As a person learning this craft, I like to read about the journey other photographers have taken. Invariably their stories always include something about where it all started for them. In some cases it was a long road with many bumps and detours along the way and in others, it was more like a long lost love who reappears one day. My story is still being written but in these early days, I thought I would share one of the first milestones.
At the risk of dating myself, this is a picture taken with my very first camera in 1977. It was a $12 camera that my parents sold in their general store and clearly it wasn’t very good. For some reason though, I hung onto this photo maybe intuitively knowing one day that I would want to use it but probably more for sentimental reasons. My friends and I were in our final year of Junior School and took a class trip down to Sodwana Bay, South Africa. I don’t recall many details from the trip but looking at this image brings back memories.
The warmest memory of all is that of my father who as you might know, wanted so much for his girls to take up photography. He would be relishing the fact that I now carry a camera everywhere I go and that recently I spent so much time in the camera stores in Tokyo. No matter where we travelled to, he would always drag me to any camera store he could find and I would hang around and wait for him. Last week someone said that I must have learned so much from all the time I spent in camera stores but the truth is, I learnt nothing about photography. What I gained is actually something much more valuable to me and that is today and every day, I know this dream to become a photographer is an inheritance from my father. I also know that no matter where my road leads, he would be proud of me.
What a lovely story Sabrina! You father would be SO very proud of you! I am sure of it.
Date yourself? Are you kidding me? 1977 I was in college and way to close the year I had my first child. I remember having a Brownie camera and thought I was da bomb! haha.
Lovely photo. I LOVE these photos and stories. You should add this element permanently.
Thanks Sue! Hey you are da bomb to us your legions of fans!
I just realized that this is a photo with….(wait for it)…people! Oh my gosh, what happened to me?!
i love this photograph.
i think my interest in photography is definitely something i got from my dad. the other day my mom told me something interesting—she said one of the only ways she could get me to calm down as a baby was to get out family albums to show me. i didn’t want children’s picture books, but photo albums to look at.
i’m glad I came across your blog and twitter, Sabrina.