Got a two year night school degree in Commercial and Industrial Photography in late 70s, early 80s when my wife asked me to quit playing in rock and roll bands. Seems being a wannabe rockstar with a new baby and a day job was not compatible with marital bliss. I did some free lance advertising photography and won second place in a couple state wide newspaper advertising competitions. I had a contract gig with a local modeling school. Once in a awhile an unholy alliance of Mary Kay cometics sales people would rent a facility, bring in hairdressers and do makeovers for scores of women. I would do the before and after pix. (TIP: The “after” pictures have to look better than the “befores.”) At the end of the evening, they’d hand me a zipper bag full of cash. More money for less work and better hours than humping a bass rig into a dive bar for a gig.
I shot Canon back in the film days, A1, AE1, EF and FTBn bodies and a bunch of glass. Dark room in the basement,you know the whole story. In 2000, 12 years after my divorce, I sold it all to help finance my last rock and roll band. We should have been called The Last Gasp or Midlife Crisis because it was and we were.
In 2005 my dad died and left me a Pentax SF1 and 4 lenses. I stuck them in the closet but in 2007 I read that the Pentax K10D was compatible with theses old Pentax and Sigma lenses and ordered one up. As much as I knew, I didn’t even know about crop factors at that time. It didn’t matter, I drug the thing to the country, the zoo and flower gardens, etc. You know that story, too.
But... I was also caretaker of my Dad’s gun collection while my little brother was overseas. So in my mid-50s, I got drawn into competitive hand gunning. Having only so much time, energy and money, the Pentax went back in the closet until late 2014. My neighbor, a local media professional in tv, radio and print was writing a pet column for a local glossy mag. She had a photo shoot for her column and the magazine freelancer cancelled. She called up and asked, “Do you have a good camera?” I said, “Yes.” She said, “Grab it and let’s go.”
A month later, I saw my photos, in color, in a glossy magazine. I was hooked on photography again. Since then I’ve photographed 30 or so animal rescue fund raisers, a couple championship poodles, hundreds of dog photos for her social media platforms and several more magazine articles, including a 10 page article on homelessness that used 8 of my photos including a two page spread.
All that said, in the past 18 months, after fooling around with a Sony a6000, I’ve upgraded from the K10D to a K70 and a K3II. I’ve acquired most the DA Ltd lenses and a couple DA* lenses and others. I think I own 12 Pentax lenses and 2 Sigmas. Recently I decided I needed to have a camera on me at all times. First I bought a used K-01 with the 40mm XS pancake. Not too crazy about it so last week I bought a Pentax Q7 with the 02 lens and the Pentax Q/K adapter. This morning I ordered the 01 and 08 lens.
I think I need an intervention...
or a K1 II. Help me decide.
In case you haven’t noticed, I tend to be long winded. Thank you for your time.
Last edited by Perfessor5646; 01-19-2019 at 11:15 AM.
Reason: Mispellings and left out Sony a6000 info