I took many art classes and jobs growing up. In high school, I was in honors and AP design classes. In college, I was one class shy of a computer art degree which I only abandoned due to my ability to acquire a 2nd business major field. I had a summer job painting portraits at Gallery 37 working with other kids to learn to nurture their artistic side. I was as designer on the side during school for the experience and exposure. I taught myself web design. I took oil painting on weekends at the School of the Art Institute. I took my artistic skills to the professional world doing graphic design and web design work as a side hustle while also focusing on my business-side day-job in Corporate America.
In 2008, I moved from point-and-shoot cameras to my first DSLR camera. That is when I began teaching at Columbia College, and I could finally afford a good camera due to this second job. That new format of detachable lenses is when I consider taking my amateur photography in a new direction. I was inspired by the art school I taught and wanted an outlet for my creativity outside of the corporate design world.
I shoot using the Sony system. While today Sony is a market leader, back in 2008 my choice was a bold one. Sony had just bought out the failing Minolta system and promised backwards compatibility. Yet the giants of Nikon and Canon laughed at the entrance of this tech company into their mature space. For me, Sony offered new features on a budget since I could use old trusted Minolta lenses.
My prize acquisition was the famous "beercan" lens, which was the size of a tallboy beer. This vintage lens debuted in 1985, and offers a wonderful soft analog feel to my photos. This very good quality telephoto zoom offered sharp photos at distances up to 210mm, constant maximum aperture, no external moving parts, and smooth bokeh. Since I could buy these at the time for under $100 used, this lens really helped me get into photography. It took 3 purchases before one held up to my tough standards for travelling. This Minolta beercan is also probably why my back hurts so much when I carry around my gear.
