Me and photography

I thought I'd start off by writing about myself. My name in Joel and I'm living in Munich. I'm qualified as an engineer and working in the telecommunications sector. I tried picking up photography many years ago while I was still in school. My first camera was a second-hand Yashica FX-3, which my Dad got for me. Being in school and yet earning a paycheck meant that I had to be cautious taking shots. There was also an annoying glitch with the shutter that put me off. Nonetheless, I learned the fundamentals of photography from a good friend of mine using this camera.

My passion for photography didn't really take off then. Several years later I got a digital compact camera by Minolta. Some of the pictures I took on that camera were really good and digital photography was definitely revolutionary at that time. Digital SLRs back then cost a bomb and I was content taking good snap shots with my little Minolta.

My next camera was a Canon Ixus 70, which I still have and is serving me very well. From my experience with the Minolta, I wanted a compact camera that would slip into my pocket and still take great snap snots. My Ixus does just that. Once I took the time to study the manual and really understand its features and limitations, my shots improved further. Soon after that, I started thinking about getting a Digital SLR. I told my wife that I wouldn't get a Digital SLR until I reached a level where my Ixus was prohibiting my further development in photography.

I started reading a lot (especially from the Internet) about photography techniques especially composition. With a few basic techniques such as framing and rule of thirds, I was able to take my photography to the next level. I continued using my Ixus a little longer and then decided that I would invest in a Digital SLR. I got myself a Nikon D60 with a Nikkor AF-S DX 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED VR. The picture below was taken with my Ixus 70.

More on my kit in the next post.