AKA How My (Has yours?) Photography Has Changed Over the Years…
I was thinking about this question recently: has my photography really changed since I first picked up a camera? I’m not going to bore you with the classic “I borrowed my mother’s Pentax and finished the roll of film” story (That’s how it happened, thanks mum). Suffice to say, I started with film and now I’m shooting digital and here we are.
Q. What about you? Has your photography changed? Drop your thoughts in the comments—I’d love to know.
My Early Film Photography
As a kid and into my teens, I’d use whatever film I could get my hands on, usually begging Mum for a roll. Photography was slow, deliberate. Each shot counted because a roll of 24 frames could take me weeks to get through. Mum taught me to be considered in the photos I made—not to shoot without purpose.
Exposure? I barely understood it. I’d point the camera at whatever caught my eye, make sure the little needle was near the middle, and hope for the best. Even though my photos were mostly rubbish, the process of shooting, waiting, and then developing was magical.
Later, I upgraded to a Nikon F90X. The process was faster, but I was still deliberate. I’d visit the local shop on Bridge Rd in Richmond, chatting with the photographer, smelling the chemicals, and seeing prints come to life. A roll of film still took weeks, but every frame mattered.
Enter Digital: The Mavica Era
When I got my first “corporate job,” digital cameras existed but were out of my reach. My boss, Heidi, was a photographer with two beautiful Leicas. Occasionally, she’d take photos at lunch, and I tagged along once as her (hilariously mismatched) model.
Eventually, we purchased a Sony Mavica FD92 at work. A digital camera! But tiny images, floppy disks, and very limited dynamic range made every shot a challenge. Yet, I left a work Christmas party with 50 small, flawed but very much real digital images.
Floppy disks, tiny images—yet still a thrill.
The Transition: Film to Serious Digital
As digital tech improved, I found myself taking more photos and experimenting more. I upgraded to a used Canon A5 with a CF card. Suddenly, space was no longer an issue—even if 64MB cost a fortune at the time. I was snapping away on trips, knowing that most of the frames would be rubbish, but the process was liberating.
From there, I moved through a series of Canon cameras: 30D, 50D, 5D, 5D Mark II, then Mark III. Each upgrade brought more flexibility, more frames, and more experimentation. Eventually, I settled into the Sony ecosystem with an a7R III. It’s still my main camera today—sharp, reliable, and ready to shoot.
How My Photography Has Changed
Looking back, I realise that having more frames, cheaper storage, and instant feedback changed how I shoot. I became less deliberate. The cost of film and limited shots used to force me to slow down, to think, to plan. Digital gave me freedom—but with it, a little recklessness.
The love for photography is still there, but the process has shifted. Now, it’s “give me more frames!” instead of “make every frame count.” And maybe that’s not a bad thing—it’s just different.
What About You?
Has your photography evolved the same way? Are you more deliberate, or more of a “snap everything” photographer? I’d love to hear your thoughts—drop a comment and let’s compare notes.
