P is for Photography

A bridge in Melbourne CBD

A little while ago, I started to get into photography. I had messed around with some old film SLR cameras that my dad owned years ago and really enjoyed it, but the cost of film and printing when you’re a uni student living off very little cash made it a hobby that couldn’t last.
Then about 2 years ago, I got my hands on a cheap digital SLR and started to play around. I found that it was just as much fun as it had been before, and it was easier to learn more with the ability to immediately see the results of various camera settings.

Wooden Mask - Hayman Island

I splurged and bought myself a Canon 40D and a few lenses, and since then I try to take photos as often as I can. I’ve made quite a few new friends through the hobby which has been nice, and It means I often get opportunities to go out with a group of people to take photos. A few of them are incredibly talented and are starting to shoot weddings, so I usually learn a lot from them.

My Newborn Niece

The only problem with my new hobby is that the digital medium means losing your work is a lot easier. A little while ago, my computer hard drive died unexpectedly, and I discovered that my backup hadn’t been working properly – I lost all of my original files. I still have lower resolution files of the best shots, but unless I want to pay $1500 for data recovery, my photos are pretty much gone.

After a bit of house renovation I had been hoping to get some of them printed up larger to hang on the walls, but instead I just have a dozen empty photo frames.

Daisies, shot using a
Star Bokeh Hood for the
Photo 5 Competition

Having had the opportunity to take photos in some great locations and at some big events, I've sort of started to find myself developing a style - or at the very least a preference for the type of photos I like to take. I find myself drawn to the little details of things. I like taking semi-macro shots; getting in close to the textures and colours of things. I also really like taking portrait photos, but I think I lack the guts to be good at it. The best portrait photos seem to me to be the ones that you take when the subject doesn't know they're being photographed. I, unfortunately, feel bad pointing my camera at someone without them knowing. I guess I'm worried that they'll be upset or possibly angry, and i'm not that keen to be chased down like dodgy paparazzi and have my camera smashed. So for now, I tend to stick to taking photos of small details and kids, who don't seem to mind at all when you point a camera at them.

Chalk Stencil on a City Corner
taken on our last night-time shoot

Some time over the next few weeks we'll be going out with our friends to take some photos in the city at night. We've done this a couple of times before, but I've never had a lens that was much good for night photography, so I'm pretty excited about this trip. Since our last trip I've managed to pick up a couple of lenses that work great in low light and I'm looking forward to testing them out on something a bit more interesting than my backyard.

Taken at the Fox Car
Museum, Docklands

I think photography is probably my favourite hobby out of all those that I've had over the years. It's the kind of thing that stays interesting and that everyone seems to appreciate when it comes to family functions etc. - even if they give you a hard time about always pointing a camera at them. I can imagine that it's something I'll still be doing 20 or even 30 years from now. I hope very much that it is. 


This entry is part of my ‘A-Z of Me’ Series. 26 Days of alphabetically ordered random crap about me and my life. You can read the rest here.