I became interested in photography at a young age. When I turned 8, I joined 4-H, and decided to choose photography as one of my projects. I started taking pictures with an old Brownie box camera, and it took good pictures.
My first year in photography, I got the grand champion ribbon at our county fair. It made my photo eligible to go to the state fair, but unfortunately you had to be 10 years old to compete at state.
There was a super great woman by the name of Mrs. Blankenship that had a photography studio in town. She would help me, and showed me how to develop pictures in her darkroom. If I close my eyes, I can still recall the smell of the chemicals used, and glimpse back at the grey haired lady that was so kind to me.
I pretty much stayed with the photography project throughout my years in 4-H.
When I got to junior high, we had a photography club at school. I once again got to develop photos, and learn some new things. They had a big old suitcase that had everything needed for developing pictures. Students could check it out for a weekend, take it home, and turn a closet into their own darkroom. That was a lot of fun. The teacher that oversaw all this was named Mr. Hersh, and he had a twin brother that was a state trooper. His brother had a nice camera he sold me, but for the life of me, I cannot think what it was.
Through the years I've gone from one camera to another, enjoying them all. Currently what I mainly use is a Nikon D80, which I love. Boy, cameras have come a long way!
I think as far as my favorite photos, it would have to be the ones I took one day after a small tornado hit our place. And not so much for the quality of the photos, but for the experience.