The recent Origins thread regarding some of our first cameras got me thinking about my old k1000 and others I used when first starting. It also got me thinking how I entered photography and I thought I might share it with others in the hope others may have some fun sharing their first photographic experiences.
For me, well.. A good friend and I were about 19-20 years old and unemployed in Sydney, so we decided to head off on a round Australia trip, picking up work as we went. This was 1979. We found ourselves in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. Like most towns in WA it is in the desert and the primary industry is mining. Before too long we had work in some mines, and with this experience were able to travel to other locations and were readily accepted as experienced miners. At that time we were taking home some AUD$800.00 per week, big dollars in that time. I decided to purchase a camera to record our travels and unique work environment and purchased my first PENTAX. I was at the time workin at the Windarra Nickel Project, (Windarra is approximately 400km from anywhere) an underground mine of 1200 metres, and took the camera down the hole and took some photo's of my collegues and the mining operation. Many of the other miners thought it would be good also to have their photo taken whilst underground to send back to their loved ones. Many miners worked in these remote locations for 6-12 months, sending their pay packets home, before returning home themselves. I soon found I needed to charge for this service as the cost of film/processing was getting high. As we travelled to other mines in the desert I was able to eke out a good start in photography, especially low light situations. How did you get started? Kind regards Kevin -- Please avoid sending me Word or PowerPoint attachments. See http://www.fsf.org/philosophy/no-word-attachments.html Kevin Waterson Byron Bay, Australia
