Ever since I was young I’ve been known as the creative one. I used to draw all the time and every Christmas I can remember I got at least one art kit. But we never had the money for a real camera, so I never really considered photography. Back then I had no idea what I was missing.

Missing out

Over the last several years I have been fortunate enough to work with some seriously amazing photographers, actually I am pretty much surrounded by them. But I had always been on the other side, creating websites and designing logos. I wasn’t out shooting, or a part of meetup groups like Tampa’s Strobist and Photoshop Collective. There are so many photographers out there, I wondered what would I shoot that hadn’t already been done?

The Change

My attitude quickly changed this past September at Photoshop World in Las Vegas. A friend let me borrow his D300. Before the keynote he gave me a quick rundown and some basic tips to get started, at the time I didn’t realize how valuable that conversation was going to be. Later that morning we headed down to the keynote presentation. As the band rocked the stage I captured the image that changed my entire outlook on photography. Check it out!

Not bad for a noob right? That’s Scott Kelby, president of NAPP by day and hardcore rockstar by night. Seriously though, I couldn’t have captured that shot without a great teacher… the friend who gave me the tips wasn’t just any old photographer with an extra camera. It was Kelby Training Instructor and Photoshop Guy, RC Concepcion. He reminded me it didn’t matter that I wasn’t a professional or that I didn’t have a D3S. What mattered was I was having fun and finding a new talent. Did I mention I took about 400 images at that keynote — that image above is the only one I’ll be posting…

After the conference I was able to keep the camera for a couple months. It’s a good thing, I had become addicted. I tried to shoot as often as possible and get the most out of my short time with it. Here are a couple of the images I was able to capture, you can see more on the Fireleaf Design Flickr page.

Had to Give it Back

I couldn’t keep RC’s camera forever and as a designer I have other toys err… expenses that just made getting an expensive camera out of the question. Then it seemed like as soon I returned it, the planet shifted and every amazing shot that could possibly exist was right in front of me. It only took a few weeks of triple rainbows and Bigfoot sightings to drive me crazy. I had to get a camera of my own.

Enter the P7000

After reading the reviews for Nikon’s new P7000 I had to have it. A point and shoot with many similar features to a DSLR that I could easily work into the budget. Fortunately I could get it for under $500! A quick search on Amazon and before I knew it I was off shooting again. Even though it’s definitely not  a DSLR, this little camera can capture some great images. Here are a couple for you to check out. And there are a few more on our Flickr page.

So What is Your Story?

Well there you have it, the abridged version of my photography story. I’d love to hear how you got started, leave a comment or send me a message to share what made you want to live life from behind the lens.