Hi there everyone my name is Kaz and I am a photography addict! There I feel much better now in just sharing that. I am (in a few days time) 54 years young.
I have always loved photography as long as I can remember. It first started when I was a teenager and I saved up week after week my hard earned money to buy my first SLR which was a Praktica. Do they still make these? It was within my budget and my boyfriend and I would take pictures of a weekend and then send the film away and wait for a week or so until the pictures were returned. In saying this last sentence I feel like I just came off the Ark but back in the day of non instant gratification, we had to wait patiently to see the results of our labour and then hone our skills accordingly. So different nowadays when we look at the shot instantly and keep or discard at our whim. Also our darkroom is on a computer with no chemicals needed. Just reflecting now my first foray into photography it feels like a lifetime ago and the changes have been immense. Were pixels invented back then?
Although my passion for photography has been over a 35 year or so period, I am still a beginner. In my 20s I discovered the addiction of travel and my photography went out the window and I sold my then Ricoh SLR to fund my travel and bought an instamatic camera for all those crazy night parties on Contiki trips which didn’t need any input from the brain to push the button! There was no thought to the magic hour of dawn and dusk for the best light or rule of thirds… it was whose room is the party in tonight! Having a wise head now I should have taken that opportunity to hone my travel photography and take the SLR with me but who was thinking in their 20s right!
About eight years ago I purchased my DSLR Canon 1000D, nothing flash but a great entry level camera. I still have this camera today and it has been a trusty companion. When I first bought it I was worried that I had forgotten most of my knowledge of an SLR so for a few years I was a couch photographer, appreciating other peoples photos, reading my subscription to a monthly photo magazine and looking online for inspiration and tips on techniques. I was too scared to get out there in case I made a mistake.
All of a sudden magically this year inspiration kicked in and I cannot stop taking photos. All that knowledge from my couch has come into play and I am out amongst nature trying to catch a glimpse of its majesty. I enrolled in a competition, which I knew on entering that I wouldn’t win any prizes or mentions BUT hoped it would give me inspiration. I have that in leaps and bounds now and cannot be stopped. The competition was the impetus that I needed to draw out my appreciation and love for photography. Every trip now I am excited as I am not sure what to expect and what I will see and what my photographs will look like when I get home. I cant wait to turn on the computer, put in my SD card and see what magic has transpired during the day. True excitement was something I didn’t feel often and now I am like a kid in a candy store. It has restored my enthusiasm for life in general, not that I was depressed or sad, but now I feel I have purpose and get so much joy from it and that is a bonus in my life. Its a celebration.
So long story short… that’s how I came to blog. I wanted to document my photography and show myself how far I have come and where I need to go. I thought combining photography and day trips from the wonderful Gold Coast Australia would give my blog some interest to others other than just the photography but in the end I’m doing it for myself and having other people like my blog and commenting and joining in as a community is icing on the cake. I also love DIY with vintage finds along the way.
Happy clicking!
daysandmonths 
Hi Kaz. Congrats on this website, I think it looks and feels very professional. We are in zerotohero together, and good job on the intro part. I’ve dabbled in photography too, even went to night school for a little while. You may or may not know what a Canon EA-1 is but it’s an old school 35mm, and even ten years ago, film was expensive, the developing time consuming (however I do miss that), but I wanted to throw you a link to something I got my eye on cuz it looks so much like my analog….. http://www.amazon.com/Fujifilm-X-M1-Kit-16-50mm-Silver/dp/B00DCM0E5Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397621502&sr=8-1&keywords=fujifilm+xm1 Isn’t it beautiful? Good luck with the course and your photography.
ss
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Hi SS thanks so much for replying to my post and for your feedback. I will also follow your blog with interest. It sounds like you are very artistic so cant wait to see some of your art, photography etc. I like the feel of your website – so much neater and well laid out than mine and way more professional looking! Good luck to you with the course as well. I feel I have already benefited by feeling now a part of a community whereas previously I did feel out on my own.
I checked out the camera. I cant believe it! It is beautiful – the best of both worlds, it looks vintage right down to the flash but has the modern day convenience of a flip screen. Love it! I particularly like the faux brown leather look which goes way back past my vintage into the 50s. Thanks for sharing.
