My First Camera

Posted on by Pauline at Back Porch Studio
My first camera.
My first camera.

Great photographs  drew me to photography not the camera. Seeing breathtakingly beautiful photographs in magazines such as National Geographic, Life, Sports Illustrated and Science inspired me to try and capture the perfect picture.

I’ve never been one to read the owners manual and I didn’t much care for the mechanics behind the workings of a camera.  I just wanted to take pictures.  Taking pictures with the Canon AE -1 was relatively easy at first.  With each picture, I’d critique my photograph and ask, “What can I do to make that picture better.”  Asking that question led me to pull out the dreaded owners manual and learn how my Canon AE-1 actually worked.

The photograph below won third prize in a photo contest (way back in the late 80's!). The picture was taken with my trusty Canon AE-1: clear blue sky as the background with the late afternoon sun highlighting the many different textures and colors of the bare sycamore tree. This scanned version of a print does not do the original justice but you get the idea.
This photograph won third prize in a photo contest (way back in the late 80’s!). The picture was taken with my trusty Canon AE-1: clear blue sky as the background with the late afternoon sun highlighting the many different textures and colors of the bare sycamore tree. This scanned version of a print does not do the original justice but you get the idea.

When our children were born, a whole new world of photography awaited!  This photograph was my first published piece!  It was published in the May 2004 issue of Welcome Home.  My photograph accompanied the article Simple Joys by Chad Bladow.

My first published photograph which happens to be one of my favorites!
My first published photograph which happens to be one of my favorites! This was taken with my
Canon AE-1.

Now that I have a digital camera (Canon EOS Rebel XS since Mother’s day 2006), a whole new set of challenges awaits as well as a bounty of subjects to photograph.  Oh yeah, and a new owner’s manual to study!

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