My dad had a darkroom in our basement, and I can’t remember not having my own camera: 126 and 110 formats when a little kid before graduating to 35mm sometime around the age of 10.
By 13, I had a Canon A-1, a fairly advanced piece of kit for the time. It was also fairly advanced for a kid barely …
Just wanted to say thanks for reading, and you can find more photos on my Instagram.
Eager to hear from others who enjoy making pictures.
I've never shot with models before, so I totally get how that could feel odd.
I'll also admit that I'm in a bit of a photography slump. As much as I love shooting with my K1000, I'm starting to feel like I'd rather have something that doesn't require everything to be set manually–part of why I really enjoyed my (now broken) Olympus Trip 35.
I'm not saying the solution here is to buy another camera, but, maybe, just this once, it is the right solution. 
And, while we're dropping Instagram handles, you can check out my photography here. I'm working on regularly posting, so stay tuned for more.
Thoroughly enjoy your Instagram feed. I need to do the same and get back in, I even took some classes back when but then life got busy
I totally get the burnout and stepping back to just taking pictures for fun and the art of it. I used to go to events and take pictures and completely miss the event. Just last weekend I went to an antique fire truck muster. I consciously decided to only take the pictures I felt like and to just enjoy. Three hours of walking around and I took 18 pictures and ended up with a dozen that make me happy.
- Sean
My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeff_parker_explore_in_focus/
But, I don't put 80% of my shots on Instagram, more on Facebook. If a shot doesn't look ok as a square or vertical crop then I don't put it on Instagram. Instagram is geared towards vertical phone photos which is not what I do.
In reply to Colin Wood :
You might look at cameras like the Ricoh XR7 or Chinon CE-4 (or -4s) or their badge engineered copies (Sigma SA-1, Revue AC-3 etc). They're as fast or faster for max shutter speed and offer aperture priority "auto" mode where you set the aperture ring, it picks the shutter speed. They're pretty accurate until things get pretty dark, so shooting in a club or similar you have to resort to doing more of it yourself. The XR7 uses an LCD light meter readout that is really light on the battery so the batteries last forever but is not legible in low light conditions. CE-4 uses LED's and have a nice "here's what I would suggest instead" blinky light feature to let you know if it things you're wrong. They're all K-mount cameras so your existing lenses would work fine. My XR7 is one of the cameras I brought to the Challenge and is my favorite of my film cameras.
Great read. Shooting people is something I don't do often outside of family gatherings, I admit I do feel uncomfortable doing it, especially random people on the street.
I found the half frame format works pretty good on Instagram and seems to align well with the vertical format. Though I realized instagram does not like mixing portrait and landscape. Though not many choices out there, but the popular one is the Olympus Pen F which I enjoy using mine and if you can find adapters, can use some full frame lenses on it. And Canon made a half-frame plastic fantastic 80s point and shoot, found one on FB marketplace and bought it, but haven't used it much. Has a lot of those 80s electronic features that kind of put me off (namely can't turn off the flash and its on auto).
Really need to update my flickr and IG with more stuff, as I did get stuff developed recently. Things have really slown down this summer with the heat and I haven't been out to shoot.
I'm in a huge photography slump right now. I'm really good at turning my hobbies into a job and then it becomes....well, work. And less fun. This last year was the first time in...I think over 10yrs that I even missed the UTCC and the photos that come with that which are always fun. Pikes was fun, but being pushed to do more and more video which I enjoy, but I'd still rather be snapping photos.
In reply to pres589 (djronnebaum) :
Thanks for the suggestions! Neither look like they will break the bank and bonus points for being able to use my current lenses.
I'm not too worried about shooting in low-light conditions for now, as I'm still getting the hang of daylight photography.
My Great Grandfather was a noted photographer so it's in the DNA. I haven't dragged out the Canon in a number of years but just may start again thanks to this topic.
aw614 said:Great read. Shooting people is something I don't do often outside of family gatherings, I admit I do feel uncomfortable doing it, especially random people on the street.
Something I love about photography is the way it helps you find beauty in the clutter. I can now pick out the beautiful wildflower growing alongside the highway in a gnarled traffic jam, for instance.
As another example, your quote above is excellent when taken out of context, Lizzie Borden.
This is such a wonderful picture
In reply to AMiataCalledSteve :
Kevin is beyond phenomenal.
So, today’s tip for anyone looking to get a “real” camera at a value piece.
