In the beginning, there was the Kodak Brownie Starmite, the camera that I took to Hawaii when I was 10 years old. It hung around my neck on a piece of kitchen string. I got blurry pictures developed at the drugstore with a smaller “bonus photo” next to each one. I have a few of these snapshots in an old album.

Then came the Kodak Instamatic camera with the little film cartridge. I took this one on family trips and my Girl Scout National Opportunity. A few more of these snapshots exist in my photo albums.

When I was a senior in High School, my boyfriend (who later became my husband) bought me a Canon AE1 35mm camera. I attached it to a guitar strap, and it became my ‘art’ for the next 30 years. I photographed my family, m children, my travels, nature, abstract objects, anything that I thought would make a good composition. Here’s a gallery of shots I took with that camera.

Not long after my husband died, the advance mechanism on my Canon jammed, and I stopped using it.

My first digital camera was one I borrowed. I think it was a Pentax? Here are some shots from that camera:

Finally, for my 50th birthday, I bought myself the camera I have now and have been using for the last eight years: a Canon Rebel T3i. I have not yet purchased any additional lenses, but that may be my next milestone birthday treat!

Thanks, Amy, for inviting me to share my Photography Journey and for sharing yours!