That day with my Canon 30D in hand, 4/11/2023
Last year, my father walked into my room with a Canon 30D, equipped with a camera strap, a single battery, and a small 8-gig SD card.
“Try it out,” he said.
I’ve never been the most creative growing up. I would enjoy and indulge in the works of other creative artists. Musicians, game developers, hell even movie directors. I was always the viewer and not the creator. The outlet to create began that very day. I took that camera everywhere I walked. I didn’t understand the composition. I didn’t edit my photos. I didn’t even know what the buttons and letters scattered on my camera body meant. I didn’t know the exposure triangle, nor did I know why all my photos came out blurry. But I loved every bit of it. The pure action of taking a photo with the click of my shutter gave me just the right amount of joy to make me take the next one.
While it started as something to just do, it became a part of me, and I wanted to know more. I wanted to learn. And so, I asked my father every little thing about photos. What does f/2.8 mean? Why does my camera beep and flash red little dots before a photo? Why the lights shined the way they did and why the darks were as they were on my camera screen.
From then on, I learned from him and countless YouTube videos on gear, composition, lighting, and finding what you loved when photographing. From there, I settled on sports. My first ever shoot was a volleyball game here, where I live. I didn’t know what was going on. The players didn’t know what the hell I was doing. I just sat, stood, and moved with the game. And I just clicked away. Looking back at those photos, they were, of course, awful. I didn't get any great action shots and the photos looked so warm and orange. I’ve learned a lot with new gear and editing, but these photos were a humble piece of me. A look at where I started and where I am now. The improvements I’ve made and the joy I’ve felt from the atmosphere of sports.
This summer, I am grateful for the opportunities I’ve had from this hobby. The bonding with my father. My involvement in my school yearbook club. My connection with understanding sports. My way to create. This year, I have so much in store for what can be done. How I further my online presence and strengthen my skills as a young photographer. To aim for college-level and even national-league feats. The Superbowl. The World Cup. The Olympics.
The only question I have for myself is now this.
What will I create next?