I traded my Dinky Toy metal car for my first camera when I was 10 years “old”. It was a small thing with two controls: the film advance knob and the trigger button. Back home my father shook his head and expressed doubt that film would be available for it. After some persuasion my mother took me to Numa (then the largest photo shop chain in Sweden), and I showed the camera to the attendant and asked if she had film for it. She smiled and produced a tiny carton from under the counter. I was a very proud “photographer” walking out from the shop. The fact that the camera also produced pictures added to the pride. I had a new hobby!

Since then I have worked my way through an Agfa bellows camera, a Kodak Retina Reflex S, a Pentax Spotmatic with an array of lenses between 18 and 500 mm focal length. I came across an old Rolleiflex 3,5 E2 Model II and was hooked on the 6 × 6 cm format. I traded all for a Hasselblad 500 C/M and a couple of lenses.

I “souped” the film myself and printed with a Durst M600 enlarger. It was all Black and White, and I did some experimenting with solarisation and other tricks.

As so many die hard amateurs I refused to accept digital photography. But as it became more and more difficult to find film and developing chemicals I had to start looking at it. The choice fell on a Canon Powershot G2 that introduced me to and taught me the basics. When it stopped working I invested in a Canon EOS 550 and later a Canon EOS 7D Mark II, and that's where I am now.

Looking back on the different cameras I can but marvel at the development. It went from the two controls on the small childhood toy to a multitude buttons and as much computing power as in a PC on the 7D. And the possibilities to control the image seem unlimited.

© 2013 Aleftranslation
Created by Lars Jelking
Hosted at Bravenet