what started it all

I was cleaning out some boxes this morning when I ran across my very first digital camera (a Canon A620) and I have to admit that I got a little nostalgic. I dug around through some old CDs, cringed a little at what my skills were back then (in both photography and design lol) and found my very first photo I had taken:

you'll have to forgive the huge, ugly watermark! I couldn't find the original.

I remember when I first bought my camera. I had been talking about it for months and months. I wanted something to simply snap photos of things that I loved. Okay, mostly of nature, but that's what was (and still is!) what inspired me the most. I finally broke down and got the latest on the shelf from where I worked and immediately went home, opened up the box, bypassed the manual (bad idea, folks!), and went outside and snapped a photo. When I saw it on that tiny, two inch screen, I couldn't believe it. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen! Look how it focused! And all that blurriness around everything else (you know, bokeh? lol)! And the light! Oh, the light! I couldn't stop staring at it and to me, at that moment, it was the best photo I had ever seen and I took it!

Of course, compared to my camera now this photo is completely laughable. But I still never forget the excitement I had with my very first camera even though it was a simple point-and-shoot. I was like any other "photographer" with their first camera - taking pictures of everything. I mean, that was it for me; I was hooked. Since then I've upgraded twice and my skills have improved. I've moved on to other subjects to photograph and other goals, but I will never ever forget what got me started in taking photographs: my love for light and the world around me.

What was your first camera? Still have your hands on your very first photo you took? Share it!