MTCannon

The new college semester has begun and I was lucky enough to get the absolute last open slot in "Introduction to Photography." My teacher is one, Kapulani Landgraf. So far she's been an absolute treat to be taught by. The initial weeks of the class involved learning about the history of the camera, and how it came to be. As well as basic camera controls and the film development process.

I recently acquired a Nikon F4, you can find the picture of it in my gallery. The heft of the camera is welcome, I personally favor heavier equipment, it feels more secure and safe from come what may. That set up is but one lens, the Nikon Nikkor 50mm 1.8D, luckily it was of the time when an integral motor was incorporated into the camera, so that is a definite upside despite the age of the camera. I deduced that my specific model was manufactured in 1992. (A formula where you take the start of production, in this case Sept 1988, and the starting serial no. which for the F4 was 2100000. You subtract 2100000 from your current serial no. and divide by 5000, which was how many they produced approximately each month. The answer you come to is the amount of months from initial production your camera was manufactured)

Addictive attitude... In receiving the F4, the amount of research I have done, I have learned more about Nikon than I ever thought to know.

Our first roll of film is due by Tuesday, we begin development then. First assignment was to find 4 stationary objects to take pictures of and bracket to +/-4, A total of 9 pictures. I'm excited and nervous about my first development.

It's been a month now, and I can say without a doubt that I have learned a lot in the ways of handling a camera. But, I know there is still much knowledge to be tapped into, many styles at which to try, many tricks to learn. My equipment has grown such that I got a new bag to accommodate everything. Previously it was an old HandiCam shoulder bag that had just enough room for the camera itself and one other lens, and not much in the ways of accessories unless pieced up and stuffed in.

My Mum has been a great encouragement, and went so far as to not only buy me the new bag, but another lens as well. An old (but wonderful) Minolta AF 50mm f/1.7 that has quickly become my favourite lens and is always mounted. Many of my favourite pictures in my gallery have been taken with that prime lens. I'm looking now into either some filters or an external flash. I've heard tell of a tripod somewhere in my house as well, which would be really useful to have around.

For now, as I've been doing, I'll continue to take my camera bag with me every where I go to capture those fleeting moments or eye catching scenes, and continue to upload pictures here on dA.

Well, it has been the first few days of my new dA. I am endeavoring to fill this account with photographs as I become more and more enamored with the activity. It has always interested me really, but I never took much thought into actually partaking in photography. My dad recently gave me his old Sony Alpha DSLR A-100, which was Sony's debut into the digital SLR market. Genesis. Befitting then, that with it I would also start my newfound hobby. A good friend of mine and fellow deviant occasionally, though, gives me the chance to do "walkarounds" with his Canon Rebel t2i. Practice makes perfect, and with good old-fashioned "jumping headfirst into it" and some reading on the side, I am slowly learning my way around the general settings such as ISO, Aperture, and the like to set up those shots that are just the way you like them.

I want to thank those who have fave'd and commented on my current early deviations, it really is encouraging and it inspires me to press forth and venture into the realm of photography even deeper, and I know I have only scratched the surface.

Most Sincerely, MTCannon.