Digital Photography Community

Here We Go! Digital Photography Community

Digital Photography Community is now officially online!

Hello!  I’m Stephen, the owner and administrator of this site.  I hope this site can develop and grow into a valuable resource for all things digital photography (or at least a bunch of things).

This coming Thursday, Feb. 15th, 2007, will be the fourth anniversary of my decision to learn to become a photographer - and by that I of course mean that I decided to become a digital photographer.  More of my background will inevitably surface as I continue to share what knowledge I have on the subject of photography, but for now, here is a brief pre-history of my digital photography life:

I was born the last of 5 children to an excellent commercial photographer, Royce Bair.  None of us kids really enjoyed photography.  In fact photography meant work!  If dad was going to go out and shoot something and we were “invited” to tag along, it meant we would have to lug around lighting gear, hold reflectors, and be absolutely bored stiff.

Luckily (or so I thought back then), I wasn’t called upon to help too often.  I usually helped out when someone needed a portrait done, but by the time I was old enough to help, Royce was focusing most of his efforts into his stock photo agency, The Stock Solution.  Even so, I did get a healthy exposure to professional photography.

Fast-forward to Feb. 15, 2003.  I was 22 and had recently found myself without a college major when I decided that I no longer was interested in working toward medical school.  I can’t say exactly what had put me off from continuing pre-med.  I was pretty adept at my course work, but I was no longer enjoying myself as I learned.

The night before Feb. 15th I had “broken up” with a girl.  I qualify that in quotes because we never really were “together,” but that night she finally decided that it would indeed stay that way.  As I slowly woke up that Saturday morning I remembered a dream that I had just had:

In the dream I was in a meadow and I was taking a portrait of a girl, probably a senior portrait.  She was obviously into medieval period things because she was dressed like a maiden from that era, but with a modern. sassy look.  I was shooting her back-lit (with the sun providing that light) and with a golden reflector providing the main fill.

When I awoke I thought of the dream and audibly said “I can do that!” I realized that over the years I had basically been taught lighting, posing, and composition as I watched and helped my father.  What I did lack was knowledge of the mechanics and techniques of professional photography.  I’ve always been good with mechanical and technical stuff, so I decided that would be easy.  The only question remained:

Would I like professional photography?

Well in an effort to make this entry shorter than it could be, I’ll answer that with a “yes!” I went to my father and happily surprised him with my request to be his first, last, and only child to seriously want to be trained in photography.  He helped me and provided me with an Olympus E-10 to borrow.  Eventually I got to use the Fuji S2 Pro (especially when he decided to give Canon a try with their new 1Ds [not mark II]).

Consequently I have never shot film professionally.  The only film I have ever shot has been in point-and-shoot cameras and the results were developed at 1-hour photo labs!

I guess the old die-hard film lovers might think that gives me less of a perspective.  I don’t care what they think . . . this site will be about what I know!