Kaz
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Yes. Vintage IS awesome! And you’re very welcome. Honestly, my site didn’t look this way about a month ago. The Suites theme was mentioned by another blogger who said something about it fitting his personality better, I guess the same is true for me, lol. So I activated it and threw everything out and literally started from scratch, which is normal for me. Thanks for following, and I hope I can keep you interested and informed!
ss
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Hi Kaz – I love photography, and am not nearly as pro as you. I so look forward to visiting your blog frequently.
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Thanks WWW for stopping by to look at my posts. Much appreciated. I had a look at your blog and was reading your last post and wanted to scream nooooo to the man! Great writing. Can’t wait for the next story.
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“who was thinking in their 20s right!” I don’t know, I can’t remember if I did or not 😀 Hehe.
It would have been awesome to have the camera and the skills back then and used the camera at the parties! Would definitely have had a lot of kick ass photos! Anyway, great post, nice to meet you! 🙂
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Thanks CG for the compliment. Nice to meet you too. It was nice to go down memory lane for a bit, thanks for the indulgence!
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I love your story! It’s simple, honest and engaging. It may sound silly but I also love your cheerful photo that goes with it 😉 I’m glad that I found your blog and excited to keep in touch and see how you’ll grow during the Zero to Hero challenge 😉 (Though I’m a bit sad that you moved from my 201 class to the 101 class…) And one last point, I must compliment you on the design of your blog, I’m choosy when it comes to design, but your blog makes me want to stay and browse your posts: it’s an elegant balance of visuals and text, very pleasant to the eye.
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Thanks Mara for your kind words they are very encouraging and generous. Not sure what to expect with the challenge afoot but I guess we have passed the first hurdle. I am sorry also that I am not in the same class but not too far away. I value your critique and time taken to go through different aspects of my blog with me. Very kind and considerate!
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I love photography too! It’s just part of me now! 🙂 Good Luck in 101! You are more than welcome to check out my blog. Here’s the link: http://inthelifeofsarasandoval.wordpress.com/
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Hi Sara thanks for stopping by. Loved your blog, the front page is fresh and clean and soft and makes me think of icecream or gelato or something wonderful to eat! Strange I know 🙂 I love your writing style which is from the heart and honest. I was quite taken with your sunset. Did you photograph the American flag with the sun behind it, if so really love that!!
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Thank you! I didn’t know my blog could bring out taste buds. But I am glad it does & that you find it very fresh! I mainly focus on writing about my life, so yes, there are going to be blogs where I’ll be completely honest with my readers and spilling out a few secrets 😉 The sunset I took myself. It was after my evening class out at the college & it looked so beautiful I needed to stop and photograph it! But, the one with the sun & American Flag was used by my Digital Photography instructor. I don’t really know if he took it or used of the web. But it is truly beautiful! Thank you so much for taking time of your day & stopping by my blog! Hopefully we will chat soon! 🙂
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Hey. 🙂 I really like your photography, so I’ve nominated you for a Liebster award. For the rules, and what to do next, check out my post on it here: http://annabelmcquade.wordpress.com/2014/04/24/how-exciting-d-liebster-award/
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Hi Kaz. I found your site from a comment you left on a fellow ZeroToHero Blogging U participant, Lyrallya. And quite glad I did.
I’ve had a photo bug in me for many years as well. My first camera was an old Konica T. And like you, remember a day when waiting on prints from the lab was just part of photography. I recently was given a camera as a gift and have slowly been inspired to begin photographing again. Looking forward to seeing more of your images. (they’re quite amazing) and hope to call you a peer.
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Great blog! I’m super new to photography and think I will find a lot of inspiration on your blog. Speaking of, your blog looks amazing. This is one of the most appealing and best laid out blogs I’ve come across.
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Thanks for stopping by and for your feedback. I picked this theme – Traveller – because it is better for photos even though I feel my blog is a bit messy and the photos of different sizes but overall happy with it. I appreciate your kind words.
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I’m excited to have found your blog! Love the photos, and since I also love taking pics, we’ve got commonalities. New to the blogging scene, I’m nominating you for a Liebster Award!! Here’s the link: http://themomentsmatterblog.wordpress.com/2014/05/01/i-won-the-liebster-award/ Have fun!!
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Hi Nance thanks for following my blog, I am now following you as well.
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This is such great fun, meeting kindred spirits! I look forward to your posts and pictures.
Cheers!
Nance
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