I’ve been wanting to make this post for some time now because I tell this story all the time. People always ask me how long I’ve been a photographer or how I got into photography. My answer is always the same. I tell them that I’ve been a photographer for as long as I can remember and that the first thing I ever bought with my own money was a camera.
This is true story. My first camera, a classic Minolta SRT-101 fully manual little gem, cost me $150 in about 1973 or so when I was 7 years old. I borrowed the money from my father with a promise to work for him on one of his surveying crews for the summer to pay him back. I earned $1.50/hr (still convinced that was a 3rd world labor rate even then) to cut brush for all I was worth with men 4 and 5 times my age in the hot sweltering Virginia sun. I remember thinking I’d have Pop paid back within a few weeks but I failed to factor in expenses (lunch, a mid-day dr. pepper and a pack of “nabs”, etc.). This proved to be a valuable life lesson but nonetheless my entire summer was spent EARNING that first camera. It proved to be one of the most cherished things I’ve ever purchased partly because I worked so hard for it but mostly because it opened up a whole new world of technical challenge and creative pursuit for me. And, it has proven to be one of the most enduring pursuits of my life.
About a year ago, I decided I would procure a working model of that first camera and after a little research and digging locally and on e-bay, I finally found what I was looking for. My new “first camera” has been refurbished and calibrated to work with modern batteries and all of the moving mechanical parts are lubricated and in working order. The most amazing thing is not that it works. I could really almost care less. The amazing thing is the memories and connection with my past that the camera restores.
I still remember the smell and feel of the camera. When I first picked it up it was like traveling back in time to visit and old childhood friend. I so fondly recall those days. I still remember the smell of the film canisters which I collected and put pennies in. I remember getting photography magazines and wishing I could make images like the ones I saw . . . and of course own all of the equipment in the back of the magazine . . . some things never change 
I remember wanting a dark room so badly I could taste it but that was out of the question at the time.
My father would pay to develop as many bad images as I could manage to make and on occasion at first a good one or two would show up in the pile. Sort of like golf where that one good shot brings you back for the next round . . . so it was with my photography at first. I just kept coming back and back and back. Maybe I can call myself a “scratch” photographer now! Wish I could say the same for my golf game.
Well back to my story. I spent many years trying to figure out the technical side of photography and learned as much as I could absorb from books, magazines, and friends in those pre-internet days. I remember photographing anything and everything from insects on flowers, to sunsets at the beach. But my favorite thing was just chronicling our family events, trips, and life in general.
I recall a big change happening for me when my youngest sister, Liana, was born. I was about 10 at the time and evidently my fascination with her coincided pretty well with my gaining a basic understanding of the camera and she became my muse. I loved photographing her and so wanted to capture all of her milestones.
Today I have my own children. We just brought a new baby boy into the world last week and these feelings were stirred again which prompted me to finally make this post. I have loved photographing people since those early days and owe a huge debt of gratitude to my father for the opportunity and just the right amount of life lesson in the process and to my sister Liana and my entire family for serving as my practice subject then and to this day!
The first photo I’ve included below is of my new “first camera”. The second is one of my favorite shots of my mother and sister. Shots like this were fewer and further between for me back then but fortunately frequent enough to keep me coming back for more. I have always loved the power of that moment frozen in time and the potential impact it has when viewed later on. That power, the feedback loop, and the unknown potential is what continues to drive my work to this day.
But this is where it all began . . .
by Bryan Allen
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