KEH currently has the Canon 7D body in excellent-plus condition with battery and charger for $176.68. I carried one for years and still have it in my bag as a backup. Terrific piece of equipment that’s robust and allows lots of control.
You’ll still need a lens, so how about a refurbished 50mm f/1.8 from Canon for $99.99.
Bette and my wife have the exact same setup. (Actually, my wife’s camera body just arrived, and it’s a secret so don’t tell her.)
Outstanding article.
Now I need to go dig out my camera and see if the batteries will take a charge.
I too am working on getting out of my photography slump. With shooting photos and videos for work I don't often enough take the time to just go out and shoot for fun. I think its time to dust off one of my film cameras or take out my smaller mirrorless camera and shoot photos for the fun of shooting photos.
I'm in the photography slump club too. Part of it because of the pandemic and part of it because I bought an old house and decided to get back into car things after a 20 year enforced break. The old house was bought in part to facilitate models shoots in a variety of vintage settings without having to hunt for space or drag my equipment all over the place. It's taking far longer than I had hoped due to time and money constraints to get the house together. In the mean time I'm headed to my first LeMons race next week. 
I've posted this link before. My work with models. About 15 years worth. Some is fairly straightforward photography. Some is more realistically photo-illustration. Some NSFW.
One thing that has also helped is carrying a camera more often. I know that our phones take good photos, but I don’t find the joy in that at all. The X100V is a perfect camera for carrying, though.
I was in Orlando last night for zine night, so I brought it with me. I took these at the bookstore that hosts our events plus a nearby record shop and cafe.
I walked between the three and took this last night, too.
I came to photography a bit differently than most. I was a Scuba instructor and my first big interest in the hobby was for underwater photography. I still own a Calypso, the first underwater 35 mm camera, designed by Jacques Cousteau (they made a short run of these before Cousteau sold the rights to Nikon and they brought out the Nikonos which apart from a couple of bits in plastic instead of metal, a different finish and Japanese instead of French Berthiot optics looked the same.
Big step when I switched to digital cameras - owned a couple of the better early ones and now have an Olympus that does everything my old digitals could do and dozens of things that I would never use - the camera equivalents of umbrellas in the doors of Bentleys and bud vases in VW New Beetles.
My camera hobby was useful in recording my automotive and horticultural hobbies.
Long time photography fan here. I knew in junior high and high school that my cheap 126 instamatic was my friend. Graduated from HS in 85 and had my dad buy me a Nikon FG (he was a major photography buff.)
Spent 6 years in the Navy with that, replaced by a Nikon N2020 and quickly a Nikon 8008 when they came out. At some point while home on leave I bought a used Nikon F3HP at a local shop, still have it.
Started a part-time photo thing in the 90s, almost went pro but decided steady paycheck and health benefits were cool. Joined the Camera Club of Cincinnati (one of the oldest) and stayed for 10+ years until I moved to Dayton. We had two studios with full Novatron lighting and backdrops, props, etc. One night a month someone brought a model and we took turns, and learned technique.
I started shooting friends (uh that sounds bad) of mine and the ex's for fun and trade, while getting paid gigs sometimes. Also decided I don't like weddings much, and stuck to 2nd weddings, smaller stuff. Senior photos, events... I even bought my own Novatron set and backdrops and started doing setups at events with a dye sub 4x6 printer and paper frame, $10 a shot.
I haven't done much of anything like that except for a few weddings (did one at Kil-Kare Raceway, that was fun). This new Samsung S23 Ultra takes care of my Star Wars event photos. I should break out the Nikons sometime (still have the F3HP and a D5400 I think.)
So, back to the idea that finding cool photos is hard. Doesn’t have to be.
Our local EA charger is at the Walmarts, so I took my camera last time I had to refill a press car. Figure I‘d have a few minutes to kill.
What did I find?
David S. Wallens said:So, today’s tip for anyone looking to get a “real” camera at a value piece.
KEH currently has the Canon 7D body in excellent-plus condition with battery and charger for $176.68. I carried one for years and still have it in my bag as a backup. Terrific piece of equipment that’s robust and allows lots of control.
You’ll still need a lens, so how about a refurbished 50mm f/1.8 from Canon for $99.99.
Bette and my wife have the exact same setup. (Actually, my wife’s camera body just arrived, and it’s a secret so don’t tell her.)
Editorial Director, Grassroots Motorsports & Classic Motorsports
Update: The used 7D with the 50mm Canon lens has been absolutely perfect.
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