Triggered your interest

[cliveh]

Do you know what triggered your interest in photography? I can remember my grandfather taking a picture of us in his garden with a box brownie when I was about 5 years old and thinking what is that box and how does it work. Do others have a recollection of what started their interest?

[Vaughn]

I was sick a lot as a young kid (up to 14 yrs old when my bad tonsils were finally removed). I use to go thru a drawer of "old" (before my time) B&W family photos....square prints with the scalloped edges. In our house I also walked past two photos in the hallway that always attracted my attention -- Watkins 16x20 prints, one of a two-locomotive train stopped at Cape Horn, CA and the other of the Three Brothers in Yosemite Valley.

I still love the square and large contact prints!

[ColdEye]

A few years ago while I was really active in keeping all sorts of animals, my friend showed me some pictures he took when he went to the amazon and the wildlife pictures were so amazing. That sparked my interest in photography, but I don't photograph wild life at all.

[ChristopherCoy]

I had always liked taking pictures with whatever camera my mother had in the junk drawer, but I didn't really get hooked until my Sophomore year in high school. I took Photography I as an elective because I would then spend two straight hours in the art wing. By the time my Senior year rolled around, I took Advanced Photography in addition to Art II, III, and IV. I spent 4 hours in the same art class, and my teacher allowed me to spend 4 hours a day in the dark room. Aside from a few other kids who had class after my four hours, I pretty much owned that darkroom that year.

[Oxleyroad]

When I was in Kindergarten my father showed me how to make images appear on paper. I would have been 5 or 6 and we worked on the garage floor, the safe light was my bed light with brown paper and red celophane taped over it. Dad would place one of his family negatives on top of the paper under a bit of broken glass on the floor, turn on the garage lights, then off again, and he took the paper out from under the glass and placed it into the magic water and the picture would appear! I was shown why the second bath was important by simply turning on the lights and watching the paper go black.

I have loved the whole darkroom experience ever since. Photography is my way of generating more images to play with in the darkroom.

[wildbill]

My sister always gave me her old Ansel Adams calendars.

[brucemuir]

When I was in Kindergarten my father showed me how to make images appear on paper. I would have been 5 or 6 and we worked on the garage floor, the safe light was my bed light with brown paper and red celophane taped over it. Dad would place one of his family negatives on top of the paper under a bit of broken glass on the floor, turn on the garage lights, then off again, and he took the paper out from under the glass and placed it into the magic water and the picture would appear! I was shown why the second bath was important by simply turning on the lights and watching the paper go black.

I have loved the whole darkroom experience ever since. Photography is my way of generating more images to play with in the darkroom.

Awesome story...

[Hexavalent]

My older sister received a Kodak Instamatic for her birthday, and when she showed off the glossy prints processed at the drug store, I became quite jealous. I whined to my parents about the terrible unfainess that she had a fancy-schmancy camera and I had none. My father gave me a camera, a 1939 Balda. Fussy little gadget it was: no neat pop-in film cartridge, touchy focus, shutter and f-stop to bother with. I had to learn to use a light meter and set the camera accordingly. Then, to top it all off, I was told that I had to develop the film myself! I was probably 10 at the time... and so the journey began

I am so glad I didn't get the Instamatic I originally wanted.

[M.A.Longmore]

.
I always disliked being photographed, eventually I ended up behind the camera.
Usually played with the 110, and 126 cameras, then my brother-in-law let me
use his SRT-101, and some assorted lenses. When I was 16, I decided it was time
to get my own Minolta XE-7, 58mm 1.2 Combo, and a bunch of crappy Spiratone lenses !

Ron
.

[cjbecker]

My brother got in the darkroom in high school, and naturally I had to do the same. Then my uncle gave me his nikon fe with some lens and still shoot those to this day.