I can honestly say I'm crazy about photography, too. I bought into the Canon line in the mid 90's, and have stuck with it ever since. Too many lenses to switch now, anyway. The cost would be prohibitive. I started out with 35mm film, quickly got into large format, and eventually went digital. I happily sold my 35mm bodies, but just can't bear to part with good large format gear. I haven't exposed a negative in well over a year, though, so I'm probably deluding myself about using the stuff again. Still, there's nothing quite like looking at an image on a ground glass. It's like instant meditation.
For me it's still a hobby, but it's one I'm increasingly trying to make pay for itself. New glass is just too darned expensive. I've sold some prints, and have unfortunately a very tiny number of photos listed with a stock photography agency. Still, every little bit helps.
I used to have a Canon body I used for infrared film photography. It had the old-school sprocket wheel instead of the infrared sprocket hole counters the newer Canon film bodies had. I don't know how many rolls of HIE I ran through it. There was a pang of regret when I sold it along with all the other 35mm bodies, but I'm glad I sent it on its way. I've done some IR using digital cameras, and it's much MUCH more friendly. I still don't own any IR converted digital cameras, but the amount of leak through the IR blocking filters on some of my cameras is enough to make it workable with long exposure times.
I'll second danandlouie's trick of always having your camera with you. But I'll stick in an addendum: Make sure the people you're with know that you do photography. There's nothing more frustrating than seeing an outstanding landscape, grabbing your camera gear, and hearing the driver say, "Well that was pretty. Anyway, let's move on." WAAAIT!!
30 May 2011, 12:50 pm
