My New Photography Hobby- Geeks Take Pictures Too

Last weekend, I finally experienced a life long dream. Since I can remember, I have been fascinated with photography.
I believe my love for photography started when I was a child reading Spider-Man comics. Peter Parker made a living taking pictures of his alter-ego, Spider-Man. I always related Peter more than any other fictional character and now I can related to him on a whole different level.

In High School, I watched the upper class-men in the Year Book class. They took KOOL pictures and developing them in the darkroom. I couldn’t wait to take the class. Unfortunately the class was taught by a teacher who wasn’t a fan of mine. I didn’t get to take the class because it was up to this teacher to pick the students for Year Book and I didn’t make the cut. Yet, this desire stayed with me.

Last year for my birthday, I found a nice Nikon D3200 for sale on Craigslist. My photographer friend, Donna, took a look at the a listing for me. She gave me some advice on how much to pay and what to examine on the camera. I met the seller at Popeyes Chicken. I wondered if some thought were having a drug sale when I whipped out my cash onto the table and traded for a camera bag.

After I bought the camera, I spent some time taking pictures to practice. I went to the Nature Center in Springfield. I tried a several different things to photograph but never felt like I found my grove.

My daughter, Natasha, uses the camera more than me. She is in Yearbook in High School. She has a good eye for photography and it is natural creative outlet for her.

Last week, my friend AJ posted about a photo shoot that she was hosting for last weekend. It was a free session. She was calling for any models that were interested to come and have a fun creative time. I asked her about coming and watching or possibly taking some pictures. AJ warmly invited me to come and join her as a co-photographer. She welcomed my enthusiasm and naivety.

I had a great time learning the ropes from AJ. I watched her intently as she set the lights. I realized some models are naturals and don’t need much instructions. Other models need a little more direction.

I took a ton of KOOL pictures. I included a few that I really liked to show off. As you can see, I was able to photograph some really KOOL stuff. Just in these few images, we have a Mandalorian Bounty Hunter with an alien, our sexy alien with a couple of pets, a super KOOL use of lights in a dark room, a rock star, the pirate and the starlet, and the pirate with her Crystal Skull, and a Princess.

I took my first steps into my newest geeky hobby. I am sure I will find a way to even more integrate my love of geekdom with photography. I will be sporting my camera at Planet Comicon Kansas City and VisionCon.