An eight year old with box camera, ancient even then (the camera, not the boy). Effectively a pinhole camera with a lens.
Then an Ilford 120 format 'modern' camera; black and white film which still had to be processed at a shop.
At 12, a selection of chemicals in a darked-out bedroom. I can still recollect the fury when grandmother came in to MY bedroom, unannounced and uninvited, in the middle of contact printing thus ruining a complete pack of printing papers. Subsequently the Regency era wine cellar the flat was blessed with became a (lockable) windowless dark room with an enlarger, even more smelly chemicals, successes and failures. The camera had becom a single lens reflex, still used with monochome film, but now developed and properly printed at home.
Wind on many years and add income. Processing is still done at home, but now it's digital and scarcely ever printed out, yet shared many times over by social media, email, Flickr... and here.
My photography is not of professional standard. Yet perhaps one image in 200 is enough to make me stop and think "actually...", or even "Now that's something that works."
Each of the 4 will open up a different version of one of my images that I almost like. The image alongside opens up a pot-pourri of images that... well, see what you think. Want to copy one? Please email me at richard at harbroe dot org and I'll send you a copy sized for your purpose. A donation toward Children in Need will be accepted in exchange.