.Shap.'s photostream

Hey, firstly I'd like to say thanks for checking out my stream, I hope you found something of interest. I will try to keep this short and sweet, since I know there's nothing more annoying then trying to read an entire autobiography on flickr.

I started photography, September 2007, when I got my first ever camera Canon 30D. It was the biggest puchase I had ever made and it was encouraged and further forced on me by my best friend Kegan. I had always had an interest in photography. As far as I can remember running around in my backyard with the mcdonalds (special promotional) camera, taking pictures of caterpillars. When I got older I had always wanted a point and shoot but was always promised I would get one, "later... next month... when they're on sale..." from my father, since I never had the money to get one myself. To make a long story short, later turned into months and months into years... Finally in the summer of 2006 my mom and younger brother went to Germany and my grandfather bought him a point and shoot camera. You can only imagine how disappointing this was for me... I had wanted one all my life and my brother got one instead. Since his return to Canada I had made a habit of continuously borrowing his camera, but then fights broke out about whose camera it reall was. He had a point, and as a result I got a annoyed and decided to get a second job and financed myself a lap top (to download my pictures) and a digital SLR (Canon 30D), which by the way seemed to be very difficult to use at first. For the first 6 to 8 months of my photography carrier I used auto-everything, occassionally I would use manual focus. My best friend, had yet again... discovered that all my photography during all this time had been done without much skill, I felt that this terribly embarassing and with that I began to explore and get a better understanding of my camera and what every function did. I think this embarassment was another advancing push for myself to get better at my photography, afterall I had a camera that allowed me to adjust everything manually. However I don't think I fully began to understand that camera until I got my second one at Christmas (2008). My parents saw my interest in photography as an investment and decided to buy me a Canon Mark II... lucky for me they bought the last one, as it had just been released, people were going crazy trying to purchase one.

I currently shoot with this camera, and it definetly was the best investment, and probably the best gift I've ever recieved in my life. I say this without hesitation, as I spend close to everyday shooting someone or something, I don't think I've ever worn a christmas gift out this much.

Since my first camera I had an obsession with abandon homes... which I realised was not going to help me as a photographer later in life. Don't get me wrong its a fun theme to explore, but there's far more to photography that just that... nature, still lifes, portraiture, and the list continues. My stream encompasses everything and anything that inspires me. As I said before, hopefully you have found something of interest.

As for flickr...
I was introduced to flickr at school, it was a requirement that we got an account so our teacher could keep an eye on our progress, since my time on flickr I have been inspired by flickr-ites, and am continuously trying to improve my photography. I learn from others ideas, and explorations and most of all from the feedback (whether good or bad).

I feel it only necessary to thank first and foremost my friend Kegan for pushing me to make the step of buying a professional camera dispit its cost. Further, I'd like to thank my friends who have supported my work and my parents who bought me the newer model. And finally I would like to thank all of you for looking at my work, critiquing it, sometimes quiet harshly but I think thats what I need to improve.

All in all, this little description has become far longer then I wanted... but I will close with my future goal.. which would be to become a photographer.

Thanks Again,

Steph (a.k.a. Langzik)