The Camera to me.

My love for cameras came far much earlier than photography. Typically it is reversed, but that is not the case with me. My first camera was from my grandfather. It was a small blue plastic film camera that took packs of flash strips, each had 5 flashes for each. I don't ever remember taking a planned shot, or seeing a developed photograph. But I was obsessed with it's buttons. The way the flash blinded me the moment that plasticky click went off. I loved it.

The next camera I remember was my fathers. In the 80's a small compact 35mm film camera that had a electric zoom on it. I thought it was magic.

My first SLR was N70 that I had traded at a small pawn shop one cold afternoon. I was young and broke. Didn't have much to my name. One being a pretty nice shotgun. Cameras had held my heart, though I knew nothing about how to work one. I found the N70 came with a silver hard traveling case that also contained 3 different old beat up lenses. The shop owner thought I was crazy to want to trade the nice shotgun for the camera, but I insisted. The trade probably saved my life honestly. I shot for about a year. Always on automatic. Nobody really around to learn from in the country town I lived at. I knew I was in love with black and white photographs.

My first DSLR was a Nikon D200. I was still pretty fresh to cameras. Sure I kind'v knew how to exchange the lenses, but that was about it. I bought the camera with a 17-55 and a 10.5 fisheye. A photographer friend of mine told me to always buy pro level glass. "Bodies come and go, technology will always upgrade, but quality pro glass will always stay with you"

I moved to a D300 and then a D700. I loved the Nikon's to death. They fit so good I would constantly keep it in my hand because it felt so natural.

Video smacked the photography world like Hogan off the ropes. The question came, to mix video with photography? The king kong that only wielded the mighty sword of 1080p was the 5d mk II, the Nikon nemesis CANON.. DUN DUN DUNNNN. I switched and like Forest Gump says.....Thats all I have to say about that.

Picking up the camera now is a constant reminder of how much I love them. The weight says it was built tough, to go in all terrains, to document the history of the world. The buttons offer a world of possibilities to create visual interpretations. The glass shows the level of engineering invested in these amazing machines.

Why do you love cameras? Photography? Flash strobes or natural lighting. BW or rich color? HDR or single exposure. What do you feel passionate about?