. Under strict supervision, I put the strap around my neck and went bird hunting in the front yard. The camera was heavy and was easily steadied in my young hands, but the concept of holding something so fragile made me worry and tremble every so often. This was the realm of elitists, not fucking kindergarteners! I waited patiently in self pity. Finally, there it was, the bird at the heart of Illinois itself, though rarely seen; the red Cardinal. My dad pointed it out and I raised the camera to my eye.

A whole new world opened up. I was hooked.

But these were the days of film. You had no screen to look at when you were done snapping away to make sure you had gotten the exposure right. You had one chance to capture that image, and god help you if you didn't have a light meter. You had to know what you were doing. If you didn't, that was it. This took skill, this took precision, this took raw grit and good photographers had it. He may have passed the love of the shoot on to me, and even though I find myself sitting at a desk completely saturated in camera equipment, there is nothing that can compare to what I saw at 200mm and put to film that day.

That was what there was; Camera, Film, Photographer.

Those days are gone, and the masters have definitely stirred up a thick wake in what is left of the golden age. We can all pay homage to them, but we can never replicate them. They didn't have digital to fall back on if things went wrong for them. They were Photographers.

We are just monkeys with cameras.

Sorry, I go too far sometimes. This is the very same setup I learned on and the very same setup that will be passed on to me when my dad is long gone. This was meant to be my birthright, and I claim it with no regret.

 

And for your comedic relief, here's a picture of some dead fish;

 

I know! The shutter was ridiculously quiet on it too, which was great for street work at 50mm, especially when you were within five feet of your 'victim'. The high school here gives everyone Rebel K2s for their Photo classes. I know nothing about them.

 

No way, Pig. Let me tell you something, I took an almost ten year break from Photography before getting back into it and all of my skill was built in the years after that. You could pick up a cheap point and shoot right now, like I did, and get up to my level in less than six months. No joke.

You need a few things down pat first; Will, Worry, and a tendency towards insomnia.

 

As far as point and shoots go, I've always loved the Canon Powershot series. They've treated me very well in the macro realm and with overall resolution and noise control.

Check out this site for extensive reviews, samples and prices on pretty much every digital camera ever made. If you pick a few models, I can take a look at them and point you in the right direction.

I'm really sorry that I can't elaborate any further, but everybody and their grandmother on GC asks me for camera advice and I have to catch up with all of my requests before I can get to everyone. People think I ignore them... I'm just slow.

 

I agree completely, man. We're just at the base of the mountain that the digital world holds for us and it's a very exciting thing.

Love the new shots. My 100mm Macro lens arrived today.. gonna have some fun with that tomorrow.

 

By the way NPS, I've been meaning to ask you; do you use a polarizer on that lens of yours?

 

Yep, the Kenko Extension Tube set is next on my list of things to buy. I'm dreading the day that I need to get a ring lite setup... Canon doesn't make them cheap.