Daddy's First Camera

So in a previous post, I discussed some of the various film cameras in my life...and while I enjoyed all of them, I always longed for a 'real camera'.

I entered adulthood at the dawning of digital cameras and the internet. Heck, my first phones didn't even have a camera on them. I remember at work moving from the 35mm to a Sony Mavica Digital Camera. We thought that was pretty cool.

Still even with this progress, I wanted something that I could use to take "real photographs". I knew I wanted a Digital Single-lens Reflex Camera, more commonly referred to as a DSLR - though, if I'm being honest, I didn't really know what that meant.

I looked over the cameras - Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax, Minolta - the list went on. Some were more expensive than others, but why? I was clueless.

So the Christmas of 2011, from under the tree I pulled a gift from my wife...or was it Santa. There it was. My very own shiny Canon Rebel T3i. I had arrived! I remember unpacking it. Feeling it in my hand. And then a moment of fear - What the hell are all these buttons!?!

There was a whole new language to this thing: M, Av, Tv, P, AF/MF, f/, etc. I have to admit, I was quite intimidated. So much so, that I left the camera on "the magic green box" for everything. (FYI, the green box means auto.) I wasn't until much later that I decided to explore what the camera could really do. And that is where the real magic is.

What the hell are all these buttons!?!

YouTube to the rescue! I dove headfirst into all things photography. I learned about aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. I learned what my camera was capable of as well as what it was not capable of. I tried to use it every day. Then I found out there are certain rules to photography - what the heck? Hahaha...ok, maybe they were more like "suggested guidelines", but they made for better photographs.

Over time, I learned that the Canon T3i was not the most sophisticated camera on the market. As I progressed and because of the subject matter I photographed, I needed to upgrade. I eventually sold this camera, but I will always remember the lessons I learned from it and our humble beginnings.

Hope you enjoyed this week's blog entry. Next week, I'll go over the unlikely subject that pushed us even further into the World of Photography.