My parents gave me a darkroom set for my 12th birthday complete with trays, chemicals for B&W photo developing, and a handful of negatives for contact printing. That started my photography bug. I've dabbled in many other hobbies along the way, but photography has stuck with me. Decades later, I'm now retired and continue to enjoy my photography hobby.
Working as a cook while I was in high school allowed me to buy my first SLR, a Canon FTb 35mm film camera. After joining the high school yearbook staff, I built a darkroom in a spare janitor closet and became one of the yearbook photographers. Free film, photo paper and access to a decent darkroom. What more could a budding photographer ask for? When I went off to college, I did it again. Built a darkroom and took photos for the yearbook.
While a senior in high school, I took my first photography class at the local community college. Later in the 70s, I took classes through the New York Institute of Photography. Back then, you did your assignment, printed your images, and mailed them to the Institute for critique. A couple of weeks later, you would get your work returned in the mail with the appropriate comments in red grease pencil.
The rest of my experience has been through my personal photography pursuits. I never had to depend on photography for an income and that has allowed me to enjoy photography without having to focus on images that have commercial value. I enjoy capturing images of nature, events/people, and abstracts.
Other hobbies over the years have included skydiving (over 300 jumps), SCUBA (PADI Open Water Certified), flying (Private Pilot with Instrument Rating), kite aerial photography, camping, hiking, learning Spanish, rebuilding old cars, and playing racquetball.
If you have comments about my images, I'd love to hear from you.