My father was always into cameras and photography. I remember him using his old Nikon ‘F’ for family portraits and such. I recall enjoying even using disposable cameras when we were on vacations when I was a kid and was always taking weird and wonderful shots. One day, when I was around 13 or 14, I wanted to use my dad’s camera. He wouldn’t let me (understandably :)). But he went digging in the basement and came up with something better than letting me use his camera…he gave me an old Olympus OM-1, in a vintage camera bag stuffed with goodies!! I couldn’t have been happier! Inside the bag was the camera with a 50mm f1.8 lens, a Makinon 80-200mm lens, cable release, some filters, an old copy of the National Geographic Photographers field guide, and an off camera flash mount! I couldn’t have been more excited. So I go buy some film and start shooting everything I can!
My best friend happened to have the same camera (in silver, so we could tell them apart) and he had a wide angle lens for his. So we would wander around my hometown, finding fun and exciting new places to take pictures! I still have a lot of them, so when I get a scanner, I may find the time to upload them. As I got older, and technology advanced, I got my hands on my first digital camera, a Panasonic DMC-F7. This camera was a little cheaper to operate, seeing as by now I was about 16 or so, and had more teenager-ish things to put my money towards ;). So I used this for awhile. It was a very good camera for its time, it had an excellent Leica lens and was great for macro shots. A year or so after I go that camera, my father had gotten a new digital camera, and I inherited his old one, a Nikon Coolpix 4300. This was an awesome camera. It had full manual control if I wanted it, excellent IQ and it was relatively small.
Now, I have never really known what I wanted to do in life, some people have it planned out from childhood. But I always knew I wanted to do something with photography, even if it was just to take a course in school for it to learn some fundamentals. Well, that wish came true in 2007. My lovely fiancé, being the super thoughtful person she is, enrolled me in an online photography course through ICS Canada! When I am done, I will have a Career Diploma in Photography. The course is a little old school, but that’s okay, it covers developing and all the essentials on the fundamentals of photography (the stuff that never changes anyways). And, that’s why I wanted to upgrade to a DSLR, because I have a little more freedom to play around and experiment with pictures and not have to worry about wasting film and not knowing what the image looks like until I process it. Don’t get me wrong, I still love my OM-1 and will still use it when I want that nostalgic feeling.
So, before I got my D80, I had done extensive research on new cameras and thought I wanted to stick with Olympus. I had my heart set on the E-510. Then one day, we go to my parent’s house, and he had just bought a Nikon D60. I tried it out, and instantly loved how it felt in my hands and the layout of the menu and all the controls! So I flip-flopped back and forth with the idea of the Olympus E-510 or the Nikon D60. I went to my camera store and held the E-510, and it didn’t feel as nice in my hands, and I found the menu system not as intuitive. So I ruled that camera out. I went back to the drawing board, and started researching the Nikon’s. I took some more time with my dad’s D60, and while I liked it a lot, thought I might want something more advanced that would let me grow a little more into the camera and its functions. That’s when I found the D80. It had everything I wanted and then some. I went to the camera shop and held it. The decision was made right there. Roughly the same ergonomics as the D60, but a bit bigger, and more direct access to all the settings, plus a top LCD. Also, more autofocus points, and autofocus support for older lenses!
So, now the problem was funding. I had been laid off from my job at Dell in January. And we had just had our son, so money was a little tight to say the least. I started a camera fund, and put all my spare change into a container in the hopes of being able to put some money towards it by the end of the year. My birthday came around in May, and I asked if I were to get anything, it be a gift card to the camera shop. Well, at the time, I was spending too much time researching, and looking at lenses I wanted for a camera I didn’t even have yet! My fiancé and my baby wanted me back. So she started a fundraiser. She sent out a letter to all our family asking to put in money so she could get me a gift card so I can finally get this camera. Well it worked! I got from work on my birthday, I had a vague idea of the fundraiser plan, so I was expecting a gift card, for maybe a couple of hundred dollars. I got lead upstairs, and there are 2 boxes on the bed. They are both bigger than a gift card. I am speechless at this point. I open them up as fast as I can. Inside, is the Nikon D80, 18-55 VR lens, am 8GB SDHC card, and a Lowepro camera case!! Holy crap. First I get the gift of our beautiful baby boy, then this! I am very lucky, to say the least. I think I said thank you to Dayna more times in the weeks to follow then I have ever said in my life. And the rest, as they say, is history :)
Thanks for reading my long post! As a reward, here are some new shots!
