Clique aqui para ler a versão em Português deste post.

In 2010, myself, my wife and my daughter, went for the first time on an international trip as a family. We travelled to England to visit my brother-in-law and his wife that lives there since 2004. To a trip like this, we decided to buy a new digital camera, since our Canon Powershot, even still new, were discharging its batteries very fast. After a lot of online research, we decided for a DSLR Sony alpha A230. The reasons for this choice are:

1. The price at the time were lower or similar to an advanced compact model.
2. This is a DSLR camera, which allows to exchange lenses, and those lenses can be reused in new models.
3. The price of professional Sony equipment and accessories are slightly lower than Canon’s and Nikon’s. In this case I made a mistake. I researched mostly American and British websites, hence the prices I got were from there countries. In Brazil it is harder to find Sony Alpha equipment, hence, the prices here are actually higher for Sony than Canon and Nikon.

Hands on camera, a lot of excitement and minimum knowledge.

The first camera that I bought was an analogue Samsung, entirely automatic, very simple and efficient. After that, I bought 2 Canons Powershot, one of the first to be released (A60) and the other one 3/4 years later (A570). I always used the cameras, mostly in the auto mode. But as all other electronic Technician/Engineer, I always read the manuals and eventually, tried some shots using the semi-auto modes (P. Av and Tv, in Canon standards) or even in the full manual mode.

With my first DSLR, soon came that desire to dominate the equipment and in this case, the camera’s manual was not enough. I bought a book about the camera (“Sony A230, A330 & A380 – The Expanded Guide”, Ed Amonite Press) and also a book about digital photography (“The Digital Photography Handbook”, Ed Quercus). And even before get into the plane, I already new which accessories I would buy when I would arrive in London – a telescopic lens 55-200mm, 1 extra battery, 1 extra memory card and 1 bag.

My wife and I were taking turns in using the camera and in 11 days traveling we shot approximately 5 thousand pictures. Of those 5,000 pictures, today, after 3 years, a lot of acquired knowledge and experience, I was able to select to my portfolio, the amazing quantity of exactly: 1 picture. The picture from Stonehenge shown in my website were taken during this trip – with almost 1 hundred  other pictures of the same stone formation at the same day, by myself, my wife and my daughter, hehe.

* One of the almost one hundred pictures that were shot at Stonehenge in the same day by myself, my wife and my daughter, in 2010.

After this trip to England, we went on several other trips here in Brazil, only to “practice photography”, and this was the first change in our lives due to photography. Before we barely travelled, except for some trips to Rio de Janeiro where most of my family lives. Now we are always traveling, to everywhere.

In the following year – 2011 – we attended a Digital Photography Course, the lasted 80hrs across 4 months. It was not an all encompassing or outstanding course, but it was enough to make some progress reviewing all what we have been reading in books, learning with professionals and getting to know other photography enthusiasts. It was also the final push to buy a second DSLR, this time a Sony Alpha A580. (Lenses exchanging possibilities!)

Two years later; a lot of new lenses, tripods, batteries, memory cards, accessories, backpacks, lightning gear, computing equipment, software and several books, besides 3 new cameras (Sony Alpha A560, Sony Alpha A700 e Minolta Dynax 60, the last one being a film camera, bought used), and the most important, thousands of pictures taken at home, in our city and surrounding areas, in several national and international trips; I can tell that photography caused a lot of changes in our lives. To better for sure!

After decide to approach photography more seriously, I created a website to show case my portfolio and eventually to sell them. My website can be reached at www.calexandrep.photoshelter.com . Beside this blog that I keep as a companion to my website, I manage two other blogs, one about my travels, called “Snapshots” and another about photography and related topics, called “Fotografia et al”.

If you want to know my work better or to contribute to my blog about photography, can reach me through my email calexandrep@gmail.com . See you!

* Part of the equipment set that I acquired and have been using in the last 3 years.