My first Camera

So I thought I would tell you a little about "My First Camera" To be honest I had dreamt about owning my own SLR Camera for years. My uncle who I was very close with was a press photographer, he was my first contact with a "real" camera. One with different lenses and special film, oh my gosh I could not wait to own one one day. 

I loved the feel of this camera, but just could not part with that kind of money when I was 18 years old. 

There were many a times when I almost bought one, there was a Canon A1 which I nearly bought from my Boss. I had it for a few weeks and played around with it. It was an amazing piece of kit, fully manual focus and it also had "semi" Auto functions, but then I decided to go travelling instead but that's a whole other story in its self.  

OK, so let's get back to my first SLR Camera. There was a Cash-Converters near to where I was living and from time to time they would get in different cameras. I had some money for studying, I had planned to do some computer studies. I bought a computer and put myself on a couple computer courses. I had some money left for another course or two, but then I saw it, a Pentax MZ-30 with a 35 - 80mm lens. She called me from the window, Buy me Buy me now ! I went in and asked them to hold the camera until the next day until I could get to the Bank. It cost me R1700 that just under £100 pounds in today's money, but say 15 years ago it was worth about £200 in those days. I just had enough to buy the camera and my last R1000 went on a 5 week photography course. 

The camera is insane ! It is super sharp and super light. Buying a camera from Cash Converters you definitely only got the camera. Unlike now you can just ask Google or even better there are thousands and thousands of Youtube Videos on photography. So the camera course I took was the right way to go. I got to learn with 10 other photographers with "fancy" cameras.

One of the most expensive parts of this camera were the two CR2 batteries. I remember those two batteries being very painful as they were a specialist battery and always expensive. No Batteries = NO Camera, so yea if I could afford it I would have two in my camera and then two spares in case I ran out. Unlike today's cameras, all rechargeable.

It felt so good in my hand, the sound of the shutter was Dream-like. Packed with features, one of my favourites was long exposures using the "Bulb" setting on Manual. 

I jumped into many situations with that camera. Like offering my services to shoot my first wedding. Friends of our were getting married and I offered, it was crazy because I had never done something like this before. It was a success, such a success that I was booked by the Grooms brother. He paid for me to travel to Johannesburg to shoot his wedding the following year. I also booked two more wedding on the back of that first wedding.  

This little camera was my little creative lucky charm. Another opportunity that arose from learning photography, was I used to get my films developed at an AGFA IMAGE CENTRE. This was the first IMAGE CENTRE in Cape Town and they had the First Digital Photo printer in Cape Town too. Anyway from them developing and printing my work I had left my CV with them hoping to maybe get a job one day. Well I was asked back for an interview, that opened my door to digital photography and graphic design. As you would say it the rest is History!

I found two 35mm films that I have not developed yet - can't wait to see what's been hiding for so long.

I will be doing another post soon on "My first pictures" a look at some of the first images I took using this little beauty. Watch this space.