Another Step on the Way

Okay, so fast forward to 2005, December I think. I was in a small class of security procedures and the instructor showed us his digital camera that he was using. It was small, compact, did video and pictures. I was intrigued. I asked him how much his camera cost him and was surprised that it was just over $100. Well, I knew that now was the time to get a camera. I budgeted my money, and waited.

In March of 2006 I did it. I had filed my income tax and got a refund, asked for my vacation pay and went shopping. At the same time I went shopping for a new computer as well. I went to the electronics store looking for the same model of camera but was unable to locate it. I ended up buying a cheaper model and a bunch of memory cards to go with it.

I wasn’t looking to go into photography at the time. I was just looking for a camera that I could use for my job. At the time I was a mobile patrol supervisor for a security company in Toronto. A smallish company mind you, but I was all over the place doing a wide variety of tasks. I was using the camera to document guard misdeeds, damages to property, parking violations, you name it I was shooting it. I had some fun doing that and started thinking about other things to do with it as well.

Well, I got my first idea about April of 2006. My mom was visiting from out of town and we were wandering around downtown looking at sights and shopping. We passed one of the many public sculptures when a great idea hit me. My brother was living in China and had been married recently. I started thinking out loud and said to my mother that it would be a great idea to take pictures of all the neat and interesting locations around Toronto so that my brother and sister-in-law could see that Toronto wasn’t such a horrible place.

Well that idea went on the back burner for a while to percolate. I was taking pictures of more and more things that weren’t work related. I started carrying it and snapping shots of stuff that grabbed my attention and whimsy. Not many mind you, I was still getting used to the camera and exploring some of its functions. I was also trying to get good pictures of one of my hobbies at the time, gaming miniatures.

Things were difficult, learning how to use the camera. Tomorrow, pictures that I took in all their glory and problems.

PaladinPhil